actuary out there?

Melisande said:

I am from Stockholm, Sweden. Practically grew up in the Archipelagoes, and have spent entire summers, even half winters, out there. The taxi-boats you are talking about are very safe. It would be highly unlikely that a tourist fell off one of those and died. The crews onboard those vessels are well educated in both manouvering the vessels and to perform rescue-missions, should something happen. They also often require people to sit inside, which reduces the odds of an accident to practically zero.

Had she been onboard a private vessel; small sailboat or speedboat, it wouldn't sound entirely impossible that she might have fallen off and eventually died. There is so much traffic in the Archipelagoes during Midsummer that her screams for help could have gone unheard. But then, of course, one would have to wonder why nobody would have noticed, had she been a guest onboard. And one also has to consider that the middle-aged in general are somewhat calmer than the 'wild youths'.

If this is supposed to happen in the Baltic Archipelagoes, it might also be a probability that she could have been crushed by one of the giant ferries if she was in very poor luck, and if she fell off in one of the navigable channels they use. The probability for this, however, is very, very low.

In general, I would say that seafaring in the Archipelagoes of Sweden is quite safe. Most people who own boats are fairly aware of both danger and risks. That doesn't mean that accidents never happen, but they mostly involve minor injuries, and damage to the vessels.

One of the more common reason for drowning accidents are men pee-ing over the railing and lose balance from swells from other vessels. The Swedes really party for Midsummer and accidents like that do happen. More unlikely, though, to involve women, as they normally use a bucket inside, if the vessel is not equipped with a toilet.

If one moves to the Archipelagoes in the Swedish Southwest, one might consider the fact that the water is a lot colder there, and that she might have cramped and drowned because of that. The traffic on the water around Midsummer is just as heavy there, as it is in the Baltic Sea. The Archipelagoes of southwestern Sweden are also a lot rougher, more naked and quite dangerous.

In the Baltic Sea the islands lie closer, it's more lush and there are less cliffs. There are more shallows, though. But since the water isn't as deep, and because the North Sea isn't hammering the coastline, the water is "gentler". It's also bracken, which means that swallowing some water wouldn't be as bad, as if you swallowed a mouthful on the westcoast, where the water is salty.

Then there are the Archipelagoes of the Northeastern parts of Sweden, way up there in the Baltic Sea. Around the time of Midsummer, the boating traffic would be heavy there as well. The water is really could up there, but not salty at all. If she was really clumsy, and fell off a boat up there, she might freeze and drown.

Into all of the above, though, one must not forget that the sun doesn't really set around Midsummer in Sweden. It woudl be light. Of course, in the Stockholm and Gothenburgh area, it will be dusky, but not pitch black which would mean that it makes it easier to find someone in the water.

If I were to give an advice, I would suggest that her accident ought to have occured on the west coast, around midnight, and from a private vessel.

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