We bought Swept Away from the manufacturer Hallberg-Rassy in June 2000, and we spent most of that summer cruising in Northern Europe.

From the builder's location in Sweden, we sailed to Norway, then back to Sweden. From there, we visited Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, and then Swept Away traveled by freighter to Palma, Mallorca, Spain. We rented a car in Amsterdam and drove through France and Spain before rejoining the boat in the Balearic Islands.

Swept Away spent that winter out of the water in Mallorca.