The boat journey
It is early morning, very VERY early morning! Well, for me anyway. At 5:00 o'clock in the morning the alarm bell rings; and time to get up to start our journey to Gotska Sandön. Sleepy I fall into the car, for the 2 hours drive to the harbour town of Nynäshamn, from where we take the ferry to the island.
It is a gorgeous day, sun shining brightly, although there is a fresh breeze out there. Still, it looks like great weather to make the ferry crossing. But oh, how weather can be deceiving! Maybe it is nice weather here in the harbour, but futher up in the Baltic Sea there was a big storm during the night, causing high waves and turbulent seas on our way to the island. The ferry "M/S Gotska Sandön" is designed to land on the beach, as the island has no harbour. And hence the boat is different in shape; it is small, only 6 metres in width, and high. And as it has to be able to land on a beach, it dances more on top of the waves, instead of being settled deeper into the water and being more stable when rougher weather hits.
As soon as we get of out the harbour, and into more open sea, the boats starts to rock. Up and down, left and right, dancing and rocking on the waves like a little toy boat. It didn't take long before the first passengers started to get sea-sick. I stubbornly keep looking out of the window, trying to ignore the queezy feeling in my stomach, and instead focussing on the horizon. Did I already tell you to bring your sea-sickness pills before you embark the boat? Well, do bring your sea-sickness pills!!
Oh my, the boat kept on rocking, back, forth, back, forth, left and right. Waves crushing over the deck, making the option of going outside for fresh air an impossible one. More and more people on board got sea-sick. But the crew were appearantly used to this, and were so kind and helpfull to all and did an amazing job. Seasickness bags were distributed and full ones collected in an ever increasing speed. Yes, about 80% of the passengers had emptied their stomaches by now. I however, stubbornly kept looking out the window. Allas, after 3 hours the captain made the announcement: due to the bad weather the trip would take 1 hour more than usual, and we had one full hour of dancing on these turbulent waves to go....
That was it, I could not hold it no more. The movement of the boat, the aweful smell and sounds surrounding me, I gave up, and yes, also my own stomach turned inside out in the end, just like everyone elses.
Land!! finally! Such a big sence of relieve to the see the white sandy beaches of Gotska Sandön in the distance! With hardly any effort the ferry landed onto the beach. All non-seasick people where requested to gather and unload the luggage from the boat. In short: my husband + approximately 10 other passengers, together with the crew. All seasick people were requested to go onto the beach and try to recover from the journey. The metal stairs were pushed out from the boat, and I clamber down the stairs onto the beach. Ah, heaven!! Finally having steady ground below my feet again! I guess my face was still rather yellow in tone, while I dropped my behind onto the soft sandy beach of Gotska Sandön. Breathing in the fresh sea air, I slowly start to take in my surroundings. And strange as it might sound after such a 'bumpy' start of our trip, I fell in love with the island right away. In all its tranquility, it was my kind of place.
Getting here is one thing, but getting around is a totally new challenge! The only form of transportation on the island are your own 2 feet. Oh yes! so do be prepared, as walking is the only option available on the island. The only exception to the rule applies to your luggage, which has the luxury to be transported by tractor to the camp.
From the beach you will have to walk on foot to the campsite. And it all depends on the weather conditions where the captain decides to go ashore, which in its turn, determines the length of your walk. It can be all from 1 to almost 10 km's.
