Scandinavia, Leg 2 - Göteborg to Flensburg, 31 August - 07 September 2024 (8 days)

The trip will be focused on cruising and training. In total, we should log up to 360 nautical miles and 70h.

Anticipated route:

Göteborg (Gothenburg) - Källö-Knippla Island - Vrangö Island - Anholt Island - Samsø Island - Ærø Island - Flensburg

We will be maintaining a watch system to ensure everyone is well rested and meals are prepared on time and maintenance is undertaken when necessary. There will be 3 watches with up to 2 people in each watch.

Dehler 38 SQ, 2022

The boat is designed for racing and performance cruising. It has excellent sailing characteristics. She is well equipped and prepared for offshore sailing.

We will inspect the boat thoroughly before the voyage to ensure that every bit of equipment is absolutely ship-shaped.

General info:

• Year: 2022
• Type: sailing
• Hull: monohull
• Length (LOA): 12.07 m
• Waterline length (LWL): 11.64 m
• Hull speed: 8.33kt
• Berths (Bunks): 6+2
• Cabins: 3
• WC / Shower: 1
• Beam: 3.75 m
• Draught: 2.02 m
• Air draft: 17.7 m
• Engine: 29 HP
• Fuel capacity: 160 L (Diesel)
• Water capacity: 315 L
• Displacement: 7.5 t
• Single spade rudder
• 2 steering wheels
• Sails: furling mainsail 43.00 m2, Furling genoa 35.60 m2, Asymmetric Spinnaker: 121.00 m2, Storm Jib 9.00 m2
• Plastimo drogue

Equipment:

• Autopilot
• Swimming platform
• Refrigerator
• Stove
• Sprayhood
• Radio/CD/MP3
• Socket 12V
• DSC VHF radio
• Handheld VHF DSC radio
• EPIRB
• AIS
• Radar reflector
• Chart plotter with GPS and digital chartography charts
• Sextant Astra IIIB Deluxe
• PredictWind Offshore app
• Complete set of pilot books, almanacs and charts
• Pillows, bedlinen and towels for each crew member

Average weather conditions:

• Göteborg
• Flensburg

Air and Sea temperature

The weather conditions at the beginning of September are generally favorable for sailing with relatively mild temperatures and moderate winds. The average temperature during the day should be around 19° C, with a minimum of 12° C and a maximum of 24° C. The sea temperature can be up to 20° C to it should be possible to swim in the sea.

Wind and sea state

The average wind speed that area in September is 5-6 Bft. The sailing area is located at relatively high latitudes, and frontal depressions are not uncommon.

The route is divided into several offshore passages with lots of night sailing. You will receive a certificate of passage to prove your sea time for sailing licenses. You will be an active member of the crew, and we will provide practical training on board to ensure safety and improve your sailing skills.

We give a great amount of responsibility to each crew member in running the ship so that you can gain a good experience and learn new skills as much or as little as you want. The skipper is an instructor and will find it difficult not to teach or coach anyone who shows the slightest bit of interest.

RYA qualifying passages

If you are an aspiring Skipper or Yachtmaster, it will be an excellent opportunity to gain bluewater miles, practice navigation, pilotage and COLREG skills so that you can be more confident and comfortable when taking a boat out to sea on your own.

The opportunity will also be there to act as a skipper (with guidance if needed from the skipper) for your RYA Yachtmaster Coastal or RYA Yachtmaster Offshore qualifying 60M passages.

Main topics that you can learn or brush up:

• Maneuvering under sails & engine: berthing, hoisting and lowering sails, reefing, tacking, gybing, sail trim
• Safety: use of liferaft, lifejacket, EPIRB, PLB, AIS beacons, managing emergencies
• Equipment: use of Autopilot and VHF
• Weather forecasts and weather routing
• Offshore & coastal navigation: digital and traditional (including the use of Sextant if of interest)
• Night navigation
• Pilotage and passage planning
• COLREGs
• Storm tactics and use of a drogue
• Life on board: organization of watches, nutrition, sleep management

Joining day - Göteborg

We will spend the first day preparing and victualling the yacht, going over the safety routines and practices, getting up to speed with the boat and learning or refreshing all the basic sailing skills before we embark on the journey. Once we slip the lines there will be plenty of occasions to practice tacking, gybing, reefing, boat handling under the engine and all the other key skills we must have.

