North to Gothenburg

Route Miles Crew Rungsted to Helsingor 9.7 Jon, Tom & Sam Helsingor to Molle (Sweden) 15.0 Molle to Torekov 11.9 Torekov to Falkenberg 29.5 Falkenberg to Varberg 18.4 Varberg to Lerkil 25.2 Lerkil to Gothenberg (Lilla Bommen marina) 18.6

Once the Rally was over, Annabel and Edward returned home and we were joined by Sam, a friend of Toms’. We fuelled up at Rungsted, and then set off  northwards to Helsingor, famed for Kronborg Slot, Hamlet’s Elsinore.

There has been a castle on this site since the 1420’s, but this castle was  rebuilt in Renaissance style in 1585, only to be burned down  accidentally in 1629. It was rebuilt again in 1639.

We found a place to moor - alongside another CA boat, also heading towards Sweden. The view of the castle from the boat was pretty spectacular!  The marina is huge, and it is quite a walk from the outer arm, where we  were moored, to the harbourmasters’ office. There are plans to extend it even further.

The following day we set off for Sweden. Although we had touched Sweden  when we visited the island of Ven, this was to be the start of the next  chapter in our summer cruise. Frustratingly, there was very little wind, and that was on the nose, but at least the rain and strong winds of our earlier journey seemed to have been left behind.

We headed for Molle on the Kullen peninsular, an eight kilometer tongue of rock sticking out in to the Kattegat, 187 metres above sea level at its highest point. The area is also a nature reserve. The harbour at Molle  is tiny, and we rafted out alongside three other boats, with another on  our outside shortly afterwards.

View from Molle harbour

The only problem with rafting out in the harbour is that it is inevitable  that someone wants to leave before you. However, in our experience in  the Baltic, it is usually done with grace, and without complaint. So,  rather than moor again, we set off towards Torekov.

Kullen peninsular

The wind was a kindly SW 4 and the weather fine, so we had a gentle sail  northwards across the Skalderviken bay, and managed to find a box  mooring at Torekov. Torekov is much bigger than Molle, with regular ferry trips out to Hallands Vadero, a small island to the west of Torekov, very popular with tourists, and yachties and a nature resort for birds and seals. The town is very pretty with narrow cobbled streets, but when we were there it was very busy with tourists. However, this didn’t detract from the  place, and we stayed for a couple of days. Our next stop was Falkenberg, another 30 miles northwards. Again, we sailed across the western part of a large bay, Laholmsbukten, in winds of up  to 20 knots. The sea was fairly rough and uncomfortable but we had a  good fast sail, completing the journey in five hours. Although there is a modern marina at the entrance to Falkenberg, we decided to  go to the main harbour. It is an industrial area with large grain silos, but we felt we would be closer to the town itself. The marina is small, but we found space without any difficulty. The facilities were good,  but there was quite a walk in to town. The town seems to be full of  restuarants and hotels, and we never did find a supermarket! However,  there are some very pretty streets.

Falkenberg - marina and grain silos

Still heading gently northwards, we arrived in Varberg the next day. The  first thing that you see is the castle, and then the baths next to it.  Again, we passed the marina in the entrance, and went in to the inner  harbour, mooring against the harbour wall. We arrived in the early  afternoon, welcomed with a sharp shower just as we were about to moor  up! The harbour filled quite quickly after that, with most boats rafted  out two or three abreast. The harbour wall close to us was very busy, mainly with an almost constant  parade of American cars from the 1950’s, cruising up and down with  appropriate music coming from the cars. It was rather noisy as a result, but quite entertaining. The shopping in Varberg is excellent.

Varberg Castle

Lerkil was the next stop - a nice marina, which had obviously had a lot of  work done to it recently. There is a busy boatyard and a restaurant with a small shop attached. However, the showers and toilets are very basic  in mobile units; hopefully the development of the marina will include  some better facilities in due course.

Part of the point of cruising to the SW of Sweden was to explore around the  islands. The approaches to Lerkil give the first hint of the rocks, and  the next day, on our way towards Gothenberg, we began to weave our way  through the rocks. This was very different from the long passages in  open sea that we had done so far, and required rather more  concentration! On this first day we kept inside the islands, enjoying  the scenery. Later in the season we would go outside the islands for  some easier sailing.

East coast of Donso

Mid-channel on the approaches to Gothenburg

The barque ‘˜Viking’ sits close to the entrance of Lilla Bommen marina in  the middle of Gothenburg. The marina was extremely busy, and very  expensive. However, it is convenient for those heading to, or back from  the canals. It is also a good staging point for swapping crews, as the  main rail, tram and bus terminal is about ten minutes walk away. Also  very close is the excellent Nordstan shopping centre.

We were rafted out on the outside of the marina - not a particularly  comfortable place - there is a lot of wash from the several ferries that stop here, and also from tour boats.

We had to say goodbye to Sam here, as he had to get home. We were also  waiting for Annabel and Ed to fly in, so we took advantage of the  shopping centre to stock up for the next part of our cruise.

Kronborg Slot, Helsingor, from marina

Molle harbour

Sam “crewing”

Torekov harbour

A prettier view of Torekov

Bath houses next to the castle, Varberg

Lerkil - mooring in finger pontoons

Next: SW Sweden

Copyright © Jonathan & Annabel Hoseason 2015