PADDLER 40
PADDLER 40
SVENSKA
SKÄRGÅRDAR =
Words : Sarah Thornely Photos : Supjunkie and Caz Dawson ( SUP Lass ) Falling in love with anything can be very speedy and unexpected , and Sweden certainly took me by surprise on a recent paddling trip hosted by the Water Skills Academy .
As many of you will know , I am a proud Ambassador for the WSA , but this was a paid trip by me ( call it a birthday present to myself !). It was worth every penny , from the beautiful small fishing town we stayed in at the beginning and end of our trip , all the high-quality kit provided by WSA , to the evening of seaweed cuisine , which was a pure delight – let alone the paddling .
I had been eyeing up a Scandinavian trip for a few years , with Norway seeming to be most paddlers ’ country of choice when the WSA came up with something new – paddling around the West Coast archipelagos of Sweden . I knew nothing of Sweden and realised this would be a little different , so I booked myself onto the trip .
I was slightly nervous about the logistics , partly due to having not flown in over four years , but I should not have worried as my muscle memory kicked in . Of course , it went smoothly , and I soon arrived in the squeaky clean and beautifully petite airport of Gothenburg . It ’ s then a couple of hours on a bus to a small town where your guides and hosts meet you for the next six days . All the information you need to book flights and buses , i . e . dates / timings , is given to you when you book your trip .
I was collected by Caz Dawson , who I had met briefly a couple of times , and I was looking forward to getting to know her more – within 15 minutes , we arrived at the motel in Grebbestaad , one the cleanest , most picturesque fishing villages , with a very cool vibe and some fabulous places to eat . I then met Mark Williams , our other WSA guide , who showed me to my room which I would share with the other two ladies on the trip . Anna and Flick soon arrived , and we set about getting to know each other and having a pre-sort of our kit , having been given dry bags , kit and rations by the guides . I am slowly getting used to this kind of packing , and because the weather forecast was very favourable , I could be a little more relaxed about what to pack . No dry suit this time !