Sailing in Sweden and the Baltic

Sweden and the Baltic Sea may seem to be positioned in a cul-de-sac in the north-eastern parts of Europe. But I can guarantee, that if you make the effort, you will find one of the world’s best cruising areas. The downside may be cold, unstable weather – though it’s basically the same as in UK, but with a bit less rain!

In this article I will try and provide a practical approach for all of you that are planning to take part in the Baltic Rally or visit on your own.

The secret skerries
Sweden has more than 7 600 kilometres of coastline. The good thing is that it is virtually littered with tens of thousands of islands. Just the archipelago outside Stockholm has about 24 000 islands and islets – The Skerries.

There are five main archipelagos; the West coast and Bohuslän have rocky islands with few trees but with immense beauty. On the south coast there’s a smaller archipelago outside the town of Karlskrona – shallow and rarely visited by others than the locals. On the east coast there are three archipelagos that are more or less connected from Kråkelund in the south, through St Anna and Gryt to Stockholm archipelago.

The last archipelago is the Höga Kusten, in the north. This is where they make the (in)famous fermented herring.

The Bohuslän archipelago
The red granite islands with hardly any trees and with the white painted houses clinging on to the rock are a personal favourite. This area north of Gothenburg is shared by many visiting Norwegians and Germans. And the few, but extremely picturesque and pretty villages – like Marstrand, Smögen, Hunnebostrand, and Lysekil – are heavily visited during the summer holidays. Many natural harbours can be found among the islands.

The Karlskrona archipelago
The cruising area on the south coast is the attractive Karlskrona archipelago, which is rather shallow and until recently it was largely fenced off for foreigners because of the many military installations. This is the place where the Soviet submarine U-137 went aground with a drunken Russian skipper in late October 1981. Sweden released the submarine when the radar showed that some large Soviet destroyers were approaching to take her back by force...

The Gryt and St Anna archipelagos
Starting just outside Västervik it stretches until Arkösund, just north of the entrance into the Göta kanal. With less boats than the Stockholm area, this is the place to have a cove totally for yourself. The main inshore route is well travelled, but not that many deviate and discover what’s a few hundred meters away – do that and you may be well rewarded.

The Stockholm archipelago
This is the biggest archipelago of them all, with its 24 000 islands and islets. Many Swedes find enough sailing here to last a life time. It is easy to find a secluded bay and if you have the time (and some guts) try and visit some of the outer skerries – this is where I return year after year.

The Höga Kusten Archipelago
Very few boats, but beautiful with its rugged coastline. The name means “the high coast” and is because it was compressed during the last ice age by three kilometres of ice and this isostatic uplift is still in progress today.This is the main reason why this area has been chosen a World Heritage Site.

Small fishing villages, particularly Ulvön and Trysunda, can be visited and it’s also the place for the fermented herring (“surströmming”) which is an aquired taste even for Swedes.

Göta Kanal
This shortcut across Sweden is an excellent way to return in the prevailing south westerlies. The canal is 190 kilometres long (plus Trollhätte kanal and Lake Vänern, totally 387 kms from coast to coast with 64 locks) normally takes a week, giving enough time to do some sightseeing, though you can do it in 3-4 long days. The cost is about € 460 for a <12 metre boat, but then all marina fees including electricity is included for the full period (the second canal from lake Vänern to Gothenburg adds some €80). There are 20 free guest harbours along the Canal.

I’d recommend that you should not miss the small town of Söderköping at the entrance of the canal, the old town in Linköping or the marina in the moat of the Vadstena Castle (not actually a part of the canal and is not included in the price).

The BIG tour
Cross the North Sea from northern UK to south coast of Norway and have a stop in Sörlandet before crossing into Bohuslän and the barren and rugged islands all the way down past Gothenburg. The Kattegatt and the sound between Sweden and Denmark have only man made harbours but some very picturesque small towns. The next cruising area is the Karlskrona archipelago with some true gems.

Continue up the east coast and the archipelagos of Sancta Anna and Gryt to reach the renowned Stockholm archipelago with its 24 000 island and islets.

Continuing further north, unless you make a quick deviation to Gotland, Estonia, Finland or even St Petersburg in Russia, you will find some wilderness only compared to the west coast of Canada and Alaska. Crossing 65 degrees north you can take the boat on a lorry from Luleå to Bodø in Norway (diversion to Spitsbergen possible) and return to mainland UK via Shetland and Orkney. A few thousand Nautical Miles and probably two summer’s worth of holiday.

About Drömresan
Drömresan is a website originally created for my crossing of the pacific in 1998-99 but have since it's own life and contain some 250 articles and files on blue water cruising. Hopefully it's a place to find inspiration ...

Mike