Sailing Plan Details

This blog post gives some information on different routes.

Please see the sailing schedule plan for dates and decisions.

July

The main sailing season is starting in July, and I have two different proposed trips. I was hoping to see where people are most interested in going, so please let me know what you think. The starting date is a little bit later than I first planned because I am not sure about some things concerning my job.

Option A – going to Poland

• 450 miles
• Windsurfing and kite-boarding perfect
• Cheaper destination for harbours and food

This route is a good first trip and starts in Karlshamn, Sweden with some day sailing along the South coast. There is the town of Karlskrona which is a good place to join the boat, and if the weather is good then to make a stop at Utklippan would be nice. There is then a 170 mile passage to Poland and the Bay of Puck.

The Bay of Puck is full of sandy beaches, there is good public transport has areas of nature and good walks. It is famous for its good windsurfing and kite-boarding spots, and even if I am not an experienced windsurfer it would be fun to go there and practice. The city of Gdansk is great for parties and also is historically a very interesting place. There’s some day-sailing in the area and many places to anchor, as well as pretty little harbours and places to explore.

Option B – going to Germany

• 350 miles
• Easy to reach by train and ferry

This route goes to the island of Rugen which has both a large nature reserve and the historic Hansa company town of Stralsund. One thing I usually do is load the boat with good German beer to take home to Sweden for home parties and friends.

August

• Start in Sweden
• Ending in Britanny

Because of summer being such a busy time of year I have decided to not go too early from Sweden, and instead I will have to give priority for working on the boat and maybe some shorter trips along the Swedish south coast.

The big plan is to take the boat down to France or England, and the route is divided into two parts. The first is from Sweden to Holland/Netherlands, and the second part is down the English channel to France or England (or both).

Again, it good to be flexible for this route, and I think it would be very interesting to perhaps go around the North of Denmark and through Limfjord, and also stop in the national parks on the West coast of Denmark. The alternative is to go through the Kiel canal and Germany, which is much shorter. If anyone knows more, or finds out anything about this option then please write to me and tell me what you prefer.

Part 1 – from Sweden to Holland

The departure in August is high summer. The weather is varying winds and also quite often thunderstorms. Once on the North Sea it can be important to go fast when the weather is good and try as get as south as possible. There some places to stop along the way, however it is not always the most exciting areas…. sorry to say that the coast of Germany is very boring, but maybe I have just never found the good parts. If the weather is good then it can be a good idea to stop in Holland and make a crew change or get supplies.

Anyway, to look at the options for how to get from the Baltic to the North Sea I will present two different routes.

Option A: via Kiel canal and Germany

• 560nm
• Easy and fast

This is the usual route to go to and from the Baltic Sea and the Atlantic/North Sea. The Kiel canal cuts off 500nm (nautical miles), instead of going all the way around Denmark and Jutland! The canal is 50nm long and is under engine. I have done that route at least five times.

Option B: via Limfjord and Denmark

• 730nm
• Exotic destinations and wilderness

These are all new areas for me. I have heard of Limfjord but have never been there. Also the National parks on the West coast of Denmark and Germany are new to me, but looking at information online I think it could be and interesting to check them out.

Part 2: Holland and the English Channel

There’s so many places to stop in the second part of the delivery down to Brittany. This is a long time in the future and it is better to decide closer to the date where to go. It will depend on crew changes etc.

September and after

It is still not certain where we will spend the time in France and England, and possibly also Ireland. All of September and the beginning of October will be in this region of Europe. After that we will continue sailing South and stop in Spain and Portugal, to finally arrive in the Canary islands. The boat will not make a transatlantic passage, instead the plan is to return North in early spring 2022.

Fair winds!