End of Season Sailing in the Swedish Archipelago

Sailing from Gothenburg

Gothenburg is a city awash with maritime heritage. Explore it at the Maritiman museum or wander through the picturesque Haga district, with its cobblestone streets and historic buildings. A visit to the four-masted barque ‘Viking’ is a must. Built in 1906; this is the largest Scandinavian windjammer ever built. Sadly it’s no longer a museum ship but a hotel and restaurant, however there is a lot to be said for enjoying a drink on deck and admiring the view! And, if you fancy a gentle leg stretch before or after your voyage, the Gothenburg Botanical Garden is one of Europe’s largest and most diverse.

Don’t fret if you can’t see everything you’d like to in the city before joining the ship. The itinerary provides for a day’s exploration in Gothenburg at the end of the voyage. Eye of the Wind will arrive back on Thursday evening (22 October) or Friday morning (23 October). This way you have a full day to explore the sights of the city, without having to book an additional night in a hotel (unless you want to, of course!)

Stepping aboard Eye of the Wind, you’ll get to know your fellow crew over dinner and receive a full safety briefing, plus an up to date itinerary based on the latest weather forecast.

Along the Way

Leaving Gothenburg, Eye of the Wind sets out into the Baltic among varied other marine traffic coming and going from this busy port. Lighthouses and rocky skerries abound. After a varied day of sailing, you’ll look for a sheltered anchorage. The choice of suitable spots is huge – nowhere else in the world are there more islands and bays per square nautical mile. In the evening hours, you can take the dinghy out and head for one of the smaller rocky islands – from here you can enjoy the view; a landscape of low islets, big skies and scattered wooden houses in the typical colours of oxblood red and yellow. In the autumn light this is particularly striking.

The next day, Eye of the Wind heads north, and in just a few nautical miles the landscape changes. Green, partly wooded islands line the bends of the fairway here. The ship will head for the harbour of Marstrand on the islands of Marstrandsö and Koö in the Skagerrak. The Carlsten Fortress, which towers over the car-free town, can be seen from afar. Every year in September, the lobster fishing season begins here and the harbour and surrounding waters are bustling with activity.

You’ll sail around the islands of Tjörn and Orust in the north and enter Gullmaren, Sweden’s only fjord, at Lysekil. The ‘Gullmarsfjorden’ cuts around 30 kilometres inland.

Eye of the Wind continues cruising through the idyllic archipelago. The fresh sea air is known to make you hungry – and you can look forward to delicious and varied meals and treats from the galley. Get stuck in with the sailing, enjoy the views or make yourself comfortable on deck with a good book from the extensive on-board library.

From the first evening aboard, guests on Eye of the Wind are part of the crew. The professional captain and crew will teach you what you need — how to handle lines, how sails are set and trimmed, how the watch system works and why it matters. You take the helm, put your weight into a halyard, and learn to read the water ahead.

Taking Your Place in the Crew

WINDS, WAVES & WEATHER

In October, the days are shortening noticeably, giving you roughly ten to eleven hours of light to work with, so passages are well-planned around that rhythm. The air will be a bracing but manageable 11–14°C during the day, dropping to around 5–9°C once the sun dips.

The wind in October is typically out of the southwest to west, and this is when the Kattegat begins to show its more spirited side. Expect a lively Force 3–5 for much of the time, which makes for excellent sailing — enough wind to keep things interesting, enough to keep the boat moving well. Autumnal depressions can bring stronger conditions, so passages are always chosen with one eye on the forecast.

The Kattegat, being a relatively shallow and enclosed sea, can produce short, steep waves when the wind picks up — lively rather than alarming, but worth knowing about. Showers and overcast spells are common through the month, though they tend to pass, and the dramatic cloud formations that follow fronts can be spectacular.

A NOTE ON VOYAGE DESCRIPTIONS

On a sailing voyage we never use the word itinerary, as skippers will always be aiming for the best and safest sailing routes for the forecast. They are as keen as you to include some of the highlights described above, but when it comes to sailing, you have to go with Mother Nature, not fight her. The description provided is based on what we think might be possible, based on past trips, or prior experience, but nothing is guaranteed on a sailing voyage. As such, the scheduled joining ports, routes, activities and/or destinations may be altered. Due to the complexities of weather systems, this may be at very short notice. 

