Schweden’s west coast, Kattegat & Øresund – October 2023

🧭 Factsheet

---

📍 Our route & stages

Stage 1: Varberg → Falkenberg

As we set off from Varberg, a large tanker honked at us. We didn’t think we’d done anything wrong, and then, relieved, we saw a man waving to us from the bridge. The tanker was coming from Hamburg. We waved back, smiling at the friendly gesture. Falkenberg, to be honest, is a place you could skip. In our view, it’s not really worth a stop. We chose the harbour outside the town (Lösviken), which is only suitable for smaller boats. Our TIAMAT, with her seven tonnes, was just about okay, said the kind gentleman who helped us moor. Once again, a storm system and work kept us from moving on.

Stage 2: Falkenberg → Höganäs

On the seventh day, we could finally continue. We picked Grötvik as our destination. It’s not exactly a pretty harbour but well located. Unfortunately, the electricity at the pontoon had already been switched off. At least the showers were still open, so after using them we snuggled into bed and watched a film — at 12 degrees inside the boat. In the morning it was 6 degrees, so we got dressed and ready to go in record time. The icy fresh north wind made us freeze despite the sunshine but gave us good speed towards Torekov. Again, not worth a long stay, so after finishing work we set off. Another storm was forecast, and we didn’t want to sit it out there. Leaving the Kattegat and entering the Øresund, we were greeted by a whole school of porpoises that accompanied us for a while. Wonderful. Then another six enforced rest days in Höganäs.

Stage 3: Höganäs → Helsingør

On 16 October we both finished work early and sailed across the Øresund to the Danish coast, to Helsingør. After such a long time in Sweden, we immediately noticed how expensive Denmark is in comparison. That’s probably mainly due to the stronger Danish krone. The only upside: you can buy beer in the supermarket here — no need for the Systembolaget. Helsingør was truly a highlight. We stayed for five days, explored the town and visited the castle. Our season was slowly coming to an end, and we started looking forward to our winter berth in Malmö.

Stage 4: Helsingør → Malmö

The final leg took us via Landskrona, once again across the Øresund back to Sweden and then southward. We refuelled fully for winter, as Malmö’s Dockan Marina doesn’t have a fuel station. With dream conditions — a beam reach and about 15 knots — we sailed for the last time in 2023. When we saw the Turning Torso, one of Malmö’s landmarks, appear in the distance, we felt a touch of melancholy. But we were excited about the city and the winter ahead.

🗺️ Special experiences & learnings

• We saw more porpoises in the Øresund than along the entire west Swedish coast.
• At 6 degrees inside the boat, you get ready really quickly.
• The final miles gave us real sailing joy once more.

⚓ Our favourite place on this trip

• Helsingør

💡 Practical tips for fellow sailors

• The harbour guide havneguide.dk provides helpful information about the services and costs of the harbours, including a detailed map, contact numbers, and fees.
• The DMI (dmi.dk) gives pretty accurate weather forecasts for the next 24 to 48 hours. For the Øresund, the current predictions are especially useful.

🖼️ Gallery