GÖTA KANAL WITH OUR NEW BOAT
This summer took an unexpected turn when I went ahead and bought a new, larger sailboat. I had been thinking about upgrading for a while, and the idea of cramming five people into my small Smaragd for a holiday sail just wasn’t very appealing.
After a lot of research and consideration, I finally found a Diva 35 down in Karlsborg by Lake Vättern. Suddenly, our summer sailing plans transformed into a comfortable journey through the Göta Canal, followed by a coastal cruise all the way up to Stockholm. Exciting!
As usual, it was me, David, and our daughters on board. But just days before we were set to cast off, both girls came down with a mild illness. In the end, I ended up sailing solo across Lake Vättern on the first day and picked up David in Motala that afternoon. The plan was to meet the girls in Söderköping two days later, if they were feeling better. But more on that later.
Before we knew it, we were already in the first lock, with a modest drop of just five centimeters. Not too bad! That was easy enough. But just around the corner, much larger locks were waiting for us.
We passed through Borenshult, with a few more locks, before reaching Lake Boren. It’s a short stretch of water, so we didn’t bother hoisting the sails, the engine took us comfortably to Borensberg, where we docked for the night. A cozy little spot.
Since the locks are only open from 9 am to 6 pm, that was as far as we could go on our first day. We celebrated our start of our journey with some bubbly and pizza.
The next day turned out to be quite a challenge. We locked through in pouring rain and strong tailwinds. Conditions that made the whole process anything but easy. The wind made it difficult to slow the boat down as we entered the locks, and the stone blocks along the quay were dangerously slippery when we had to jump off and stop the boat.
But after some twenty locks and many hours later, we finally made it out onto Lake Roxen. A bit worn out from all the lock work and with gusty winds on the lake, we didn’t have the energy to hoist the sails. So we motored all the way to Norsholm.
Photo: David Lokrantz
Day three didn’t start all that well. Just a minute after casting off from Norsholm, the engine suddenly died. We quickly pulled over to a dock on the opposite side of the canal and began troubleshooting.
We checked the impeller and the cooling system, inspected the water separator filter, and after a couple of hours we were fairly certain the engine wasn’t getting any fuel.
Photo: David Lokrantz
As the hours ticked by, it became clear we weren’t going to make it to Söderköping to pick up the girls that day. So my mom and Anders stepped in, driving all the way from Västervik to get the girls in Söderköping and then bringing them to us in Norsholm.
At this point, things were starting to feel pretty hopeless. We had checked almost everything on the engine and were beginning to suspect the fuel pump had failed. That would mean being stuck in Norsholm for another week, since a replacement pump had to be specially ordered.
A few hours later, Mom, Anders, and the girls finally arrived, but the engine was still dead. Then, in a last-ditch effort, my mom started asking around on the dock if anyone could help. And, as luck would have it, our closest neighbor turned out to be a car mechanic.
He kindly offered to take a look at the engine, and just an hour later it was running again! Incredible.
Turns out my diesel engine needs to be bled in more places than I had known.
We were beyond relieved, and just like that, the mood was back on track. Mom and Anders could finally head home, and we celebrated with a delicious pasta dinner and one more night in Norsholm before continuing our journey.
The final stretch of the Göta Canal went off without a hitch. By now, we had become true lock pros. The sun was shining, and the engine purred like a dream.
When we arrived in Söderköping, we made a quick stop to stock up on some food and enjoy an ice cream, but before long, we were on our way again.
And finally, we reached the last locks at Mem and sailed out into Saltsjön. By then, we had passed more than thirty locks since Motala. It was getting pretty late, so we decided to spend the night in Stegeborg harbor.
David and I enjoyed a well-deserved gin and tonic before firing up the grill to grill burgers. We had a lovely evening in the sun, and the harbor was actually quite charming.
The following morning brought gentle northerly winds, and we could finally hoist the sails! Vera took the helm for long stretches and handled it like a pro, which was a real joy to see.
Since we had lost a day dealing with engine trouble, we sailed straight to Oxelösund. We visited many harbors on this trip, but around Oxelösund, natural anchorages are scarce, so we didn’t have much choice this time.
The sun was shining and the wind had picked up. We sailed past Sävsundet, and the boat handled beautifully in the breeze. A few hours later, we passed Öja and Landsort and turned north again. The wind was strong now, and we steadily logged 8 to 9 knots in the southerly breeze. It was truly an amazing day!
On our last evening, we finally got to moor in a natural harbor. We discovered a lovely little island just off northern Utö called Kaskär. We baked pizza on pinsa bread while David and I boiled potatoes and savored classic “sill och nubbe” (pickled herring and schnapps). Every sailing trip has to include at least one traditional herring evening. It’s a must!
After dinner, we took a walk around the island. On the southern side, we found beautiful smooth cliffs with an open horizon stretching out over the sea. We’ll definitely have to come back to this place.
On our final day, the southerly winds held steady, and for the first time on the trip, we hoisted the spinnaker. Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly the latest model, but it got the job done.
It was a wonderful maiden voyage with the new boat, even if the Göta Canal took a bit longer than planned due to the engine troubles. The boat feels fantastic! Solid and steady, yet still fast, especially on downwind stretches, and incredibly comfortable to live aboard, with a spacious galley and private sleeping cabins.
I’m already looking forward to next year, when we’ll be able to sail for a full week.
Photo: David Lokrantz