The Victoria Shadow Association

 

Hi there everyone, Just to let you know that we are now the proud owners of a Hallberg Rassy 43. She looks beautiful and goes well. We have motored into a head wind of 25 knots but were still able to do 6 knots - fantastic. The spray hood is deep enough for us to hide under in the rain, too. Below she has a big 48" x 48" table which happily accommodated 8 people to a celebration supper last Saturday after a maiden voyage to Henan - about 15 miles away. Our guests were Jill and Stan, who were driving our car back to England for us, Nelly and Jan who had come from Hamburg, whose 41 foot HR had prompted us to buy this one, and Eva and Geoff, from Sollebrun, who had brought a load of stuff over for us from their recent holiday in England and wth whom we had stayed on their farm en route to the boat. There were one or two little problems when we got on board - the chart plotter had been put below instead of on deck as ordered and the windscreen leaked and had to be replaced.

A similar Hallberg Rassy 43 Mk II sailing

 

	So, unlike proud parents we can see a few faults, but I am sure the good points will soon overcome the niggles - nowhere to hang a towel, genoa and staysail sheets the same colour, despite being requested otherwise and there were no cupboards in the small galley tall enough to hold more than a tin of tomatoes, etc.
Typical HR43MkII Saloon		Typical HR43MkII Galley

 

We set off from Ellos on Wednesday and motored through a myriad of picturesque islands to Marstrand, where we met a delightful couple, Henrik and Kerstin, who came on board and then invited us to their traditional Swedish wooden house, where the logs are treated on the outside but not on the inside so there is no insulation. We had smoked fish with them as they told us about their Japanese friends who were arriving the next day to inspect the Hallberg Rassy 43 which they had ordered.

Marstrand

 

Next day we motored to Vrango in very strong head winds, again threading our way amongst many islands with the help of the new chart plotter. When we came into the harbour a motor boat and a yacht kindly moved up to give us a larger parking space. The bow thruster was wonderful in helping Simon to manoeuvre. The pontoon was extremely wide and every so often had an extra area with a picnic table and barbecue to use. Water and electricity are included in the mooring fee which is good.

Vrango

 

On Friday we had a longer trip, trying out all the sails on the way to Varberg. At first we complained that there were no tell tales on the main and were considering asking Dave to come with his glue pot, but then we realised that with in-mast furling they could possibly get jammed. It's so easy to haul the sails out with the use of the electric winches. What luxury! Talking of which, the washing machine works well and is another delightful extra. Alexandra and Anders came to admire the boat and then showed us their new 40 foot Arcona which is just 3 months old. They have recently bought a flat in Portsmouth and will be moving to England shortly, so over roast chicken on board Simoon IV we encouraged them to join the CA and learn about the joys of tides. Today the sun is shining and we have been sightseeing, enjoying the local market and looking at the old town. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming and they all speak English. The hardy Swedes were swimming in the sea and basking in the cool air.

Varberg Fortress

 

We plan to cruise down to Elsinor and will spend a few days there and at Helsingborg before moving down to the Kiel canal. When we come back to England we have booked to keep the boat at Chatham Maritime Marina for the winter and will welcome visitors to see our new acquisition. Regards to all, Simon and Janet