Göteborg (Gothenburg)

Typical town in Sweden's West Coast near Göteborg

Göteborg is the second largest city in Sweden and is a working port with a wide and busy river. The city is friendly and vibrant with much to offer both culturally and recreationally. Much of it is very attractive, with many fine buildings, canals and tree-lined avenues in the downtown area, good shops, and many excellent restaurants. Overlooking the central Lilla Bommen marina are the impressive opera house, the aquarium and Göteborg Maritime Centre, whose moored museum ships are claimed to form the largest floating maritime museum in the world.

Källö-Knippla Island (14 NM)

From Göteborg, we will sail to Källö-Knippla Island through the picturesque Göteborg archipelago with an intricate network of islands, channels and complex tidal patterns where careful navigation is required. This area is deservedly popular, especially with Norwegians sailing from their bases in Oslofjorden. This area was originally settled by hunters and communication between settlements was by sea. Until the middle of the 17th century, it was part of Norway and this is reflected in place names and the local dialect.

Källö-Knippla

Källö-Knippla surrounding

Källö–Knippla is a calming and picturesque little genuine island. The guest harbour is very popular due to the untouched archipelago setting. There are great walking trails where you can take a dip in the sea, and watch the stunning surroundings.

Vrangö Island (22 NM)

Vrangö is known for its beautiful scenery, classic seaside villages and fantastic swimming spots. The surroundings offer a blend of sandy beaches and rocky coastlines.

Vrangö and nearby islands

Vrangö harbour

You can explore the island on foot. There are three circular walks of 2-3 km each.

Anholt Island (62 NM)

Anholt is a paradise in Kattegat midway between Sweden and Denmark, and is one of the most isolated island communities in Denmark. It has been a settlement since the New Stone Age, with evidence of some Viking finds in the area.

Anholt Island

Anholt meadows

The landscape in Anholt is very diverse – to the west is a stretch of plains and meadows while the eastern part is a desert.

Samsø Island (65 NM)

Samsø is a piece of Denmark in miniature. Coasts with steep slopes, a hilly landscape with deep valleys and glacial gorges, moorland and fertile farmlands and a bay with many small islands and islets. The agricultural parcels, which are full of vegetables and potatoes, give the landscape its own colourful character.

Vesborg lighthouse on Samsø

Traditional houses on Samsø

On the island, there is a string of quaint villages, a total of 22 large or small, each with its own character and charm. The landscape and the short distances between everything make Samsø ideal for cycling.

Ærø Island (85 NM)

Few travellers to Scandinavia have discovered the fairytale island of Ærø on the southern edge of Denmark. Ærø is a charming island with gentle rolling farmland and little villages. It's a place where you don't worry about leaving your bike unlocked, and local farmers sell fresh strawberries and peas outside of their homes. There are not very many places like Ærø left in the world.

To get to Ærø we will sail through the Great Belt which is the largest and most important of the three Danish Straits that connect the Baltic Sea to the Kattegat and Atlantic Ocean. The Great Belt was historically navigable to ocean-going vessels. It still is used, despite a few collisions and near collisions with the Great Belt Bridge.

Beach hut in Marstal

Windmill on Ærø Island

Marstal on the eastern side end of the island, has an untouched, unspoiled and rather quaint town centre, and a long maritime history with an international reputation in wooden shipbuilding. You can visit the Maritime Museum which has a collection of over 250 model ships, as well as navigation equipment, brought back to Denmark from all over the world.

Flensburg (50 NM)

Flensburg is a history port and town with a mixture of Danish and German history and culture. It enjoys the unique privilege of being a gateway to Scandinavia. A tradition from the days when the city belonged to Denmark was the production of rum. Flensburg is also known for its beer and Danish feel. It is located on the Baltic coast at the end of a beautiful Fjord which forms the present-day border between Germany and Denmark.

Flensburg

Flensburg Marina

The town has a significant cultural offering, with five theatres, including its own Symphony Orchestra, several well-respected libraries, Maritime and rum museums, and an extremely well-preserved Old Town, some of which date back to the 12th century.