RoRC Report from Scandinavia - Swedish boats not permitted

Sweden © Ocean Cruising Club

It's been a terrible 18 months with cruising plans put on hold and one's heart goes out to those, perhaps in mid-ocean, who were caught out by Covid restrictions in their landfall countries.

My brief is Scandinavia where for some time now, yachts of any registry coming from Sweden were not welcome in neighbouring countries because of Swedish Covid infection rates compared with adjacent countries. Sweden has its own rules about Covid restrictions which seemed casual to us. Because of this, their neighbouring countries applied travel bans to any yacht coming from Sweden. Indeed travel in general between European countries was fraught with differing regulations.

The European Union Covid vaccination pass, accepted in most EU countries, has made travel easier for some, but for those without an accepted pass, the other usual requirement of a negative PCR test within 72 hours of arrival would be hard to realise for those who arrive after even a moderate passage. Quarantine is hardly an option.

We remain based at Kungsviken on the island of Orust about an hours drive north of Gothenburg. European travel opened up late in the season so sailing was somewhat limited to local cruising. It seemed that every Swede, stuck at home, had bought a boat and was afloat so we spurned crowded marinas, enjoying quiet anchorages or mooring to one of the many buoys provided for Swedish Cruising Association members. The SKK is a valuable information source for not just Sweden and I recommend joining for 2022 on January 2nd!

Let's be optimistic. Many of us will be hoping to cruise next season and if the destination is Scandinavia, the relevant Covid regulations need to be checked closer to the date. Now would be the time to work out a plan of destinations. Of course, we recommend paper charts as well as the plotter. On the latter, we have both Navionics and C Map and find them excellent but paper charts are essential backups and for passage planning, particularly in the Scandinavian archipelagos. The charts look complex but are easy to follow with advised routes through the rocks well marked. In any weather, one needs to look ahead so we mark the proposed route with a highlight pen. Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland all provide chart packs in folio form for leisure use and if planning for next year, now is the time to order.

I am particularly impressed by a German series that includes Scandinavia: NV Atlas. These come with an app to allow passage planning and navigation on a cell phone. At least one should look at their website of first-class chart folders, now covering much of Europe.

There are also numerous guides to harbours and the Gota and the Finnish Saima canals such as the excellent Hamnguiden. Buy in advance as stocks are limited in the summer in local shops.

Wherever one is sailing from, invariably one would arrive from the West. If visiting Sweden most will want to visit Stockholm and many will want to experience the Gota Canal, an early 19th-century engineering achievement. The canal system saves about 200 nautical miles off the sea journey from Gothenburg to Stockholm but the canal proper with its 58 locks occupies only about 54 nautical miles, the rest of the distance involving passage through several large lakes. The canal's maximum altitude inland is about 190 meters. It is much easier travelling from West to East because that lift is mostly achieved by six industrial-sized locks at Trollhattan some distance upriver from Gothenburg. Eastwards descent in crowded small locks is much gentler, easier on yacht and owner. Even more important, the prevailing wind in the lakes is southwest and I recall a miserable transit westwards of the large Lake Vänern against a moderate force 5 headwinds. The short steep seas virtually stopped us so if you do visit the Gota canal travel in the easier direction. In fact, although it is a shortcut in distance, there will be no real benefit in sailing time.

My next report will be in greater detail in planning for a cruise in that region and will involve equipment and where to overwinter. I will make enquiries for our British members about the practical side of wintering there after Brexit and the enforcement of time limits. I have noticed many non-EU yachts in boatyards. In the meantime, stay safe and well and if there is any way I can help individuals, please get in touch.

This article has been provided by the courtesy of Ocean Cruising Club.