sailing stockholm - advice

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jezjez

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Can anyone give me some personal accounts of sailing in the swedish stockholm archipelago. I was there 10 years ago and sailed for 4 days. We only hit the one rock and had fair weather. Were we especially lucky? Anyone been around there for a longer spell and got an opinion about the place?!!
 
Get local charts (obviously). You get them in a big A2 booklet (sort of like the Admiralty small craft folio but each page is in a separate waterproof cover). The safe routes are all marked on the charts with the appropriate safe draught. Blank areas on charts can mean unsurveyed.

The waterproof charts means they can be taken into the cockpit. You need to do that because it would be impractical to use an RYA style hand-drawn pilotage plan. Check off each rock and buoy (usually thin plastic sticks) as you pass, be even more careful than normal about assuming where you are if you lose track.

Other than that a relaxing fun place to sail.

There's a local pilot book which shows you all the natural harbours and where it is deep enough close to shore for you to tie up. I can't remember the name, it was in Swedish but the diagrams are obvious.

Watch out for the man-eating midgies.
 
I was there forva whole summer and only hit one rock as well. I wanted an immediate haul out but my swedish friend on board told me all the locals count on one a year themselves anyway.

The previous poster mentioned thecbook. I also cannot remember the name but it is obvious when you get there. Perfect pictures and language is irrelevant.

Prepare for mosquitoes, but only after July.
Read up about the law of the land. It means you can tie up on most shorelines but you must observe certain rules.
Buy some pitons locally so you can hammer in your own mooring lines into rock clefts.
If you get a chance do the Gota Canal to Gothenburg.
Avoid Sandhamm during high season unless you are under 40 and want to meet attractive, unattached young ladies who like foreigners with big boats.
Fit a stern anchor such as an Ankorlina.
 
You should consider joining the Cruising Association and its very active Baltic Section, where you will find a huge amount of help and advice. I have been out there with my Rival 34 since 2006 and don't want to sail home!
 
I can second Williwaw's suggestion about the advice from the Cruising Association, and the advice given above.

Spent three summers there. Fantastic cruising ground, but can be very crowded with the locals in high season, but quietens quickly after mid August. Uto, to the south is a pleasant stop, Waxholm (during the week) and there is a quiet and attractive yacht harbour hidden away across the channel from Sandhamm. The true beauty of the area is the nature harbours. Look for the 'nature loos' on the chart, these mark out the popular spots! The photo books of various nature harbours are expensive, but well worth buying for peace of mind.

If you have more time, a trip to the Aland Islands is very worthwhile. (Finnish Charts were available from an excellent chandlery near the ferry stop in the old town in Stockholm) or on line from various outlets.
Creeping into anchorages very slowly is de rigeur as the sound of a ton or so of iron clonking on a rock is a sound commonly heard and seldom forgotten!

Enjoy your cruising!
 
Thank you all for your excellent advice. I have ordered a copy of the cruising guide. £39 inc postage from the above link. We're only there for 2 weeks but I'm getting excited. Hope this weather keeps up.

I did get a chart of the Vaxholm area but they show those "unchartered" bits.
I keep telling my wife we should take a year or two off and cruise the Baltic. Maybe this will be the catalyst we need. Besides, now I've spent nigh-on forty-quid, it would be a shocking waste of money not to!
 
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