{"id":142,"date":"2016-06-18T15:06:46","date_gmt":"2016-06-18T15:06:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?p=142"},"modified":"2019-04-06T00:58:48","modified_gmt":"2019-04-06T00:58:48","slug":"vasahamnen-to-saltsjobaden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingarcturus.com\/?p=142","title":{"rendered":"Vasahamnen to Saltsjobaden"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"stockholm<\/p>\n

Mon: June 13th:<\/strong> Andy had kindly marked a few of his favorite destinations on the charts and first on the list was Saltsjobaden, an easy three hour journey away from Vasahamnen mostly motoring but with a nice sail at the end. Richard and I cast off around mid-morning, bidding a fond farewell to the Stockholm waterfront and taking a sharp left around Grona Lund and thence down the main ferry channel for just under 4nm\u00a0before turning right down Skurusundet, \u00a0a narrowing channel with steep rocky walls\u00a0that provided some eye-popping views \u00a0of a range of Swedish summer houses, some \u00a0traditional clapboard in \u00a0red ‘falu’ paint with white trim, but others austere, modern masterpieces of stone, steel and glass. No matter what the architectural style, they all shared one common feature: stairs running down to the water, \u00a0with a dock at the bottom, a small boat and and course, the requisite sauna. We passed one gorgeously peaceful and sophisticated tableau after another, with me at least contemplating another life as a bourgeois Stockholmer dividing my time between my city pied-a-terre and my country house an easy 60-minute boat ride away in the islands.<\/p>\n

Sigh\u2026<\/p>\n

\"Not
Not a bad place for a country house<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After about 2nm the channel opens up into Lannerstasundet\u00a0as you swing east for another 1.6nm and then reach the most beautiful but nerve-wracking section of Baggenstaket, long considered the ‘backdoor’ into Stockholm, \u00a0a channel\u00a0barely 100m wide, flanked by \u00a0graceful country houses on either bank, and thankfully \u00a0marked by red and green channel marks just 20m apart in places \u00a0with a scant 9ft of water under our keel. It’s less than 1nm long but sailors best be very cautious here and\u00a0not get\u00a0 distracted by the gorgeous scenery and inviting country houses.<\/p>\n

\"In
In another life…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Soon enough the channel opens up\u00a0into Baggensfjarden, a much larger section of open water, perhaps 1.5nm from shore to shore in places, where we could finally raise the main and jib and tack back and forth for thirty exhilarating minutes until we fetched the Saltsjobaden marina, the headquarters of the Royal Swedish Yacht Club, where we tied up for two nights for about $35\/night, enjoying facilities including hot showers, bathrooms, laundry and a very chi-chi bar and restaurant area where a sour lingonberry cocktail would set you back $15.<\/p>\n

\"Expensive
Expensive cocktails at Saltsjobaden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This looked very much like a place where Stockholm\u2019s beautiful people come to see and be seen on a Friday night. Lots of expensive powerboats, and ageing but still beautiful locals possessed of prominent cheekbones and a stylish dress sense. Suffice it to say, Richard\u2019s ageing music producer chic worked better at the bar than on my boat, where topsiders and a waterproof shell answer much better.<\/p>\n

\"Richard
Richard and the Grand Hotel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to the guidebook, Saltsjobaden was envisaged as a chic getaway for Stockholm\u2019s smart set. It was the brainchild of a wealthy industrialist who modelled it on the French resort of Trouville (neighbor to Deauville) in Normandy. The bay is dominated by the fading but still glorious Grand Hotel, looking down imperiously on the bay and its boaters. It looks like the perfect setting for a Strindberg or Bergman drama, and the town behind the hotel is a quiet, two street affair, with a railway line direct to Slussen in Stockholm, now defunct in summer, but still used in winter for those who prefer to avoid negotiating the icy streets to the capital. All things considered, this is a lovely spot and a great gateway for those planning to cruise to the archipelago.<\/p>\n\n\n

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