Midsommar on Nano!

June 23, 2024 by Lukasz Kumanowski

We had guests for Midsommar so sailing with Louve was not an option - too many people for this small boat. Instead we went to Grisslehamn, to have a picnicking on sandy atoll, close to Albert Engstöm atelier.

Louve was too small for all of us so I figured I’ll take even smaller boat, Nano, just for me! Seems obvious, ain’t it?

As always during peak season there were many folks in Grisslehamn but we were lucky to find parking spots in the usual place. Family & friends went to the beach while I unloaded Nano from car roof and went with her to small fisherman’s harbor, to launch there.

Wheel cart, mounted into centerboard slot, is very handy on such occasions. No need to carry the boat.

A few minutes later Nano was ready for launch.

It was first time I will be rowing Nano on open sea with swell so I was curious how seaworthy this tiny boat is.

Passage plan was simple - row out of the inlet, through the harbor and around rocks, to the beach. Then take some swings in the area and expose ourselves to wind and waves!

I kept close to the land, on shallow water, in case Finland ferry arrives and demands right of way.

Rowing out of fishermen bay in picturesque landscape.

We were rowing against the wind which was getting stronger once protective shadow of the bay was gone. To save energy for the hole trip I used shadowing as much as I could but it is very shallow there, with many stones just under the surface.

Leaving the harbor onto open water.

No ferry on the horizon yet!

We round another cap, the wind is getting stronger but Nano has low profile and keeping her on course is no problem.

Finally we see Engströms house, the beach is behind it.

Rounding the cape, some people on rocks but the beach is quite deserted.

We land softly on sand, greeted by family. I am a bit tired after rowing, sandwiches taste delicious!

After short mingle we launch from the beach and head back to fishermen bay.
I take a swing to explore nearby bay which is not accessible by road but after noticing that this is a military area I turn back to the harbor.

That was about time because the ferry arises on the horizon and not long after it also enters the harbor.
By this time Nano is back on land and loaded on the car’s roof. I go back to beach to continue Midsommar picnicking!

Laurinkosters

September 29, 2019 by Lukasz Kumanowski

Laurinkosters

September 29, 2019 by Lukasz Kumanowski

I enjoy admiring shapes of Laurinkoster boats, be it built in wood or GRP. Every time I spot one I go to take a closer look, mainly as an inspiration for my own Laurinkoster. As these boats are mostly sailed by long-distance sailors there is plenty to learn by looking on the way they are organised, rigged and equipped.

This boat visited my city last week. One of the biggest Laurins, probably 34 feet.
Anchor winch, baby stag and cutter rigg attracted my attention.

Hard spray-hood - or dodger - like on expedition boat.

This Laurinkoster was spotted in Gräddo Marina. Bigger boat than Meritaten, probably 32 feet. Again with cutter rigg (masthead).
Anchor band on stem pulpit, running light not on mast top but lower (accessible from the deck), high stove chimney on starboard.

Interesting jib roller, made from RF steel.

Self-tacking foresail, also on roller.

Swedish North. Wilderness and the water

August 04, 2019 by Lukasz Kumanowski

We’ve made a reconnaissance trip all the way to Kiruna and Abisco - to get a feeling of Swedish North. I must say that this was one of my best experience!

We packed our car with camping equipment and went up North, trying to see as much as possible on the trip. It took us 2 weeks both ways, with many stops for one or two nights, to explore the area.

Up there North we took a small road which in the end led us to Ritsen, where STF vandrarhem is placed. It is the only road up there in this national park. We’ve put up our tent there - and the views were magnificent!

Apart from this narrow road there are no other car-accessible parts of this huge wild park. One needs to walk or hire a helicopter.

Just to drive this road gives magnificent views!

While driving there one needs to be careful for there are reindeer and wild animals all around.

We were lucky (some call it bad luck) to experience bad weather while being there - temperature dropped to 8 degrees and rain was pouring on us with clouds obscuring the view. Well, to me this was a good lesson how the summer can look like up there. Two days later the weather turned back to summer mode with 21 degrees and cloudless sky!

This visit gave me a thought - I would like to come back here with lightweight boat, to explore this vast wilderness from the water. The boat must be light enough to carry on shoulders on the parts where white water is too dangerous to sail.

Apart from that I should be able to transport the boat on the car roof - to easily unload and launch her while travelling to Ritsen. There are many sites worth visiting on the way up there - including many rivers and lakes worth spending few days exploring.

While exploring possibilities for such a craft I stumbled upon Cape Falcon kayaks - a place I’ve visited before but forgot about it until now. Skin-on-frame boat seems to be perfectly suited for this type of adventure.

It can be a coincidence but only recently Brian has released plans and video course for building skin-on-frame canoes with his system.

I considered for a while Klepper boats, plastic kayaks, aluminium canoes (I’ve actually tried that near Jokkmokk), pack canoes and inflatable canoes but none of them appealed to me - be it their price, ugliness or the weight of the product. Only skin-on-frame boats hit the nerve in my soul and so I purchased the course from Cape Falcon.

The advantages of such a boat - apart from light weight and beauty of the object - is the fact that it needs no permanent thwarts meaning that one can lay down and even sleep on board. Can be handy if the beach is too rocky or sloped to put up a tent. A bevy bag with mosquito net would be sufficient for spending the night.

