After picking up my parents from the train station in the evening, we headed straight back to the boat and welcomed them on board with a welcome drink. We were very excited to show them our new lifestyle, the beautiful things we get to experience, but also some of the harder parts of living and travelling on a sailboat full-time.

The next morning, we went grocery shopping and stocked up on food for the next few days before heading out with Lív. In total, we spent six wonderful nights at anchor and one night in Karlstad, one of the bigger cities on the northern side of the lake. There was plenty of catching up on what had happened at home and what had happened here on our home over the past few weeks, but we also had lots of time to explore the islands around our anchorages, walk through the city and, probably my favourite part, cook with my mom in the cockpit of our boat.

Cooking is something I have always loved doing with my mom, so being able to do it together in such an extraordinary setting was very special to me.

we also had a few scary moments tho, the biggest one beeing when we where looking for an anchoring spot on day two.

When we dropped the anchor, we quickly realised that the entire bottom of the bay was one big rock. There was simply nowhere for the anchor to dig in, so we decided to move on. But just as we were motoring out of the anchorage, we heard a BANG and felt a sudden jolt, as if someone had simply stopped the boat.

We had run aground.

Luckily, we managed to get ourselves free without any further problems. While Reto manoeuvred us out of there, he immediately sent me below deck to check the bilges and keel bolts for any signs of damage or water ingress (thats where water most likely would come in when hiting the ground). Thankfully, everything was completely dry and there was no sign of any damage. We were very relieved and decided not to take any more chances in that particular area of the lake.

Apart from that, we had a few narrow and shallow passages to navigate and one spectacular thunderstorm while we were anchored in a beautiful bay on an island in the middle of the lake.

That anchorage was probably my favourite of the whole trip through Lake Vänern. We sat in the cockpit tent with our anchor drinks, listening to the thunder and rain. Once the storm passed, the whole bay seemed to transform into something almost mystical. The smell of wet forest and fresh rain was incredible, and everything suddenly felt completely peaceful. We took out the SUP and went for a paddle around the area, one at a time, simply enjoying the silence and the beautiful surroundings. Later, the rain returned, so we cooked dinner below deck and spent the evening playing a very competitive and fun game of UNO before finally heading to bed.

We also found some time for a few boat projects during those days. My dad had brought some materials all the way from Switzerland for us. For example, we installed a rubber mat between our solar panels and the solar arch to prevent galvanic corrosion between the aluminium panels and the stainless-steel frame. He had also 3D-printed a new compartment for our cockpit, which we put together on the way and my dad serviced another winch on the boat. He had already serviced a few of them when they visited us in the Netherlands back in April, so by now he is pretty much an expert!

Before we returned to civilisation, Reto decided that he was ready for a haircut. So, for the first time in my life, I cut someone's hair — outside, on a rock, in the middle of nature, and in the rain. It was quite an experience, and we had a lot of laughs. It's definitely not perfect, but considering it was my first attempt and the rather unusual circumstances, I think it turned out pretty well!

When we arrived in Vänersborg, Reto and my dad serviced the engine. They changed the oil and filters and checked that everything was still working as it should. To finish our time on Lake Vänern, we went out for dinner and enjoyed a nice walk through the city together.

So this was the Vännern Lake for us. One of the things I loved most about it was simply being able to swim straight from the boat almost every day. The lake was surprisingly quiet, with so few other boats around even on beautiful weekends. It made the whole experience feel wonderfully remote and peaceful. I could definitely imagine coming back one day to explore even more of this incredible lake — although next time, perhaps with a slightly smaller boat!

Day 51: Mariestad SE - Brommö SE