Sailing in Sweden: duck for the rocks
Phil Woollam and his family weave their way through the islands on Sweden’s east coast on their Cornish Shrimper
Although the archipelago between Västervik and Arkösund has become our popular summer cruising spot for the past four summers, I can still vividly remember the first time we left the well-marked and wide fairways to look for a mooring for the night when sailing Sweden, writes Phil Woollam.
Weaving our way between a group of islands and barely submerged rocks, towards what appeared to be a small but well-protected bay on Aspholmen, looked fairly straightforward on the pilot’s guide.
In reality, it was something completely different; as we approached the entrance to the bay it looked like an almost impossible gap between two rocky headlands.
At the time I remember hanging over the bow of our Cornish Shrimper 21 and grabbing the bowsprit as my wife Catelijne pushed CategoricalI’m moving forward at 1 or 2 knots and waiting to yell “Rock!”.
Luckily there were no rocks not marked on the pilot guide, so we pushed into flat, calm water, dropped a stern anchor, and then I jumped off the bow and tied two long mooring lines to a pair of stout pines. tree.
I don’t think there is any greater sense of relief and accomplishment than navigating into a tight but beautiful anchorage for the first time.
Nothing quite prepares you for the absolute joy of sailing Sweden’s archipelago; not the newspaper articles, YouTube clips, or other sailors’ stories.
You absolutely have to experience it for yourself to get a true sense of what is one of the most beautiful and best kept sailing secrets in Europe.
It was after reading an article in Yachting monthly about a family that towed their Cape Cutter 19 to the Stockholm archipelago, that we began to dream of sailing Sweden; it took a few years before dreams came true and we started planning our own trip.
At first it was the large amount of rocks scattered through the archipelago that was our main source of concern.
But after a few days of navigating the fairways between Loftahammar and Västervik, dodging the rocks and finding suitable berths, the rocks gave less cause for concern and became a source of fun that would test our navigation skills.
Sailing Sweden under the sun
We had plenty of preconceived notions about the challenges, but these quickly dissipated as our confidence grew while sailing in one of the most sparsely populated sailing areas in Northern Europe.
The most surprising feature was the weather!
After dire warnings of rain and unpredictable summers, we were greeted with long, sun-kissed days and consistent 10-18 knot winds, making sailing an absolute joy.
The practice of mooring moored against the rocks took some getting used to but allowed us to avoid marina fees and wake up every morning in a new location.
Shrimper’s lifting keel allowed us to move further away from the fairway and into shallower, quieter natural harbors.
Our choice of boat took two years of research and savings.
Catelijne and I had agreed that it would be a trailer yacht and we wanted something that looked traditional. Categorical fit the bill.
Once bought, we moved her to Holland and then drove from home to Lübeck in Germany to take the ferry to Malmö.
After reading through our English-language pilot on Sweden’s east coast, we decided to tow our new boat to Loftahammar.
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An overnight ferry ride and 16 hours of driving later we arrived at the marina, with Categorical still in its factory packaging.
It took an embarrassing six hours to figure out how all the boat’s parts fit together, much to the amusement of the local Swedes, but Categorical was finally rigged and ready.
The sails went up as soon as we cleared Loftahammar’s marina and we cautiously and somewhat cautiously pushed into the fairway heading south to Västervik.
Nervous about our first mooring on the rocks, we decided to anchor in the bay next to Stora Gundleholmen for a swim.
We didn’t get in though, put off by (harmless) pink jellyfish and then a snake.
Instead, we continued towards Västervik with a stop in Mjödö, where the next morning we braved the jellyfish and the slightly chilly Baltic Sea for a morning swim.
Almost caught up
This is where we decided to change our plans and head north.
Sailing the narrow Jungfrusund fairway was unforgettable, with its red houses on Hamnholmen and small model boats in the windows, as we continued towards Trässö.
When it was crowded, we sailed to Äspholmen.
Here the shallow draft on the Shrimper really came into its own as we entered the 1.4m deep bay, threw out a stern anchor and tied to some pine trees growing between the rocks.
