How I ran afoul of it, and got kicked out of Europe will follow, but first, let's continue with No Regrets' journey going south from Stockholm!
Sooo True!
Summer is Over, and Winter is Coming!
After reaching 59 degrees and 40 minutes of North Latitude, and enjoying the long summer days in Sweden, fall is in the air and the days are starting to get shorter and cooler.
Time to head South to spend the winter in Lagos, Portugal, on the Algarve Coast.
Leaving Vauxholm, Sweden
Hans Paffrath, my Swedish/German friend, rejoins No Regrets!
Which mean more anchoring out in quiet coves...
And kayaking...
And skinny dipping!
Visby, on Gotland Island
Halfway down the east coast of Sweden, in the middle of the Baltic Sea, is the Swedish Island of Gotland. The Swedes, Danes, Germans and Russians have been fighting over this place for ever.
Visby, the largest city, is a wonderfully delicious place to visit.
The Feudal City wall is over 800 years old!
With Hanging Towers to get more archers into the town's defense
A mixture of old...
And new.
We stayed in Visby for 6 days, and enjoyed their Medieval Week, when the entire town dresses in costumes from the feudal days. It was like living inside a Renaissance Faire!
Musicians...
Merrymakers...
Folk...
More Folk...
And wannabe folk!
Colorful and skilled
Jousters
A True Medieval Tournament !
Kalmar
Back on the mainland of Sweden, we stopped in Kalmar, to get fuel and see this lovely city! The Union of Kalmar was formed there in 1397, when this was a Viking stronghold!
Kalmar Castle is a world Heritage Site
Sweet!
Utklippan
12 miles offshore lies the enchanting harbor of Utklippan. Carved out the rocks as a shelter for the boats maintaining the lighthouse, it has the feel of a Natural Rock Harbor, a Swedish Speciality.
One can climb the stairs inside the lighthouse
And get rewarded by the views!
A great shelter...
From the storm outside!
And a lay out opportunity for Rosemarie, who has also re-joined our crew.
The Swedes have a special relationship with the sun. After a winter of darkness, whenever the sun comes out, the Swedes take off their clothes and lay on a rock, or the deck, and soak up the sun!!!
Swedish Summer :))
Jan and Inga Lena's Summer Home
I was picked up in Karlskrona by my cousins Jan and Inga Lina Sundgren for an overnight car trip inland to their summer home.
Everyone in Sweden seems to have a home and a summer house, and/or a boat or camper. Most employees get 5 or 6 weeks off in the summer, and some get 8+ weeks. This allows for the multi week use of summer homes, or boats, or campers for family holidays during the warmest and sunniest months.
Their summer home was in the country near where were born, and they still have many friends and family nearby. They make me proud to be 3/8 Swedish!
Eskil and Marie Arvidsson, Inga Lena and Jan.
Immigrating from Karlskrona
Emma and Bengta (Betty) Olson immigrated to the US from Karskrona in the 1890s. These Olsen sisters worked as Harvey Girls, in a Harvey House Restaurant. They also married 2 of the Bixler brothers. My maternal Grandmother, Esther (Dow), was one of the 4 children issued to Betty Olsen and Frank Bixler.
Another sister, Ida Olson, stayed behind in Sweden to take care of their father. Her offspring include sisters Marie and Inga Lena pictured above. Now I think I finally understand how we are related.
Gustaf Lundin also immigrated from Karlskrona to Bledsoe Island in America in 1865, and worked for Steinway pianos for a year. He then moved to Bellevue, Iowa, in 1866. His son Gus, was my Grandfather Lester Lundin's father. This makes my mother, Dolly Lundin Doremus, 3/4 Swedish.
Whew... Who knew?
This stature marks the departure place near Karlstrona, for many Swedes leaving to go to America. 1 million people left Sweden around the turn of the 20th century, after the famine... a full quarter of their population!
This was the spot!
While hope and America was in front of them, the homeland was behind!
Christianso
Christianso is a small island north of the Danish island of Bornholm. What a unique and beautiful little harbor.
Where are we?
Barracks for the troops
The Colorful Danes!
A solid foundation!
Dare you to attack Christianso!
