swedish canal transit costs?

[tomboy352]

During our summer cruise, we will be transiting the gota canal from Stockholm to Goteborg. I am alowing about 3 weeks for this transit in our 35footer. One sailor told me that the fees were overly expensive but include up to three nights in all marinas encountered f.o.c. Another one told me it was cheap and good value. Neither could mention how much the transit fee was. Any ideas please.
Thanks in advance
P.S any users with good memories about my detachable roler reef inner forestay post of 6 months ago, it is up and running and will be with us on our Baltic cruise. Consideration was given to all the points raised in the projects design and conseption. Thanks again

 

[rex]

I have never been but would like to, it sounds very pleasant. Go to www.gotakanal.se and click on British flag (assuming you don't speak Swedish). Note Kanal with a 'k' if you spell it with a 'c' you go to the cruise page but there are links. Click on the site guide drop down box at the top of the page and select 'with pleasure boat on the Gota canal'. You get lots of info, pickies and prices. Hope you have a good trip, please let me know what it is like if you have time.

Kind regardsRex

 

[roger]

It cost us 280 pounds in 2000 for a 9.5 metre boat.
If going via the Kiel Canal you might be still able to get a very good chart of the Gota Kanal at the Kiel end Lock - Kapitan Stegman. They took it off the market in Sweden because of copyright.
You will also need Lake Vattern and Vanaern charts and one of the Trollhatten Canal - the fees for this were an extra 60 pounds.
You can rush through quite quickly or spend most of the summer there.
Do study the approved way of tying up and locking especially uphill as the locks fill quickly.
Make sure you know when the season ends. From memory its about half way through August and after that its weekends only for a few more weeks.
During our transit they filled the locks very full so the fenders popped out over the lock edges. Try weighting the buoys - there are a lot of rocks available in Sweden.
Make sure you tie up on port side in the Trollhatten Locks and preferably take very long fore and aft lines like 100 ft ones so you dont have to swap the lines over as you drop - up to 9 metres a lock.
They may have properly insisted on sealing off you sea toilet outlets by now. Be warned.
Lake Viken is perhaps the most beautiful section but Vattern and Vanern are wonderful too. The Swedish Cruising Club issues notes on Vanern - thats another whole summer area too

 

[tomboy352]

Thanks for your advice. We sail for keil nxt w/e. The last transit day for the Trolhatten Canal is 19 Aug. which is just as well that I found out as we expected to be there until abt the 25th. Will have a few days to spare and bearing in mind that their season is over, we will try and return to old haunts in S. Norway for a few days. We have a small holding tank aboard but it wont last the duration, so I will have to restrict liquid intake and go alongside more often. What with the price of liquids over there, restricting intake wont be so difficult.........
Rgds
Tomboy