Sail on a Schooner: Navigating the Baltic
Photos: Ib Bergström
The Schooner was built in Sjötorp, in Skaraborgs Län in 1915 from oak and pine. She is one of the many sailing merchant vessels that used to sail the Baltic.
The Baltic Sea is the world's largest water area with low salinity. The nights are light in summer and the sea temperature is normally 17-20 degrees Celsius in July. The sea is also rather shallow.
There is no tide in the Baltic Sea.
Duration: 4 or 5 days
Dates/Period: 04.07-08.07.08 (5 days); 13.07-17.07.08 (5 days); 20.07-24.07.08 (5 days); 28.07-01.08.08 (5 days); 04.08-07.08.08 (4 days)
Groups of 20+ can book this experience on other dates by arrangement. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.
Price: £349 per person (4 days), £411 (5 days)
Accommodation: Bunk with personal storage space in divided sleeping area on board.
Required: General good health, reasonable level of fitness, able to swim. Minimum age 14. No sailing experience necessary.
The sea and shipping have, since time immemorial, been hugely attractive to the human spirit. The urge to explore the unknown brought the Vikings to new coastlines. This is a very special experience, a modern-day voyage of discovery. You will take part in all the work that is done on board, everything from setting sail, towing the sail and manoeuvring the ship to helping in the galley.
At the same time you will experience a ship under sail and will learn about the function of the rigging. Above all you have the opportunity to become part of the community that develops on board a sailing ship, where people work together as one with each other and with the forces of nature.
Who are the people who take part in an adventure on this Schooner? There are no typical sailors on this ship. The participants vary from older to younger, the single traveller, the couple, the married couple, friends and families. The list is long and varied.
A well-used expression on board is “det sociala sitter i händerna”, (“the social part lies in your hands”), meaning that when you do things together you also get to know each other. One of the ideas behind the experience is that you take an active part in the duties on board necessary to sail a ship of this size. Those who begin their voyage as individuals end it as a member of a group.
However, life on board is not all hard work. A large part of the time on board is spent relaxing, taking in the sea view and enjoying your time together with your fellow crew members. A very popular activity is also bathing from the ship, made more adventurous by swinging out from the boat on the so-called “bathing vine” and letting go once over the sea. Share an experience beyond the usual – navigating the Baltic in a Schooner under full sail!