Rafted next to another Fleming 55 in Allinge
"After Jail" ... "No Regrets"
Copenhagen (Round 2)
Hans and I pulled into Nyhavn harbor in Copenhagen with smiles on our faces.
Just before the Cops!
2 Immigration Police came aboard with guns on their hips, and papers in their hand. They had a record of when I came through Copenhagen, 105 days before. Unfortunately, Schengen only allows for me to stay for 90 days in all of the Schengen countries (Most of Europe), then I must leave Europe for 90 days, in order to reset this 90 day clock.
Schengen
Schengen was a Treaty created to allow for the easy and borderless travel between anyone living within the Schengen area. This includes most of the European Union, except for the UK. But in order to restrict immigration and refugees from just coming in and taking jobs, or going onto social warfare, Schengen also created this 90 day maximum time limit on those coming in from outside countries. This unfortunately includes me, a US citizen, living aboard his boat.
I was also in France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Sweden for months without anyone checking or worrying about my Schengen status, so I was naively unaware of the rule, or the consequences.
The Police confiscated my Passport and said that I was in big trouble. I argued that this is not such a big deal and it is a victimless crime. I wasn't going to take anyone's job, and I wasn't using any of Denmark's welfare system. And, I has leaving anyway in 2 days, when my friend and new crew Mitch Canada arrived from LA.
Ironically, one block away was a temporary art installation about Syrian Refugees
The fabric of the art was 6,500 life jackets!
These were discarded after the refugees landed on the Greek island of Lesbos.
The next day they returned but without my passport. They said a judge was reviewing the case, but that I would get a fine, a 2 year BAN from all Schengen countries and they would be back to escort me to the airport and put me on a plane back to the US.
"What about my boat?" I asked, and they said that was not their problem.
I called Mitch who was literally driving to the airport, and told him to cancel his flight, as I wouldn't be there! Damn, this was the 2nd time that Mitch's visit was aborted!
Hans and I walked to the US Embassy, and a kind lady did call and talk to the Danish police, but without much apparent success.
When the Immigration Cops came back the next day, I had my bags all packed, and was expecting to be taken away. What a horrible feeling it was to pack up, choose what to take, and to abandon my home, my new life and No Regrets!
But they said that the judge wouldn't be finished until the next day, and they were currently thinking that I would be allowed to sail out with my boat. Maybe that phone call from the US Embassy enabled that concession?
Hans agreed to stay on and help me get the boat back to England, but now we needed to quickly provision and get a third crew mate for the run across the North Sea.
I called Stephan Fougberg, our Swedish Walrus friend in Goteburg, Sweden, and asked for his help. He agreed to meet us in Kiel, Germany, in 2 days time and join the boat for the non-stop, 550 mile, 2 days and nights sail through the Kiel Canal, down the North Sea coast and across the English Channel to Ramsgate, England.
As promised, the 2 Immigration Police returned the next day along with the Judge's order. The fine was only 200 Euros, but the 2 year BAN from all Schengen countries was crushing! I would miss the visit with Brian Voris in Porto, Portugal, and my son Drake already had his plane ticket into Lagos, Portugal, where we planned on playing golf for 3 weeks. I also had planned to keep the boat there for the winter.
The Cops gave me back my passport back with the damning Danish stamps in it, and said, "We are going to wait in our car and watch until you sail away, and if you touch land in Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium or France along the way, or anywhere else within Schengen in the next 2 years, you will be arrested and go to jail for 2 years!
"And don't turn off your AIS (Automatic Identification System (This electronically allows us the see other AIS ships, and to be seen by them as well)).
"And we are also going to notify the Dutch Coast Guard, so they can follow you down the coast."
Fuck the Danes!
So we were allowed to sail away from Copenhagen and started the 2 day sail to get to Kiel, Germany, to meet Stephan.
Of course, we didn't turn on our AIS. We wouldn't need it until we were past the Kiel Canal, and I didn't want the Danes shadowing or arresting me. I also took out the SIM card in my cell phone, because they had my phone number and could track us by the GPS (Guess I've watched too much "Law & Order" on TV?)
