In
reality I think the idea was probably conceived during my first kayak
trip to the Stockholm Archipelago in 2006; however by 2019 it had
certainly hatched. I was sitting on a sandy beach with David Walters,
bathed in the warm evening sun of the Baltic. Our tents were pitched
amongst the pines and rocks with thick forest behind us. We had
finished leading a PDCC trip the week before and were now exploring
more southerly areas of the archipelago together.
It
had always occurred to me what a wonderful environment it would be to
train scouts in backwoods and navigation skills. This thought was
quickly dismissed considering the mountain of forms and approvals
required to take minors overseas on adventurous activities but the
idea morphed. But what about taking members of the club who were
currently paddling A & B trips but aspired to develop their
skills and undertake a wild camping expedition, (not a holiday as
sometimes mistakenly labelled), that otherwise might not be a
possibility until later in their kayaking career?
The
Baltic offers this opportunity because it is non tidal (well strictly
speaking it has a tidal range of 20mm) and therefore removes the
moving water factor. Plus in mid-summer it gives long daylight hours
enabling a regular daily routine to be established, uncomplicated as
the on the water time is not dictated by the tide. That is not to say
however it is any less an achievement to paddle these waters. When
planning for tides it is usually to benefit for some tidal
assistance, but on the contrary in the Baltic every kilometre paddled
has to be earned at face value. Add to that the tendency of the wind
to pick up the waves, it often but deceptively proves to be no push
over.
And
so late in 2019 a two week PDCC trip was planned for August 2020.
Week one was for A&B paddlers with optional training
opportunities (both in the UK and Sweden) whilst week two was a more
regular C paddler itinerary.
It
all seemed pretty straight forward, but then again at this stage
Covid 19 had not entered anyone’s vocabulary and by the time it had
the British Canoeing handbook did not offer any advice on the
subject.
In
total about 30 members had signed up split between the two trips, but
because the emerging Covid epidemic was subject to continually
varying guidance and regulations there were a number of participants
who for very legitimate reasons had to withdraw. This was unfortunate
but understandable.
With
every governmental twist and turn the trip administration became ever
more difficult. At one point there were no flights operating from the
UK to Sweden. It was a waiting game. However it was clear that there
remained a number of participants still committed to the trip if it
could be done in compliance with the UK and Swedish governments,
British Canoeing and the Club. And as it turned out, it was, but we only
knew the trip was on a fortnight before departure.
So
given the narrow window of opportunity and with fortune smiling, it
was down to us – Making It Happen.
Wildlife
identified on the trip
Greater
spotted woodpecker, roe deer, blackbird, nuthatch, gulls, terns ,
fox, white tailed eagle, badger trace, mink, robin, grass snake ,
hooded crow, seal, ravens, wren, heron, shelduck, tree pipit, lichen,
marsh tit, sparrow, swan, owl, swallows, cormorants, goldfinches,
merganser, red squirrel, whopper sized wood ants, tick, flamingo
Week
1 - 54 nautical miles / 100kilometers
Tim
Gilby, David Walters, Chris McLeod, Richard Edwards, Cathy Jacobs,
Audrey Bazeley, Peter Stewart, Allan Thomson
Saturday
15 August - Engarn
The
group met in the departure lounge at London Heathrow airport
resplendent in surgical masks, looking more like a bunch of bank
robbers than kayakers. Eventually we recognised each other.
The
flight and public transport travel through Stockholm was uneventful,
allowing us to arrive in the late afternoon at the Skargadens
Kanotcenter , Engarn (archipelago canoe centre), take a rest, take a
look at our kayak options and get ready to camp for the night.
Skargadens
Kanotcenter
Sunday
16 August Tisteron
We
had plenty of time to check out our kayaks and ensure we were
comfortable in them before setting off mid morning. We took a
leisurely paddle to the local town of Vaxholm to buy some goodies.
Our
route took us through a very narrow, secret channel not even marked
on the charts, which we nicknamed the Pirate’s Passage.
David
led us on a scenic but circuitous route to the tiny uninhabited
island of Tisteron for the night’s camp. The fact that we had far
exceeded the 6 nautical miles intended on the first day was not lost
on Audrey.
However
the sun was shining and the air temperature was about 30 degrees
Celsius, a weather pattern that would last for the whole week, so
regular swims were the order of the day, every day,
morning,
noon and night. This was much more to Audrey’s liking; she even did
an impression of Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid.