And of course I want to build it myself!

While visiting Poland I agreed with my local lumberyard that when the time comes they will prepare green (wet) oak for me so I can rip it into slabs and take them to my steam box to bend the ribs. Since the whole system needs no permanent strong-back nor moulds to bend the ribs I can build the boat in my apartment or in the small workshop nearby. No epoxy nor other nasty chemicals are needed.
What not to like?

Flush-decked Laurinkoster

August 03, 2019 by Lukasz Kumanowski

Spotted in mu club harbour. More on Inspirations timeline.

Laurinkoster in perfect condition

August 03, 2019 by Lukasz Kumanowski

I’ve spotted her in our club-harbour. Normally she is fully covered with hamn-kapell, to protect her from sunlight, rain and birds’ crap. Tonight I found her uncovered and ready for departure - her owners will sail tomorrow morning.

I’ve seen her in a magazine few years ago. This is also Laurinkoster 28 feet but with no deck house. This makes her very sleek and flush decked.

Contrary to my boat she has a partial rig - more flexible regarding shaping the sail and suited better to racing - at the cost of some more complexity to handle during sailing. I had this type of rig on Motoko and I’m more happy with my current mast-head configuration but sail shaping is much more limitted.

Although I did not manage to meet her owners I took this opportunity to closely inspect her from outside.

The finish on freeboard is perfect and mahogany is beautifully stained to dark, Honduras-mahogany tone. I noticed that in the past she suffered the same problem which now I have on Meritaten - valdeck planks shrink from sun heat and gaps open-up between them, causing rain water to enter the hull. The reason is that original glue Cascofen which was used 60 years ago is now loosing it’s integrity and planks are no longer restrained from separation each other on summer heat.'

The only reasonable way to mitigate that is to edge-glue them again, with strips of mahogany installed in routed-out space between the planks. This boat was repaired this way so now her roundd valdeck is again water-tide and beautiful.

Unlike Meritaten this boat has no internal engine but instead a small outboard mounted cleverly on a custom-made fixture. The boat is used mainly for racing as I got to know so weight savings are visible everywhere. Standing rig is of much thinner wires than I have on Meritaten, Tufinol blocks are smaller than mine and main sail traveller is one size smaller than on my boat. As both boats are 28 feet long the owner of this boat chose to use fittings scaled “up to 28 feet”, to save weight while I chose “from 28 feet up” to have strength margin and accepting weight penalty.

To each it’s own, this boat looks very well with these tiny fittings.

Her deep and spacious cockpit looks very comfortable. Mainsail traveller is supported by huge beam with shelves for compass, maps and necessities during sailing. It seems there is no hund-koj on her as cockpit is fully open but instead there are many small cupboards and chests to store sailing equipment.

Looking onto visible ribs I conclude that she is fastened with screws rather than copper rivets like on Meritaten, characteristic to Rosättra builds.

The level of finish is superb, no wonder she is kept under cover most of the time.

Her slush deck is beautiful. It is the same as on the first ever Laurinkoster “Monsun” which was designed by Arvid Laurin for crossing the Atlantic. At that time some sailors, like Polish captain Krzysztof Baranowski on yacht Polonez, were afraid that waves can destroy the deck house - as it happened to Chichester - so they opted for no deck house and deep cockpit instead. This is scarifying comfort under the deck - no standing possible - but seems safer as the boat is not presenting any obstacle to huge masses of water which can enter the deck during bad weather.

Due to no deck house the only structure which can break and divert water on the deck is a small “V” in front of the mast.

It is a joy to study such a beautiful boat. I hope I’ll be able to see her inside some day. Until then I keep admiring her perfect finish and smart solutions on the deck and the way the outboard is mounted.

Gaff rig

August 03, 2019 by Lukasz Kumanowski

On Inspirations timeline.

Gaff rigg

August 03, 2019 by Lukasz Kumanowski

On our way up North we stopped for a few days on small island Stora Fjäderägg which is one of Sweden’s most important bird station. To get there one sails traditional gaff-rigged Holmöslupen from Holmön.

It was a great opportunity to try and feel how this kind of rig feels and performs on the sea. In addition to that the boat carrying this rig is traditionally built workboat which was used here for many generations!

Even though she looks like very old boat - due to tar coat and traditional lines - she was built only ca 10 years ago.

It is a flat-bottom vessel, able to sail in very shallow waters. The drawback of all such boats - if not equipped with side boards or centreboard - is that she cannot really point into the wind. In our times this is dodged with Volvo Penta diesel engine which is installed conveniently to enable manoeuvring in tight places and against the wind by just one sailor.

Apart from the engine all other is true to her times: pine tar, wooden blocks, hemp-like (synthetic) lashings and wire rig. Sail loops made of willow roots!

To maintain historic look her sails were made of cotton-like canvas -synthetic (to avoid mould) but looking like real Egyptian cotton.

Otherwise completely open - as workboats are - she had a small compartment on akter part, causing the tiller to be very long and hence very convenient to steer.

All in all I felt more at home at this boat than on fully varnished “do not touch me” yacht.

Modern wooden dinghy - temptation!

May 29, 2019 by Lukasz Kumanowski

In Glypto timeline.