1 Week in Sweden
Written by Megan Pascoe | 02 September 2010
For the last week in August I made my annual trip up into Scandinavia for the Swedish National Championship in the 2.4 class. This would be my third year competing in the competition this year being held 200 km east of Gothenburg in a town called Mariestad.
I started the trip at Harwich to get the ferry to Esbjerg. Usually I prefer to go Dover -Calais but after my success in the Worlds I decided to treat myself. High winds made the crossing lots of fun and also made the 8 hour drive with a cross wind all through Sweden more fun.
Although a tail wind through Denmark was very fuel efficient. I made it to Mariestad late that evening in one piece and checked into my travel lodge style of accommodation, watched the end of Midsummer Murderers and went to bed. The greatest thing about my accommodation was the largest pick and mix selection I have ever seen! T
he next day I took my boat down to the marina and rigged up. I went to lunch with a few Swedes and then had a practice race in the evening. We won't talk about the result but that's what practice races are for. The next day we had light winds but there wasn't rain for once. We had three races and then in the evening we had a lovely meal put on by the club.
Saturday saw four races with the rain coming in the last race which killed the wind and unfortunately made me go from second place to eighth in one leg. That's the way sailing goes sometimes. Again Sunday was raining and the wind was very light but we all headed out to the race course. The rain stopped but unfortunately we were caught in the middle of a weather system which meant the wind went in circles. At 12 o'clock the racing was abandoned so we all packed up and headed for the prize giving. I ended up 8th but I learnt a lot and put in a credible performance in a tough fleet.
The next day I drove to Denmark to meet up with the RSX sailors at their worlds. I have to say that I hate high bridges and cross winds. The two don't mix.
The next day I finished my book Perfume by Patrick Suskind and got the ferry back to England. Reading, DVDs and music are a big part of my life when on the road. The book choice this time was my Dads. I tend to read the weirder side of fiction with my favorite author being Jasper Fforde.
The DVD series of the week was Knight Rider season 4. I tend to watch series instead of films and my collection ranges from The Golden Girls to New Tricks. Music wise I have a similar eclectic mix with everything ranging from Bon Jovi, Bob Dylan, Newton Faulkner, Phil Collins, power ballads and air guitar songs.
Many people have asked me both in England and Sweden, why go to Sweden just for a week? Sweden is the home of 2.4 sailing and as such has the biggest fleet in the World. With Sweden having about 6 world Champions in its fleet there is a lot of learning to be done. Although they have few disabled sailors their able bodied fleet is large. Most people believe that the 2.4 is a disabled boat and that is how it came to the UK but in Sweden it defiantly is not.
There is a range of age of sailors in Sweden with some remembering what it was like to medal in the Finn Gold Cup in 1970 and winning silver in the Star at the 1972 Olympics. This does mean that at age 23 the group of people I mix with is very different to most other Olympians. I have a lot of father figures who always look after me but due to their sailing experience beating them on the water is actually quite difficult. I have been going to Sweden on and off since 2002.
I have been to many places and would defiantly recommend Sweden as a holiday destination. I don’t like really hot countries so Sweden with a similar climate to ours suits me fine. It is the beauty that on the water of the mixture of islands and greenness which really attracts me. Marstrand on the west coast is big in the match race scene and in the summer is wall to wall with boats although I’ve only enjoyed it in December.
Malmo on the south west tip is now spectacularly displayed under the bridge to Denmark has tide that can match Cowes and has a great fish smokers. The Stockholm archipelago has to be the place to sail with a maze of islands which are stunning. Further North of Stockholm is Falun which is a small town on a lake. The best thing about this place is their copper mine and the fact that you get an orange cape to wear.
Probably my favorite place is Gavle about 200 km north of Stockholm. I don’t know whether it is because my friend who I stay with up there has a house on the cliffs overlooking the islands or the best fish smoker in the world but there is something magical about the place.
Sweden is expensive and drinking alcohol is quite pricy but it is so easy to drive through and the midnight sun over the lakes is magical. Next for me is to go to Hoorn for the 2.4 World Championships starting on the 18th September.
Megan