Our small cockpit table needs restoration. We will sand it and then add stained Epifanes Clear Varnish.
We have a small and a big cockpit table for our Linjett 33. The small one we haven´t used much, it´s kind of sad looking and worn but we like the shape and size. So we have decided to try to restore it to part of its former glory.
The plan is to sand the table and then add layers of Epifanes Clear Varnish stained using Epifanes Classic Mahogny Stain. I used the Clear Varnish product for the tiller earlier this year and was very pleased with the result. Let´s see how the cockpit table turns out.
News on the website of Swedish public service television company SVT has it that the Swedish Maritime Administration will be investing 1.5 billion Swedish kronor (approximately 140 million Euros) to renovate and upgrade lighthouses in Sweden, 75 lighthouses per year over a ten-year period. There are also plans to relight some extinguished lighthouses.
There has been an increased number of GPS system jammings in the region. The aim of the lighthouse initiative is to improve maritime safety and reduce risks.
Saturday. Rain is pouring down outside. It´s grey and boring and I´m in front of the computer looking at images in Lightroom. The archive from this summer is big, suddenly this image presents itself to me. I overlooked it earlier this year and never edited it.
The image is of a J/70 heading out to the start line of the 2025 Ulvö regatta at the High Coast of Sweden. The Ulvö regatta has been around for a long time, in 2009 it celebrated its 100th anniversary with over 100 participating boats.
The Fujifilm 50mm f2 is one of the fujicrons. It´s compact, lighweight, sharp and it is affordable.
Background
Fujicron is a popular nickname for Fujifilm’s compact, weather-sealed and fast f2 lenses for the X-mount cameras, the 50mm f2 is one of these. Named after Leica’s Summicron lenses, the Fujicrons are known for their high image quality in a small and lightweight format.
The Fujifilm 35mm f2 was my first prime and after that came the 23mm f1.4 and the Fujifilm 50mm f2 R WR. When researching, the 50mm f2 seemed like a more reasonable purchase than the 56mm f1.2. The 50mm f2 also had some really positive reviews online, so it felt safe to buy it.
Facts
Focal length: 50mm (equals about 75mm on full frame) Max aperture: f2 Step size: 1/3EV (19 steps) Focus range: 39cm – infinity Diameter: ø60.0mm Length: 59.4mm Filter size: Ø46mm Weight: 200g Weather and dust resistant: Yes Image stabilization: No
Positives
Well built. Robust and premium feel.
Compact and light lens.
Aperature ring on the lens and the aperture rings has solid click stops.
A small camera with this lens on will hardly be noticed by people.
Fits smaller cameras like Fuji X-E4 perfectly.
Fantastic image quality, detail and colour rendering
Sharp already from f2 and sharpest around f4.
Sufficient background blur at f2 for most use cases.
Fast and reliable autofocus.
Weather and dust resistant.
Available in black or silver depending on taste.
Affordable.
Negatives
Honestly, this is a really good lens and that´s what reviews online will tell you as well. It’s also the lens I´ve used the most it 2025. So I don´t have much negative to say. Well, the lens has no image stabilization, not that I´m missing it. And the lens hood is ugly. Other than that I can´t think of much.
Summary
The Fujifilm 50mm f2 R WR is a compact, lightweight, fast and sharp lense, it´s really good! There are numerous reviews on the internet praising the lens and so do I. On top of that it´s affordable. I like!
The Trysunda chapel was probably built in 1654. It has beautiful murals and is well worth a visit.
Trysunda is a small island located right in the archipelago of the High Coast World Heritage in Sweden. On the island there is a beautifully preserved fishing village and a small chapel.
The chapel was built by fishermen from Gävle who frequented the northern coast of Sweden for fishing. The Trysunda chapel is considered to be one of the older fishing chapels along the northern coast and was probably built in 1654.
The chapel is known for its’ beautiful murals. The murals in the chapel were done by Olof Gåhlin. In 1711, when the paintings were made, Trysunda was used as a naval base by the Swedish king Karl XII and Olof Gåhlin was probably a craftsman on one of the larger warships that stayed in the harbor.
An interesting curiosity is that in the rafters of the chapel there are hanks that fishermen used to hang their fishing gear during wintertime.
Everytime we stay at Trysunda I pay a visit to the chapel, it´s well worth a visit. There is a guest harbour at Trysunda or you can arrive by ferry from Köpmanholmen on the mainland.
The Fuji 23mm f1.4 LM WR is one of Fuji´s modern f1.4 lenses. It´s weather resistant, fast and renders wonderfully sharp images.
The Fujifilm 23mm f1,4 pictured using the Fujifilm 35 f2
Background
I picked up my Fujifilm 23mm f1.4 LM WR in February 2025. I was a bit hesitant buying the 23mm lens (35mm equivalent on full frame) for my Fujifilm X-E4. Why? Well historically I´ve always had issues taking pictures with 35mm full frame lenses, it´s been a struggle. As it turned out I had nothing to worry about: The Fujifilm 23mm f1.4 LM WR has quickly become my most used lens.
Build
I will not go into details about the construction of the lens, you can read all about that on Fujifilms homepage. The lens is a reasonably sized lens to use on a X-E4, it´s not too big but you definitely notice that it´s there. Some dimension:
The lens feels rock solid and it has never caused any problems. The aperture ring is nice with a good click.
The only thing that annoys me about the lens is the lens hood: I really don´t like the it, not that the lens hood is bad it´s just not as good looking as the lens itself. I have actually lost the lens hood, not that I´m crying about it.
Autofocus
The autofocus is really good. It´s fast, smooth and there are no external moving parts. It’s reliable and it get´s the job done really well. I haven´t noticed any focus hunting. It´s worth mentioning that I almost exclusively take pictures of still or slow subjects.
Image quality
The image quality is super. The lens is sharp already from f1.4 and I think it´s the sharpest around f4 and it has a nice micro contrast. It’s easy to love the images coming from this lens.
Summary
In short: This is a beautiful lens. If I knew what I know now and didn´t own it: I would buy one!
I’m Sitting in the couch. It´s Saturday night. I´m Editing photos in Lightroom, Dreaming of summer.
It’s seven months until the boat is launched. I find a photo from Ulvöhamn that I haven’t noticed before. The sun is shining, boats are bobbing, people are having a good time and the trees are moving in the wind: The epitome of summer.
What if someone had told me when I was young in the 80s: In 2025 there will be something called YouTube and the Internet, and on YouTube there will be endless sailing videos to watch. I would never have believed it. Never!
The whole idea of something called Youtube with endless sailing videos would just have seemed like a crazy vision of the future. But now we’re there, there are infinite amounts of sailing to follow.
Today I watched a wrap-up video from the 2025 Offshore Double Handed World Championships.
I have worked for the same employer for 25 years. I received A 25-years anniversary gift card from the company and I used it to buy a Hilleberg Nammatj 2 GT..
Image from Hilleberg.com
In the nineties I owned a green Hilleberg Nammatj 2 and I used that tent a lot, both in archipelagos and in the mountains. I was very happy with that tent but I sold it to a friend around the turn of the millennium. Since then I have mostly used the Hilleberg Staika and Soulo.
Back to the anniversary gift from my employer: I chose a gift certificate. The gift certificate I used at Naturkompaniet to buy a red Hilleberg Nammatj 2 GT, a tent I´ve dreamed of for a couple of years.
I now have the pleasure of owning three red Hilleberg tents. This is how I plan to use the different tents:
