Utö

The weather forecasts were showing that the next couple of days would have near gale-force winds, and so wherever we went, we would be stuck there for a couple of days. We checked all the nearby harbours, and plumped for Utö, as it had a shop, a café and an interesting-looking lighthouse.

Utö , which means ‘out island’, is the southernmost inhabited island in Finland, and known for its dangerous waters. The trip from Gullkrona took eight and a half hours, but almost all on the same tack so Eve was able to get a nap on the way. The strong winds held off and the sailing conditions were ideal – we were doing about 5 knots most of the way.

At Utö we decided to rent a room in an old wooden cottage here rather than sleep in the boat in the harbour. It’s nice to be back in real beds, and to have a bathroom with a hot shower. In a couple of hours we’ll have a guided tour of the lighthouse, and then later in the evening there’s a small handicraft gallery that has an ‘open evening’ with coffee and cinnamon buns.