As a paddler reaches Haparanda after start in Svinesund the memory bank is highly enriched by experiences and impressions from the tour. The route might seem to be the same for everyone, but weather condition gives an obvious variation. There is however one way we most often share with others who also have made the distance. This is the gate in to Stråkvägen 24 in Solna where Jim Danielsson lives with his Gun. The jury meeting with the paddler is waiting.

This might be the most well known passage to an HBB-paddler that Pasi Airike is about to open with his jury meeting at hand.
The gate in to Stråkvägen 24 and we all remember how tension and expectation increased.
 

Images from jury meetings
 

During the past years since Jim Danielsson's first tour 1991 many have paddled HBB one or several times and here are images from those meetings. At first however a glimpse from the five folded conquerors.

Bengt Larsson was the first to fulfil his fifth paddling. The year was 2008. The cake was black to symbolise a black belt.
 

In 2009 Jim Danielsson paddled his fifth tour. Images from Jim's jury meeting are sorted together with the presentation of Mats Grindvik - the artist behind the miniature kayak. Also Leif Andersson paddled his fifth tour this year.
 

Here is the trio of the five folded conquerors in the same image. Jim Danielsson, Leif Andersson and Bengt Larsson.
 

Routes and logbooks are scrutinised by the jury.

Jon Ekelund Nilsson and Peter Sjödin year 2007.
Jon and Peter didn't start together but met during the tour and went on together all the way to goal.
 

Bengt Larsson who often is the photographer during the meetings was himself facing the bar 2008 after his fifth paddling with a considerable lot of maps.
 

2008 was the year when Oscar Celsing paddled HBB and was supported by his common-law wife Frida who just gave birth to their son Hugo just after the day of goal.
Further photos from this occasion at page Jury
 

2008 a meeting was held with Johanna Davidsson. She came with parents as well as sisters and dog. The jury was also numerically strong. Johanna had that year conquered HBB and went on with the Finnish Blue and White ribbon, which she also carried through.
As a memory of this meeting Jim Danielsson was next year presented with an appreciated chairman's gavel in shape of a kayak.
 

Pasi Airike made his second tour in 2009.
 

Leif Andersson arrived true to his habit by bicycle to his meeting in 2009. Leif is an experienced cyclist who likes to paddle his kayak.
 

Even the solo paddler Elin Petersson's maps and logbook were placed under the magnifier 2009. Such is the agenda and the scrutinising turned out well.
 

In 2009 father and son fulfilled - Torbjörn and Pontus their whish to conquer HBB.
 
Hanna Liljebäck – Record holder of Juniors, ladies (age at start 18 but not 20 years) year 2009
 

An evening just in the beginning of November 2009 it was time for Hanna Liljebäck and her meeting with the jury. The whole jury was concentrated in the maps Hanna had brought but found nothing wrong. As the youngest female paddler the jury appointed her record holder in her class.

 


As both Hanna and Bengt are living outside Stockholm on the islands in Mälaren they posed together just as Bengt hug her as congratulation.
 

The ending jury meeting 2009

This meeting was held for Petter Öhman and Adreas Öst and was a little special. Andreas started with his friend Andrew who later was forced to abandon. As early as at Laholmsbukten they met Petter. With different speed in paddling the trio didn't keep together during daytime, but reached same places for the night. From Blekinge after Andrew had abandoned Andreas and Petter kept together and this has happened before as known. Allow me - webmaster to say that the special with this meeting besides a meeting with the trio in Ystad during my own try also participated in this jury meeting that was apart from normal meetings, but more about this later.
 

The jury started to scrutinize the logs of Andreas up to the place where he and Petter went on together.
 

Thereafter came the same procedure with Petter up to same position.
 

The remaining tour was scrutinized with the two together and all went well. The jury consisted of Thorvald Nielsen Jim Danielsson and the Greenland paddler Curt Ostwald.
 

Bengt Larsson and I (webmaster) as interested listeners and witnesses.
 

The miniature kayak is handed over.

Peter Sjödin and Jon Ekelund Nilsson year 2007.
 

In 2008 Bengt Larsson got his fifth miniature kayak from Jim Danielsson and Oscar Celsing recieved his first miniature kayak.
 

In 2009 the moment came for the second time to Pasi Airike followed by Leif Andersson who got his fifth and Elin Petersson received her first miniature kayak.
 

Pontus and Torbjörn, the son and father in mentioned order, liked having their miniature kayaks handed over by Jim in 2009.
 

The result of the jury for Hanna Liljebäck was ratified by the miniature kayak she was given 2009.
 

The ending meeting 2009 with Andreas and Petter also resulted in handing over the miniature kayaks.
 

All approved paddlers are also presented with Jim Danielsson's book
"100.000 KILOMETER I HAVSKAJAK"
 

The jury meeting is rounded off.

The hundred cake 2007 that celebrated Peter Sjödin. He was the hundred individual to conquer HBB.
 

Johanna Davidsson was celebrated for her feat in 2008 and Pasi Airike for his second tour 2009.
 

Even Elin Petersson was celebrated with a cake that the "master of cakes" had found good reason for in 2009. Her appreciation is not to be mistaken. Just as great is the appreciation from Torbjörn and Pontus after their paddlings in 2009.
 

As soon as Jim has change his role into acting Cake Master come as well a cake as his Gun to the table. Here all want to salute the Queen of Mälaren in the version of HBB 2009.
 

Also a delicious cake rounded off the meeting with Andreas and Petter 2009.
As promised comes here the explanation why this meeting was special. Special from my point of view. In addition to have met Andreas and Petter we had a lot of contact and paddled together to Kåseberg where we lost contact. Petter stayed at Löderup with a bad stomach and the duo Andreas/Andrew were stranded at Sandhammaren while I went on to Skillinge. It was a rainy, windy and cold period and I met Andrew in Simrishamn after he had abandoned and Adreas just went on. I made my way to Gropahålet and expected to find Andreas, but disappointed stayed just inside the outlet. Andreas came walking to me the day after. He had only passed the outlet before he stopped ands was held back by the wind. Later he was also to my assistance when my sons fetched me as parcel unable to pack my stuff.
 

Jim liked to in this way thank me for my work with this homepage. A task that might take some time, but would give nothing without all contributions from paddlers and others.
 
Many thanks to you all.
 
It was a true pleasure to enjoy the cake with my friends.
 
— o —
 

If we have announced our paddling from Svinesund at the Norwegian border along the entire Swedish coast to Haparanda at the Finnish border the logbook isn't saying all. After reaching the goal at landmark 59 come most often reverberations of different kind. One reverberation is obvious. A meeting with the jury will round off the tour. It isn't enough saying that we have landed at Virtakari to be an approved conqueror of Havspaddlarnas Blå Band. We have to prove that we have paddled the estimated 2300 kilometres on our own capacity and skill according to the rules and followed those.
When this has happened the members of the HBB jury find great joy to in company with the paddlers celebrate their achievements. We like to memorize them all and have now started this page. It started 2007 as a try and became a habit from 2008. A page we hope more than us find interest in.

HBB Webmaster
 

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