We anchored for the first night in a isolated cove, and the next day we motored into Kiel at dusk. Since Stephen would arrive by ferry the next morning, we tied up in Holtenau, right by the entrance to the Nord-Ostsee Kanal, aka Kiel Canal.
Reunited with Stephan and Hans. This was our 67th Lock together!
There was no delay in getting into the Kiel Canal this time, as both of the large ship locks were working. Six hours later, we exited the Canal and started down the Elbe River. David Wood, who was scheduled to join me on the voyage from Kiel to Portugal a week later, asked that when we sailed past Cuxhaven, Germany, please give it the finger. This request was carried out as Cuxhaven was the second worst harbor that we've been in.
We fell into a good watch rhythm of 3 hours off watch for sleeping, followed by 6 hours on watch, shared with an alternating crew-mate Since we needed to sail for 2 days and 2 nights nonstop to cover the last of the 616 miles from Copenhagen to Ramsgate, conserving our energy was important. Almost as vital as keeping a vigilant lookout for ships in the shipping lanes along the German Bight and in the English Channel.
When on watch, we would alternate on the helm every 30 to 45 minutes. While Otto, the autopilot steered, we were busy eating, navigating, checking the horizon for traffic and buoys, and using the AIS to identify ships, their speed and course, and possible collisions.
Yes, we had turned on the AIS when we exited the Kiel Canal. The other AIS boats show up as trianglular shapes on the chart plotter screen, and you can "see" where they are. When one moves the curser over another boat's triangle, an Info prompt appears, and indicates that Ship's name, length, beam, draft, speed, heading and destination. There is also vector information that projects how close we will come to each other if neither one alters present course. This is a true aid to safe navigation!
As threatened, the Danes did notify the Dutch Coast Guard, and a Cutter came charging in at 30 knots, pulled along side and contacted us by VHF radio. They wanted to know who was on board and where we were headed. Once satisfied that we were headed back to Britain, and not Holland, Belgium or France, all Schengen countries, they left us alone and sprinted back to their own coast!
Protecting borders and keeping the world safe for Democracy?
This felt like a kick in the stomach. I am getting so tired of being chased like a criminal and getting bullied, punished and harassed!
But, just because I am paranoid, it doesn't mean that someone's not chasing me!
Celebrating the safe completion of a 616 mile escape!
Thank you Hans and Stephan for saving my ass!
Within hours after tying up in Ramsgate, we now had the British Border Patrol people on board. This was not because of the Danes, but because every country is increasingly concerned with immigrants, refugees, borders and terrorists. After 8 months of zero regulation, we now have had 3 different countries on board within the last 4 days!
Oh no... Not another Border control?
When a second wave of English immigration Officers came aboard, Hans lost his temper and I had to pull him aside, to keep him from getting into a fight. "These officers are on our side", I told him. "But we are free men!", he yelled back!
After a trip up to their car and 15 minutes of interrogation, they stamped my Passport with an "Entry" date, which confirmed that I had indeed left the Schengen area. It also started a 6 month English Visa clock, where I am allowed to stay in Great Britain for 6 out of the next 12 months.
Can Something Sweet be made out of these Lemons?
No Regrets is not banned from Europe, but I am!
Can I appeal the BAN? Can I get a interim Visa from any of the Schengen counties while the 2 year BAN is in effect?
No winter or golf in Portugal? No holiday there with Drake? No cozy port hopping down the Spanish and Portuguese coasts? No Barcelona and Mallorca in the spring? No easy Med cruising for 2 more years? :(((
I don't want to spend another winter in England... It is too dark, rainy and cold!
Maybe sail across the Atlantic and cruise the Caribbean? But they just got wasted by hurricanes. And that is 4,500+ miles from here, and I would need a water maker.
Maybe find some cruising in North Africa? I would still need a water maker!
Is there another warm place to go while I serve out the remaining 22+ months of my exile and jail sentence? (At least I get to live in a very comfortable prison cell !)
This is embarrassing to write about, but these are my challenges and woes. Clearly, I have made some poor decisions, especially in returning to Copenhagen, but I refuse to be a victim, or abort my dreams!
In my next life, I will get it all together... But for now, how can I make Lemonade out of this sour citrus Schengen mess?
Will we have to wait for the next Blog to find out???
