Stockholm Archipelago Charter

[malcp]

I am planning a summer holiday chartering a yacht in the Stockholm Archipelago in August. Can anyone advise me over the following please?

a) Any experience of Nautilus Yachting as a charter company, especially in Sweden, good or bad?

b) I have been trying to track down the pilot "Arholma - Landsort and Gotland" by Lars Hassler and Lars Hanath (English Language version) but it seems to have gone out of print. Can anyone advise on where it might be obtained, or if someone has an old copy they no longer need and would be willing to sell me? (Regretably neither myself nor my crew have any knowledge of Swedish).

c) Sources of weather information in the area. I assume any VHF forecasts are in Swedish?

d) Experience of 3G coverage in the Finnhamn, Sandhamn area? I imagine it would be patchy? (Thinking of using it to get forecasts)

Many Thanks

 

[alteredoutlook]

answers:
b) don't worry too much about an English version of the pilot - I've got the Swedish version and don't understand a jot of Swedish! The pilot book consists of lots of detailed small scale chartlets showing the position to anchor/tie to rocks and is perfectly adequate. (Admittedly a bit of stuff about the history/geology/geography of each anchorage would be beneficial!).
c) The weather is announced in English at least once a day on vhf along with any navigational warnings (I cant remember the time). Alternatively you'll almost certainly be rafted next to another local boat each day and they can provide weather for you!

 

[alteredoutlook]

if you haven't booked it already then make sure its early August as it generally gets a bit cooler/damper after the middle of the month!
Ideally go in June or July!

 

[malcp]

alteredoutlook, many thanks for that reassurance. I'm actually thinking of 8th to 15th Aug.
Thanks for your help

 

[lpdsn]

c) Sources of weather information in the area. I assume any VHF forecasts are in Swedish?

It's actually not that difficult to understand key phrases in Swedish in the weather forecast. Winds are m/s. If you double it you're not to far off in Knots. Learn the Swedish numbers up to twenty before you go. Twenty is pretty difficult to pronounce but it's not too bad below that.

They give a range of windspeeds. I remember hearing tre till ortim (vaguely phonetic - don't know the correct spelling) which means roughly between 6 and 36 knots ( 3 to 18 m/s), so the Swedes hedge their bets as much as the Met Office. They didn't seem to add the fiddle factor that the Met Office do though.

Friske and Starke (probably not quite spelt correctly) translate roughly as fresh and strong when referring to the wind.

You're pretty well sheltered within the archipelago, so more a matter of choosing your anchorage to suit the expected winds. It requires a bit of concentration and prudent seamanship to approach from offshore in heavy seas as there are often quite a few rocks to avoid before you get into a sheltered channel. Confirm your position and confirm it again before going for it.

 

[malcp]

Thanks lpdsn, that's useful to know.

 

[Mark-1]

You can have my English copy of Arholma-Landsort if you're prepared to pick it up in Chichester or will deliver if it's a short cycle from my house. Immaculate, bought in 2010.

I'm very jealous, it's a lovely place to sail.

 

[jbweston]

I've had Penguin in Sweden since 2011 and, after a couple of winters on the west coast, have overwintered these last two winters near Stockholm.

You get excellent English language forecasts (+ nav warnings) on VHF twice a day from Stockholm Radio (the name of the coast radio service right round the Swedish coast). In addition most harbours in or near towns have free wifi and you can get good weather forecasts from the Swedish Met Office in English at:
http://www.smhi.se/en/weather/sweden-weather/sea-weather
and coatstal waters forecasts in Swedish at:
http://www.smhi.se/vadret/hav-och-kust/kust

You need to be ready for windspeeds to be quoted in metres per second and not have a ducky fit when someone tells you the wind force will be 9-11.

Out at sea Navtex works well but in the Stockholm archipelago VHF and wifi are all you need.

A mistake I made when I first went out to Sweden was to think it was going to be difficult to operate as it would be very 'foreign'. But nearly everyone speaks English, boats are a part of the way of life and no Swedish teenager is going to visit a cafe or bar that hasn't got wifi. In many ways the facilties for sailors are better than in England. Which is why Penguin is still there . . .

PS PM me if I can help you with any more information.

 

[benjenbav]

I looked at chartering through Nautilus for a similar project a couple of years ago. They seemed to me to have the best range of charter opportunities for Scandinavia generally and when I spoke to them they seemed pleasant and sensible.

In the end, I didn't charter at all and so far haven't even visited Scandinavia, so my experience with Nautilus is at a very preliminary level. I suppose the most I can say is that the initial contact didn't put me off.

Probably not much help...

 

[Boat441]

We cruised there in August a few years ago. Never had a problem getting weather data. From memory I just got it on my phone.

In my view August is a great time to go. Most of Scandinavia has three weeks off in July so places get busy. August, whilst can be a bit wetter, apparently, we had one day of rain in three weeks, is much quieter, with some of the facilities in the outer islands starting to close down.

Worth reading up on using a kedge and a sheppards crook.

Absolutely loved our time there and will be looking for an excuse to go back.

When flying out, don't get lulled into thinking the cheap airlines are best. We found overall it was cheaper and far more convenient to fly Scheduled from Heathrow. They go to the main airport a short taxi ride from Stockholm. Ryanair and easyjet are in regional airport some considerable way from Stockholm. The baggage allowance and actual flight times was also a consideration.