Dinner and a blissful night’s sleep followed.
Days of scorching hot weather and light air followed and we took in Grytsholmen, Bokö and Huholmen at a leisurely pace.
We were alone here and spent the days swimming in the surprisingly warm clear water and walking the islands, our only company being a couple of cranes and a couple of noisy minks who liked our mooring lines.
The next morning we encountered a prevailing headwind and decided to avoid sailing the long, narrow fjord that leads to Valdemarsvik.
Instead we sailed north to see what awaited us.
It turned out to be a storm that came out of nowhere and forced us to take shelter in the marina at Fyrudden, where we stocked up on fresh supplies.
The Swedish couple on the nearby motor yacht recommended that we visit Fångö, which is sheltered from all weather conditions but quite busy.
Again this is where the lifting keel came into its own as we didn’t have to float up against the bigger yachts, but instead tied up against the 0.8m rocks.
Two days later we headed for Smaskarsflagen, where we spent five days bobbing around its natural moorings and anchorages before we got the urge to get back out on the fairway and sail further north.
Each day we grew more confident and pushed into tighter, natural harbors.
We were still learning the intricacies Categorical and a change in the weather really shook us out of our complacency.
During the sail from Riso to Arkösund, the wind rose to 18 knots.
Perhaps unwisely we decided not to set a reef and we were soon flying along as the wind hit 22 knots.
The sky became very black and we managed to get a reef in and get to Arkösund marina.
A boat came out to guide us to a dock, just before the skies opened up and dumped an entire summer’s worth of rain in two hours.
We certainly paid more attention to the conditions on our journey back to Loftahammar, which thankfully took less than six hours to do Categorical ready for the trip back to the Netherlands.
Since then we have been sailing Categorical around the same archipelago, the last time in 2020, when our daughter, Annabelle, then 7 years old, commented that the boat was “getting a bit small”.
We have now upgraded to a Mystery 35, which is moored in Lelystad in the Netherlands, with plans to sail her to the west coast of Sweden and Norway this summer.
Categorical made the trip back to England in Spring 2021 and the circle was complete when she was sold, by Peter Thomas at Cornish Crabbers.
Tips for sailing Sweden
- Book your ferry well in advance, as it gets expensive and busy in the summer.
- Take a stern anchor and very long mooring lines to tie off the rocks, trees or stakes hammered into the rocks left by other sailors.
- Follow the fairways and you are pretty much guaranteed not to hit rocks!
- Use the natural harbors and get used to mooring with a stern anchor and bowing to the rocks; it costs less and gives you so much more freedom.
- Take a compressor marine cooler as it will keep you out of the marinas longer.
- Give yourself plenty of time to explore the islands off the fairways. You will find some beautiful, secluded spots to anchor or tie off. Buy the English version of the pilot’s guide Landsort-Skanör because it identifies 190 natural harbours.
- Be prepared for windy weather and don’t wait too long to set a reef – the calm sea and beautiful weather can make you complacent.
- Make sure you have some form of shade to cover your cockpit, either a boat cover, awning or bimini, as the sun can be scorching.
- Charts are important to give you the confidence to leave the fairways. Don’t rely on marina stores stocking charts, get them before you leave.
- Many marinas do not have simple engine parts. Volvo parts are common but not Yanmar, as we found out on our third trip when we shredded the alternator belt!
Useful publications for sailing Sweden
Landsort-Skanör by Lars Granath, Catharina Söderbergh, Jesper Sannel, Joakim Lannek (Nautiska Förlaget, about £46). English version available used
The Baltic Sea and Approaches by the Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation, Fourth Edition (Imray, £45).
Buy The Baltic Sea and Approaches on Amazon (UK)
Buy The Baltic Sea and Approaches on Amazon (US)
Buy Baltic Sea and Approaches at Waterstones (UK)
Buy The Baltic Sea and Approaches at Foyles (UK)
Buy The Baltic Sea and Approaches on Google Play
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