Day 37, 7th of April. Kollevik camping to Slädö. 35.2 km, 5.5 km/hr average speed.
It’s weekend and this seems to be to Sweden what Sørlandet is to Norway; a very densely built area of summerhouses.
We saw more pleasure craft today than the rest of the trip taken together. Which means about seven. They all had something we lack: motor!
It has been a sunny, but windy and cool day. We struggled against six to seven m/s head winds throughout the day. We were further delayed by an issue with Erling’s new boat. Water was leaking into the cockpit. After about one hours paddle the stability started to get interesting, and then it was necessary to go to shore to empty the kayak.
We did some testing to find a cause, and most likely it is down to loose screws fastening the seat to the boat. Tomorrow will tell.
Anyway, a day in which we had to work for our kilometers. Toward 1900 hrs we spotted a nice place to pitch the tent. On closer inspection, there was already a tent there. And two kayaks! That was Hélène and Christian from Helsingborg, who were here for the weekend. Christian helped us onshore.
As we were going about pitching the tent and cooking dinner Hélène and Christian were building a campfire.
When it got dark we were welcomed to join them round the fire.
They are very experienced paddlers and encouraged us with their opinion that the coast north of Öland is the best part of Sweden for paddling. We’ll be there about a week from now. Weather Permitting.
The Russian - Scandinavian Kayak Expedition 2018 -2022 
You have a beautiful archipielago ahead of you, from Västervik northwards, part of which was mapped for SGU by the undersigned a few decades ago …..
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Very, very interesting to sit far, far away and follow the expedition step by step. I expected you to head for Hasslö and understood that the expedition did not have tailwind in any respect when you twice had to take short breaks. The last time you made landfall on Högaskärven which is reserved for birds this time of the year. Port of refuge is of course a legal situation where one may bend the rules. Nice to see that at long last you can put up your tent where the snow is gone. Pretty soon I hope we can see wildflowers at your campsite. But the day ended in the best possible way. Long may your big jib draw!
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Very interesting to follow the progress of these to Vikings on the ultimate paddle adventure, looking forward the next chapter. Stay safe – Unni & Terry (Melbourne Australia)
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