Sweden from Tjockö to Vattenholmen – August 2024

🧭 Factsheet

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📍 Our route & stages

Stage 1: Tjockö → Högmarsö

We almost ended up back where we had set off for the Ålands at the end of June. After a night at anchor off Tjockö, we hid from the strong southerly wind, which had already been forecast for days, on the northern side of Högmarsö (Norrviken). The bay is protected on all sides and we hardly noticed the wind at all.

Stage 2: Högmarsö → Nynäshamn

We spent the second week of our holiday doing a bit more island hopping towards Nynäshamn. First we went from Högmarsö to Ramsmora (buoy), where we experimented a little with our sail plan: the mainsail simply reefed, the genoa with two reefs, and the jib worked really well in around 20 knots. The next stop was meant to be Runmarö. It wasn’t far, but through the beautiful Stockholm archipelago it was still a wonderful trip. An absolute gem for us was Västra Runmaren. We had actually picked out a spot where we wanted to try mooring to the rocks for the first time. But when we got there, we didn’t want to stay. Long fishing nets everywhere, broken crab pots. Not exactly inviting. This place, on the other hand, very much was. Clear water, a little wood, a barbecue area. Perfect. After that we made another stop on Utö, where we were moored by the church again (Kyrkviken) and met our friend Tobias once more. In Nynäshamn we did another load of laundry and stocked up on groceries.

Stage 3: Nynäshamn → Öja

Finally out of the city and the cramped marina, and back into the skerry world of Nyköping. First stop was Valsviken, just 3 miles from Nynäshamn. The next day we went through Dragets Kanal. Barely as wide as our Tiamat (around 4 metres), and with a tree-lined clearance of roughly 16 metres, it’s really more for smaller boats. Depth all the way through is around 2 metres. An absolute experience. We anchored one night in Paltmarsholmen and the next day continued to Öja. We had chosen the northern harbour. Not recommended. Unkempt, restless and unbelievably expensive (385 SEK). The island itself, however, is a feast for the eyes.

Stage 4: Öja → Trosa

We had to motor again the next day on the way to Trosa. The following wind was too weak for sailing. Once we got there, we instantly fell in love with the little town. It was a bit like a mix of Sweden (little houses) and the Netherlands (canals), because the Trosaån wound its way through the town and there were little bridges over the river. We spent the stormy days here quite happily, and the lovely harbour master even gave us a 20% discount on our one-week stay.

Stage 5: Trosa → Lacka

As comfortable as we felt in Trosa, it was time to move on. Finally anchoring again and enjoying the glorious nature of eastern Sweden. Our first stop was off Askö (Sandviken). On our trip from there to Lacka, as soon as we had rounded the tip of Askö, we ran into really dense fog. We tied up to a buoy between Kalskär and Ljungskär, and I spent another hour exploring the surrounding little skerries in the dinghy.

Stage 6: Lacka → Vattenholmen

The crowning finale (almost) of our time in the eastern Swedish archipelago, however, was Ringsön, where we first spent a day at anchor and hatched a plan. At last: mooring to the rocks. On Friday afternoon after work we had a manoeuvre briefing, then gathered all our courage and went in towards the rock. The stern anchor held straight away, and even though it felt like it took forever altogether until we could secure all the shore lines somewhere (there were no rings), I was over the moon. This is the only way Swedish sailing is really done properly.

And as if the universe wanted to reward our courage, we got northern lights over Sweden that night. And what a display. We sat on the skerry with a beer and simply couldn’t get enough of it. With a good travelling wind from the north, we headed to our final anchorage on the east coast on the last day of August: Vattenholmen (an island in the Bråviken nature reserve, Nyköping).

We really liked the Baltic Sea, with its mostly moderate winds and small waves. The skerries here are greener than on the west coast and the water is warmer. But there are lots of jellyfish and no other marine fauna.

🗺️ Special experiences & learnings

• Anchored bow-first to a skerry.
• Glorious aurora night on Ringsö.
• Passed through Dragets Kanal

⚓ Our favourite place on this trip

• Trosa

💡 Practical tips for fellow sailors

• Useful free website with harbours: www.hamnkartan.se

🖼️ Gallery