Sweden : Profile

Facts

Up in the north-west corner of Europe, Sweden forms half of the Scandinavian peninsula. The tongue of Sweden divides the Baltic from the North Sea and the country's two coasts offer an infinite variety of cruising.
On the west coast the most attractive cruising area is from the Norwegian border to Göteborg, while on the east coast the most picturesque region is the Stockholm archipelago and the area to the south of it.
To these should be added the various inland waterways, the best known being the Göta Canal, a scenic route which allows a yacht to sail from one side of Sweden to the other without the necessity to drop its mast.
There are secluded anchorages and pretty villages throughout southern Sweden, making it one of the most attractive cruising destinations in Europe.
Provisioning is easy everywhere with the exception of the remoter areas and in many places it is possible to come alongside a dock close to a grocery store. Fuel is not so widely available away from the larger centres. LPG containers can only be filled with the proper adaptor and this can only be done in some of the major towns.
Most marinas are found in the Stockholm and Göteborg areas, and although mooring facilities are widely available, most buoys belong to the Swedish Cruising Club (SXK), are painted red or blue and marked SXK. For prolonged cruises in the area it may be worth becoming a member. Private moorings may be used, with permission, or if the absent owner has left a prominent green card indicating the berth is free.
The biggest marinas are in Stockholm (Vasahamn) and Göteborg, and this is also where most repair facilities are located. The standard of repair work is good throughout Sweden, but it may be difficult finding repair facilities in the more remote areas. For any major repair it is best to head for one of the larger yachting centres where almost everything is available.

The climate is temperate due to the Gulf Stream, and the summers are pleasant. Winters are cold, the temperatures around freezing. Summer arrives only in June and the sailing season rarely lasts beyond the end of September, but has the advantage of long summer nights. The winds in summer are variable and mostly light.

Stockholm Radio English language VHF weather forecasts are at 06:00 and 18:00 UTC i.e. 08:00 adn 20:00 local time in the summer

Sweden Weather Forecast.