It's an awesome place, highly recommended.
Cheers

 

[erbster]

I went to the archipelago last year. 3G signal mostly good (get a mifi or Bluetooth tether your phone to a tablet, and haul it up the mast for better reception). I found the http://www.yr.no site extremely accurate. It's a wonderful place, well worth making the effort.

 

[lpdsn]

When flying out, don't get lulled into thinking the cheap airlines are best. We found overall it was cheaper and far more convenient to fly Scheduled from Heathrow. They go to the main airport a short taxi ride from Stockholm. Ryanair and easyjet are in regional airport some considerable way from Stockholm. The baggage allowance and actual flight times was also a consideration.

There's a rail service from Arlanda airport and pretty good coach connections to most places.

I've flown into Vasteras with Ryan Air before and there was a coach timed to suit the flight which ran into Stockholm Central station. Quite cheap if I remember. There's an extensive underground system once you make it to the station.

 

[Resolution]

Absolutely fabulous place to sail. I took my yacht there in 2013 and spent all June and July tooling around close to Stockholm, with crew changes every week!
Navigation is a priority, all the Brits I met had hit at least one rock at speed, we did as well. You must have the books of chartlets and use them the whole time. It can be confusing turning from one page to another ( different scales and even changes from North up to 90 degrees different!). Best trick is to go to a stationers here and buy two or three books of stick on arrows or mini postits, then use these to mark out your planned course each day.
Sailing in the channels between the islands is wonderful fun, but we seemed to be either beating or running most of the time. Most Sewdish boats have small jibs and large mains, which makes tacking easier than our masthead rig with big overlap genoa. Check your charter choice.
Have fun!

 

[Neil_Y]

3G has good coverage in this area, the beauty is finding your own rock/island to tie up to with no neighbours. I've spent more time in the St Anna archipelago than the Stockholm islands but just got back from pre launch maintenance near Torsby. The nice thing is the weather patterns are not as volatile as the low pressure systems we get, so the weather is more accurately forecast. In case you are or know a rock climber and old set of chocks are very useful in tying up to rocks. It's frowned upon to light BBQ's on the rocks as it cracks them. I'll be in one of these

 

[MoodySabre]

There's a rail service from Arlanda airport and pretty good coach connections to most places.

I've flown into Vasteras with Ryan Air before and there was a coach timed to suit the flight which ran into Stockholm Central station. Quite cheap if I remember. There's an extensive underground system once you make it to the station.

My daughter goes to Stockholm on business and to see relatives. She says the best deal is Norwegian Air from Gatwick to Arlanda.

 

[knuterikt]

I went to the archipelago last year. 3G signal mostly good (get a mifi or Bluetooth tether your phone to a tablet, and haul it up the mast for better reception). I found the http://www.yr.no site extremely accurate. It's a wonderful place, well worth making the effort.

http://www.yr.no/ is the Norwegian met office site, if you select english language parts of the site is translated.
The "sea and coast" can give ocean forecasts but not for the Baltic (but Skagerak, Kategatt, North Sea, Norwegian Sea, and parts of North Atlantic)

The Swedish version of RNLI called SSRS (http://www.sjoraddning.se/ine-english/) have a weather service based on data from the same source with an hour by hour view.
Link: http://www.sjoraddning.se/vader/
you can also download app's showing the same data
https://itunes.apple.com/no/app/kustvader-sjoraddningssallskapet/id380856463?l=nb&mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.madinsweden.ssrs

Winds can change during the day because of the sea breeze / land breeze effects, most often with stable High pressure periods.

 

[malcp]

Dear All,

Very many thanks for your very informative replies. Most helpful.

Mark-1: Many thanks for your kind offer, which I'll gratefully accept. I'll contact you separately.

Followup questions:-

What is the rough cost of living compared to the UK, for budgeting purposes, taking out cash etc?

Are Euros accepted in the Islands, or do we need to take SEK?

Thanks

 

[knuterikt]

Dear All,

Very many thanks for your very informative replies. Most helpful.

Mark-1: Many thanks for your kind offer, which I'll gratefully accept. I'll contact you separately.

Followup questions:-

What is the rough cost of living compared to the UK, for budgeting purposes, taking out cash etc?

Are Euros accepted in the Islands, or do we need to take SEK?

Thanks

You need SEK or use card, most shops accept credit cards.

I don't know prices compared to UK, it's a little less than in Norway..

 

[Glisferox]

Three and five years ago the supermarket prices were, I felt, about the price of a Waitrose shop. Do your main shop on the mainland, the selection is better, once out on the islands choice is limited.

Eating out in Sweden is generally quite expensive compared to Blighty,

Mooring, where paid for, is cheaper.

I think, in general, that as long as you don’t go wild in restaurants and bars it’s a bit cheaper than cruising in the south of England.

If you like spirits fro a sun-downer either bring a bottle with you or make sure you get to a state run off licence before they close. Our first trip was gin-less as we missed the offy and never found one on the islands.

On guides, I’d get the Landsort pilot, even in Swedish, just for the chartlets, which show ways into anchorages and highlight in red good places to tie up.

Also tourist map of the archipelago is useful, since they show what facilities are available where. I’ll need to look it out to find what we bought when I get home.

Before you go the Archipeligo Foundation has a lot of information on the islands they manage. They publish a free book in either Swedish or German.
http://archipelagofoundation.se

Very jealous

 

[malcp]

knuterikt and Gilsferox, thanks both. Most helpful information.