Sweden on the Göta Canal from Mem to Sjötorp – September 2024

🧭 Factsheet

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📍 Our route & stages

Stage 1: Vattenholmen → Mem

Now we have to say goodbye to the Baltic Sea. We make one more anchoring stop in Långnäset and one at the marina in Stegeborg, where we stay for another day, visit the castle and refuel, then it’s on to Mem. On Friday, 6 September, our five-day express trip through the Göta Canal begins.

In the shoulder season, you can only travel through the canal in organised convoys, no longer individually. The timing and the five daily stages are tightly organised. Cruising becomes a nine-to-five job. So we took time off again. Including all mooring fees, we paid 500 € for 11 metres.

The day before, we prepare the fenders and lines and already attach everything or lay it out. The next day we need to get going early. We definitely don’t want to stand out for the wrong reasons straight away 😉

Stage 2: Göta Canal section Mem → Berg

Check-in in the morning is nice and relaxed to start with. We get our tickets and access cards for the service buildings along the way. There are only a small handful of little boats and one enormous Swedish cat that just about fits into the lock. The lock keepers who accompany us on the first half are very friendly and give us a few good tips. If a line gets stuck somewhere, they lend a hand too. But normally you need to be able to handle your boat on your own. There are no helpers in the locks any more, unlike during the high season.

Setting off into the Göta Canal: our inland Sweden adventure begins!

We set off at 9 am. We’re a little excited, of course. Everything went well in the first lock in Mem, a simple lock, just right for practising. Our plan and the manoeuvre we had thought through in advance worked well too. To begin with, we only lock upwards, which is more tiring because of the strong currents in the chamber. Handling the lines is also a bit more complex: one person always has to go ashore before the lock, carry the lines up and place them over the rings. The bow line needs to be long so that you can lead it aft to the winch. That makes it easy to trim the line in as the water level rises in the chamber. The stern line stays made fast and remains that way.

On the first day, we go through a total of 15 locks and cross 9 bridges. At the end, we buy dinner supplies in Norsholm and cross Lake Roxen. By now, the Baltic Sea is already 33 metres below us. Sadly, one fender didn’t survive the day. We spend the night in front of the flight of locks in Berg (Bergs slussar).

Stage 3: Göta Canal section Berg → Borenshult

Today we climb the flight of locks at Berg. We had already taken a proper look at the structure the evening before. During the day, there’s unfortunately no time for that. Everything is tightly scheduled. It’s very impressive what Baltzar von Platen, who planned the Göta Canal in the 19th century, achieved here. With eleven steps, you climb almost 20 metres. The next morning, we set off punctually again at 9 am. Instead of starting the engine again after each chamber, I simply pull TIAMAT with the lines into the next chamber. We have no wind, so that works just fine.

All in all, today it was 16 locks, 10 bridges and 2 aqueducts. A full 40 metres of elevation difference. We thought it was really annoying that the harbour in Borenshult didn’t have a shower. But on this express trip, you can’t really be picky.

Stage 4: Göta Canal section Borenshult → Forsvik

We start day three with another flight of locks. The one in Borenshult has five chambers and climbs around 15 metres. Once again, we’re lucky and get beautiful late summer weather. We can even sail across the beautiful Vättern. There isn’t much wind, so out comes the cruising chute once again. For that, we use our phone-a-friend joker and ask some experienced sailing friends for advice, because somehow we had never been able to get the sail fully up; the snuffer sleeve wouldn’t go all the way to the top. On the other side of the lake in Karlsborg, we then wait for the scheduled bridge opening and treat ourselves to a delicious Swedish soft ice cream. After a short canal passage, we end up in our overnight harbour, Forsvik.

On top of the flight of locks, there are 5 more single and double locks, which take us another total of 15 metres uphill. Then there are also 8 bridges. One of them was painted such a lovely green that we almost overlooked it and nearly sailed straight into it.

Stage 5: Göta Canal section Forsvik → Töreboda

Today we reach the highest point: Lake Viken. It lies 91.8 metres above sea level. While we had comparatively nice weather on the previous days, today it is already overcast and the wind has picked up. Tomorrow is supposed to be even windier. The last uphill lock in Forsvik is also the oldest lock on the canal.

From now on, it’s downhill again. Today it was 2 locks and 9 bridges. In Forsvik we first climbed 3 metres and later went 20 cm down again. We’re a bit nervous about the final day. 25 knots are forecast. Naturally, nicely from the side.

Stage 6: Göta Canal section Töreboda → Sjötorp

If we could have chosen, we would have made today a harbour day. The wind is already whistling nicely through the shrouds in the morning. But at least the sun is shining, we keep telling ourselves in between. And we don’t have to go uphill any more. And we’re alone in the lock. But fair enough, it’s good to leave the comfort zone now and then.

In the locks, I was always glad as soon as the boat started to sink, because then it had less surface for the wind to catch. Maybe we should have taken the lee side, where the wind would help us come alongside and where the boat wouldn’t pull so hard on the lines. But we had prepared everything on the chocolate side and thought: it’ll be fine. And it was.

At one point, it got really hairy: no avenue of trees, open fields, and the canal makes almost a 90-degree bend. The fenders groaned properly there. But everything is still intact when we arrive in Sjötorp in our berth and first crack open a cold beer.

The final stage had 19 locks and 11 bridges. We climbed down almost 48 metres to the great Lake Vänern.

We liked the canal trip, even if in the off-season a lot was already closed and things felt a bit deserted. In return, we had no stress with other boats in the locks and no full harbours. For 2026, we’re planning the Caledonian canal in Scotland. We’ve got a taste for it now. But first, we still have to go through the Trollhätte Canal to Gothenburg.

🗺️ Special experiences & learnings

• We went through 58 locks. While we still had a healthy bit of respect for them in the Netherlands, after the Göta Canal it feels routine.
• Instead of the “divorce canal”, this is where we decide to get married. What could possibly go wrong now 😂

⚓ Our favourite place on this trip

• Lake Vänern

💡 Practical tips for those sailing it after us

• On the Göta Canal website, you can already take a close look at the lock manoeuvre.
• If you don’t have one, get a fender board beforehand or make one yourself from slats. You’ll definitely need it in the Trollhätte Canal.

🖼️ Gallery