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“Everybody still smiling?” Our skipper Fredrik Alfjard flashes a wide grin as he checks each row of our Rib. The ten-seater craft has spent the past couple of hours zigzagging between the smaller islands of Bohuslan, west Sweden’s seafood coast, on a gourmet odyssey.
It’s certainly gourmet. Outside Korsholmen’s solitary wooden hut, we are treated to a masterclass on shucking oysters, toasting our success with a zippy sparkling wine. Then on Astol, we enjoy a hands-on feast of shrimp with citrus aioli in the island’s maritime-themed smokery. The final stop is Kladesholmen, for herring and schnapps at the floating restaurant Salt & Sill. So far, so Swedish.
But there’s also been a lot more excited screaming than I had bargained for. Rugged Alfjard, with a deep tan and a flop of salt-and-pepper hair, works in insurance by day. And judging by the way we’ve been flying over the waves and swerving into swells, this is his way of letting off steam. Not that anyone’s complaining. Quite the opposite; our adrenaline-fuelled giggles are a signal for him to restart the engine and crank up the speed.
You might be surprised to learn that this exhilarating experience is a cruise excursion – one of almost 900 available to guests sailing on Explora I, an 813ft vessel modelled on mega-yachts with edgy hotel aesthetics. It’s the first of six ships from Explora Journeys, the new ultra-luxury arm of the MSC Group. I’ve joined the ship in its third week of operation for a six-night Scandi itinerary starting in Copenhagen and finishing in Hamburg with stops along the way in Gothenburg, Oslo and Stavanger.