In September I went on a small sea kayaking trip in the Kosterhavet National Park on the Swedish West Coast with two friends.
I have a younger brother who have lived by the Swedish West Coast for thirty years, so I have been there a number of times during the years. I've done a little sea kayaking outside Strömstad a few times and once a day trip of the Koster Fjord to the archipelage that now is the part of the Kosterhave National Park. The archipelago is quite interesting and different from that of the Archipelago Sea in Southwest Finland, so doing a little kayaking there has been on my mind now and then. This year it happened. I got two friends to join me and we went there for a few days in the middle of September.
The trip there was uneventful, the night ferry from Turku to Stockholm and then 500 km in car to Strömstad. We got on the ferry to Nordkoster, where we rented the kayaks and got going. We rented kayaks for two reasons: You should strive spend some money in the local communities you visit and this was one way, in addition to a few restaurant visits. Secondly, crossing the Koster fjord to get to the Koster archipelago isn't always possible, due to weather and wind, even though the Koster archipelago itself can provide good shelter even in stronger wind.
Landing and camping at Tegelholmen.
The next morning was nice and there was very little wind.
Due to the weak wind, something you definitely cannot count on in the area, we decided to paddle a bit on the outside and go to Stora Drammen, the westernmost point of Sweden.
Klövningarna
Stora Drammen
Landing on Stora Drammen is probably not possible very often. Even now, with only weak wind and limited swell, some waves almost swept over the only possible landing spot this day.
After Stora Drammen we turned south again. The area is small enough that you basically can paddle across it and not worry about the distance.
Camp site at Burholmen. From the camp site we saw a couple of kayakers pass by, the second small group today, as well as a motor boat. This was a good time of the year to be in the Koster archipelago. I think we were the only kayaking group actually overnighting there. There were also a few sailing boats at Ursholmen and a few motor boats moored to some islands there, but very far from the crowds of the summer. From what I've heard the area is very crowded in July and August. The only downside of mid September was that the birdlife wasn't very interesting any more. For that May or June would be better.
Ursholmen
One of the local workers where clearly more social than the others and quickly befriended me.
By the time we got started, the weather was already cloudy.
Ursholmen with its lighthouse.
We rounded Ursholmen and paddled a bit to the north, to explore some more islands. Lunch at Stora Sockna, which was one of the few islands without sheep, which was very visible in the vegetation.
We had time to paddle around Ramsökalven, before it would be time to find a place for the night.
The next morning had sun only for a brief moment.
The goal of the day was to explore the labyrinths around Stora Tjälleskär and then get back to Nord-Koster in time for the ferry back to Strömstad. Due to the short distances, this didn't need much planning.
The final lunch of the day was at Stora Brattskär.
Paddling back to Nord-Koster.
We returned the kayaks and had a cup of coffee in a local café, before jumping on the boat back to Strömstad.
One night in Strömstad followed and then the next day the ferry back from Stockholm. All in all a nice trip. One of the goals was not met, though. We had hoped to paddle in mareld, literally sea fire in English, but this time there wasn't any. The dinoflagellates which light up through bioluminiscense when moved, were not there anymore, even though there had been lots of them during the summer.
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