Allan’s
reminiscences of Tisteron - “Watching the sun go down at “Peter’s
Point” with everyone and a good dram of whisky or rum” and
“Searching for my lost beers and wondering about the laws of
physics such that Chris’ beers floated while my beers sunk without
trace!”
Monday
17 August Storra Sandon via Grinda
The
following morning the wildlife started to make a show. A seal had
been seen off Tisteron and en route to Grinda a deer passed ahead
swimming between islands. The most unusual sighting however was a
flamingo.
Flamingus
inflatus
We
took a long lunch on the island of Grinda before moving on to that
night’s stop on Storra Sandon. As if to prove that Swedish is not
that difficult a language to master, Storra Sandon means a place
called Stora with sand on. Simples.
We
had been warned about the dangers of the island. A few metres beyond
the beach there were a number of badger sets. On a previous trip a
badger had got into the cockpit of a kayak and clawed through the
rear foam bulkhead to get at some food, so we took adequate
precautions.
Tragedy
was to strike in another way however, when Peter discovered that the
cork had worked its way loose from his whisky bottle and flooded his
rear hatch from the inside. We all lamented by drinking Allan’s
whisky instead.
“It’s
behind you!” – sometimes we had to share the water with other
vessels.
Tuesday
18 August Gallno
Having
shaken the sand off, we left Sandon and headed for Gallno. We called
into the little harbour area of Gallno before heading to the camp
site. With plenty of daylight left a few of us took the opportunity
to explore the island.
Chris’
natural affinity for wildlife was evident as a red squirrel paid her
quite a long period of attention on a wooded track.
A
solo paddler arrived to share the camp. Ruth was an American lady who
lived in Stockholm. We shared a few kayaking stories and tips.
Later
Audrey was to be amazed by yet another stunning sunset and watching
the shooting stars and satellites whizzing across the starry night
sky.
Chris
the wildlife magnet, sharing her lunch with some ducks.
Wednesday
19 August Gallno
The
decision to spend a second night on Gallno gave the group the chance
to travel “light” for a day’s excursion a few kilometres north
to the post office at Alsvik on the island of Svartso, taking the
opportunity for some navigation exercises and paddle stroke work en
route.
This
venue always proves to be a favourite with the opportunity to sit
outside the coffee bar indulging in cinnamon buns and ice creams
whilst watching the ferries come and go.
Allan
at Alsvik. He became renowned for declaring “Another day in
paradise.”
(It
was someone else who coined the phrase “A thorn between two
roses.”)
In
a unanimous show of solidarity and joined by our new friend Ruth, the
entire group hired bicycles to do a tour of the island. At this point
Allan’s competitive streak became evident as he recalled “Having
a Tour de France cycle race around the island with Cathy so
determined to beat an invalid carriage, it became a point of honour.”
Tour
De France style? Judge for yourself.
Thursday
20 August Tisteron
Having
struck camp it was time to start heading west towards the canoe
centre. Only a couple of hundred metres or so after leaving Gallno,
Peter spotted a grass snake swimming across the sound, sprinting to
catch a snap shot.
This
day’s paddle was longer than most testing the stamina that had been
building during the week. However never one to miss an opportunity
David ran a towing training session to consolidate more on the water
skills, but not until a very loud Swedish naval hovercraft had
passed.
Friday
21 August Engarn
Our
last day on the water gave us the opportunity to paddle along a
section of the main shipping lane towards Stockholm to view some of
the historic defensive forts along the shoreline and another retail
therapy session in Vaxholm.
That
evening on returning to the canoe centre, the furnace had been stoked
up so that everyone could have a sauna before we all went to a local
Sushi Thai Wok restaurant (that covers most bases) with the canoe
centre owners Milena and Andrew.
And
to finish a perfect week the gentle coaching had paid off; Chris,
Richard, Audrey and Allan were congratulated that they had passed
their British Canoeing Explore Award assessment during the trip.
Saturday
22 August Tisteron
Saturday
was the day for a quick turnaround. Chris, Richard, Allan and Audrey
were homeward bound; the canoe centre kindly offered them a transfer
to the airport by minibus. I was able to accompany them but once they
entered security, it gave me the chance for a sneaky beef burger and
chips before I collected Sean who was arriving on the inbound flight.
Meanwhile
those of the group that were staying on for the second week had a day
of rest at the canoe centre or a stroll into Vaxholm.