HANDS ON HOLIDAYS

Whether you are an experienced sailor or a complete beginner, the professional crew will train you to be guest crew from the moment you arrive, with the intention that everybody works together to sail the ship. The common thread to all Classic Sailing holidays is ‘Hands on’ participation on ships that use ropes, blocks and tackles and ‘people power’ to set sail. For more on this, see our article ‘What is a Hands-On Sailing Holiday?’

SAILING STYLE & LIFE ON BOARD

We cater for a wide range of ages and physical abilities and how much you are expected to do varies a bit between vessels. See the vessel tab above which explains all about the ‘sailing style’ and what to expect in terms of hands on participation. There is a lot of information about day to day life, the ships facilities and accommodation on Eye of the Wind’s vessel page.

What to pack for a sailing holiday on the Eye of the Wind

Working Language on Board is German and English

Practical Advice for Eye of the Wind   

Practical Advice for Covid 19 and Eye of the Wind

What is Included

• Sailing Instruction
• All meals to include refreshments throughout the day
• Duvet, pillow and sheets
• Hand towels

What is not Included

• Waterproof jackets and trousers
• Alcoholic drinks but there is a bar on board
• Any entry visas required

What to Bring

Suitcases take up a lot of room in a cabin, so it is better to uses soft bags in a ship. A small rucksack for going ashore is useful.

• Eye of the Wind does not supply waterproof jackets and salopette type trousers. Please bring your own waterproof clothing.
• A mix of warm and wind proof clothing.
• Lots of thin layers is better than one thick layer in cold destinations.
• In tropical countries - long sleeves and long trousers to protect you from the sun
• Footwear on board needs a good grip and soft soles- the decks are wood or steel.
• Ashore stout, waterproof walking boots are best if you are in remote places.
• Eye of the Wind has electric sockets in all the cabins 240 V 
• Cameras, spare batteries, chargers if you need them
• Binoculars are handy for bird watching etc.
• Suntan lotion, hats, sunglasses
• Dont forget any regular medication, persciption glasses and spare
• Euros for bar bill 
• Passport, travel insurance, tickets etc
•  To get ashore is usually by dinghy so be prepared to get wet feet. Rubber boots or quick drying sandals - depending on the location.
• The ship provides hand towels but please bring a beach towel
• snorkel and mask for caribbean if you like snorkelling (travel tip: swimming goggles pack up smaller than a facemask)
• Bring insect repellant for Caribbean as can get mosquitos ashore in evening (rare at anchor)
• ear plugs can be handy 

Electricity

All the power to your plug sockets comes from the ship's generator which runs on deisel. The less the generators have to run to top up power, the nicer it is for the guests on board and also greener for the planet. Please don't bring loads of hairdriers, electric devices to charge.

There is no internet on board whilst at sea. 

The Captain's style was excellent.. so skilled, authoritative but never shouty, always caring, kind, funny & interested in people. I was So impressed that the crew were majority of girls, so strong, brave, knowledgeable & keen. 20yrs ago there might have been 1 or 2 token girls in crew & now they run the ship! 

Boys also wonderful of course & chef Dennis was excellent. Im old enough to be Granny to most, but no ageism, sexism or patronising attitudes so thankyou for that. 

The stops on the Danish islands were good use of time. So clean, green, pretty, & v.friendly. Unfavourable wind meant we couldn't sail as much as hoped but last day we got 12 of 15 sails up. Helming a tall ship in full sail is such a privilege. Wow.!

What a beautiful experience. Memories are priceless. 

Naomi - Baltic Sea Spring 2026

Hello all at Classic

The trip went very well and was a great experience.

Everything was very well done, great captain, crew and guests.

Sea shanty singing lead by Matthew from the King's Pond Shantymen!

Best wishes, Bob. Eye of the Wind, Cadiz to the Canary Islands November 2024

A fabulous adventure! Words cannot convey the experience.

John, Tortola to Bermuda

Tortola to the Azores! What a great time. Thanks to Captain Pit and the crew. An awesome adventure with awesome people!"

F Coutreau

What a wonderful, lovely, great, awesome trip we've had from Malaga to Lanzarote! I loved and enjoyed every minute.

Thanks again for this wonderful experience. I miss you guys!

Andrea

Now that was a voyage! The EYE crew - all 10 - five women and five men - embody two words:

COMPETENT and KIND

And such a beautiful ship. Thank you beyond measure

Susan

With red sails against a blue sky, Eye of the Wind is a photogenic ship. If you have any new images we would love to see them since Eye of the Wind has only recently returned to our website. 

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