Sweden to UK

[newtosailing]

I would welcome any comments/views from anyone that has sailed from Sweden (slightly north of Gothenburg) to the Solent. I am planning on doing such a passage in end July/Aug and am just considering which of the various routes would be the most enjoyable re: scenery, ease of passage etc etc. E.g over the top of denmark; through Limfjord or through canals/Eber. Will be on a 45ft that draws 2.3m. The max time I would have is 2wks - unless I do elements at a time and fly to and from. Thanks

 

[webcraft]

You could consider straight over to Scotland then a coastal passage down the E. Coast, although this might not be the most interesting . . .

Kristiansand to Peterhead is 320nm and you should do it easily in two and a half days, which means you should be covered by a reliable forecast. (I've done it in 72 hours in an Albin Vega)

We picked up the boat in Varburg, about 80nm S of Gothenberg. First hop was to Skagen in the N. of Denmark - a great place, very friendly people, lively and not too expensive. In Skagen we bought a chart pack for the S. Norewgian coast for about £30, then it was 22 hours to Lillesand in S. Norway, then from Lillesand to Kristiansand a lovely meander through the 'inside passage', behind the islands - almost like a canal in places and very picturesque. Kristiansand is a good marina and has good shops - although it would probably be cheaper to do most of the provisioning in Denmark.

From Peterhead you can day sail down the coast, apart from a biggish jump over the Wash. The Northumberland coast is reasonable cruising if you get the weather.

- Nick

 

[Guest]

Most seem to advise the canal ... Kiel .... which is logical especially if time is restricted.

I plan to d opposite route ... Solent to Latvia and I too am undecided to which way ... over top of Denmark - can be absolutely stunningly beautiful, but can be a serious risk if weather blows up, through Fjord at Aalborg etc. - another good one if weather is right .. and i have friends at Aalborg ... so could be a few beers there !! Kiel obviously has time and scenery factors to suggest this way ....

Maybe we meet en-route - IF I get to do it this year ... July - Aug is about time I was planning to do it, but in 25ft and 4 weeks max.

 

[Aja]

Nick - even more scenic is across to Inverness, through the Caledonian canal to the west coast of scotland and down the west side of Britian.

Plusses - most scenic + sheltered water
Minuses - perhaps longer.

Donald

 

[cardinal_mark]

You might try the HR Owners Association - www.hroa.co.uk - they have loads of info on Sweden to UK passages. That said, I'm not sure if its for members eyes only or for general consumption. Anyway, might be worth a try.

Mark

 

[claymore]

If he timed it right he could join ra Chentleman's Cruise

 

[mike_bryon]

I helped crew a delivery from Gothenburg to the Solent November last year. Here are a few thoughts.

We went in one hit over the top of Denmark. It was in total about 740nm so your planned 2 weeks allows time to make a cruise of the trip.

Lots of shipping and gas rigs means that you will enjoy the trip more with experienced crew who will need to keep a careful watch and know the col regs.

Over the top is in my opinion not the most interesting way back. The Imray Baltic Sea pilot does not cover the Limfjord. This route would be the one I would be most attracted to.

Do visit Marstand in Sweden before you depart.

You cannot move your boat through the canal between sunset and sunrise – (not such a problem at the time you plan to sail). But given the time of year we went this rule meant that the canal would have take longer.

Great weather forecasts in English on vhf.

Best wishes

 

[Amphitrite]

I would consider going northabout - depending on how far north of Gothenborg you start, I would either do Skagen (cheaper beer than Sweden/Norway and a nice spot) and then Kristiansand, or I would cross directly to Arendal and than follow the coast of Norway to Kristiansand or Mandal. This is the best time for visiting Norway, so the chance should be taken! Than crossing to a point somewhere on the British East coast, as described above.

The Limfjord might be worth a visit, but with your draft you would be a little bit limited....
The Kiel Canal is only interessting for the first 10 miles, the remaing 45 are quite boring once you are used to it. And the german and dutch islands would be in the range of a summer cruise, wouldn't they?

Just IMHO, of course

 

[Rowana]

Did the same trip on a Najad in September a couple of years ago. If the forecast is good, then straight over the top of Denmark and straight to Dover. If we'd had a bad forecast, the Skipper was quite prepared to go down and through Keil canal.

We had a great trip. It is a bit busy round Skagen, and there is a headland a bit farther down, which I can't remember the name of, where it got a wee bit bumpy. Other than that, no problems.

If you want to make a cruise of it and come over to Peterhead, give me a PM and I'll look out for you as that's where I'm based.

.

 

[roger]

Your name implies limited experience. This suggests you go through the Kiel Canal. This also gives you more time to get to know your boat before you are committed to a long open water passage.
With reaonable weather you can alsp stop off along the coast say at Norderney, Den Helder, IJmuiden etc..
The problem with this route is getting out of the Elbe. Basically wind over tide in the Elbe estuary can be very nasty indeed. You can get bottled up in Cuxhaven by strong North westerlies for a long time.
I think (not certain) that at 2.3 metres your draft is too great for the mast-up route through Northern Holland so you will have to make a long trip from Cuxhaven westward. Its fine if the weather is OK.
If you have a strong and experienced crew then going direct North of Denmark is possible and its certainly faster - but you will miss out on buying Belgian beer.

 

[webcraft]

Re: Caley Canal /W. Scotland

V. nice but the possibility / likelihood of a long beat up the channel kinda precluded it for a 2-week schedule, I thought . . .

- Nick

 

[Guest]

Trip duration ...

Solent - Baltic ....

I have looked at this hard and long and reckon that optimum for me with a small boat of 25ft but able to maintain reasonable speed is about 3 weeks. But that assumes generally good weather and no real hold-ups. Therefore I have to allow 4 weeks on the safe side.

I would prefer to go over the top OR through the Aalborg way ... as I only draw 1.1m - I think I am safe enough ...