Mooring at the skerry: How to carry out the manoeuvre in Sweden’s natural harbours
It’s summer in Sweden, and the harbours are full, but in the archipelago this is often not a problem – rather, it’s the start of a better solution. Instead of jostling for position in a crowd, hoping for the last spare berth, with the right preparation you can moor directly by the rocks. If you’ve mastered this manoeuvre, you’ll not only gain flexibility in the north, but often secure the most beautiful mooring spot of the whole trip.
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The lifestyle on a skerry is brilliant: being able to moor and spend the night for free in the midst of the most wonderful solitude, within the comfort of your own boat and sheltered by a harbour created by nature.
However, rock manoeuvres require thorough preparation. Key factors include a reliable weather forecast, a realistic assessment of swells and shifting currents, and consideration for the natural environment and shoreline areas. Checking information about the area in advance and selecting a spot in daylight reduces stress and significantly increases your safety margin.
Of course, there are no onshore amenities. There’s no electricity or running water, no showers or barbecue areas with tables and benches, no bin bins, no shop – in fact, there’s absolutely nothing, apart from the skerry, which is still warm from the day’s heat. And once the boat is safely moored and bobs gently in the orange evening light, all the conveniences of a harbour are quickly forgotten.
Anyone who nevertheless manages to do so in a Port If you’d like to give it a go, you’ll find it here 15 tips on how to snap up a mooring.
Rock manoeuvres require thorough preparation. Key factors include a reliable weather forecast, a realistic assessment of swells and shifting currents, and consideration for the natural environment and shoreline areas. Checking information about the area in advance and selecting your spot in daylight reduces stress and significantly increases your safety margin.
You’ll need this kit at the skerry
Before heading out onto the rocks, you need to make sure your kit is in order. You may need to top up your supplies to ensure you’re well prepared for any eventuality.
Stern anchor
Most Swedes use an M-anchor at the stern. This is usually one size smaller than the bow anchor. Ideally, its sole purpose is to keep the stern of the boat facing the right direction whilst it is sheltered by the skerry to which it is moored. In this case, the stern anchor bears little or no load as long as the wind does not shift.
Local sailors in the archipelago all use what are known as webbing pulleys on the stern pulpit. The anchor, chain leader and this pulley ensure that the anchor line can be rolled out and taken in with ease. If, like most of us, you only visit the rocky coast from time to time, a line with a chain leader or an anchor line with a lead insert will suffice. A length of at least 30 metres is recommended.
Whilst many Scandinavian boats are fitted with special stainless-steel stern anchor fittings, a plastic pipe from the bathroom will do just fine for a one-off holiday. Secured to the stern platform with cable ties, it makes a good anchor holder. After the holiday, this makeshift solution can be taken down again.
The basics of equipment for archipelago sailors
Long lead ropes
Two are usually enough, four are better, and more certainly won’t do any harm. As they are moored on a slipway – in case you need to cast off quickly due to shifting winds – they should be 20 to 30 metres long. Sometimes, in very narrow bays, it makes sense not to moor with a stern anchor, but to cast a shore line aft to the nearest rock. However, this should not be a floating line. Otherwise, there is a risk of letting the line drift to the seabed to allow other boats to pass.
Archipelago nails
There are straight and angled versions. The straight ones are for relatively flat rocks, where the crevice runs roughly perpendicular to the angle of incidence of the lead rope. The angled ones are useful when they need to be secured in a vertical crevice. Thanks to the lever arm, they wedge themselves in place there, whereas the straight ones would be pulled out again under load in such a position. Two of each should form part of the basic kit.
Amazing
Hammers weighing between 1 and 2 kilograms have proved effective for driving the archipelago nails into a crevice in the rock and pulling them out again. In Sweden, there are rot-proof versions with metal handles designed specifically for this purpose.
Fender
If you’re also planning to moor alongside the rock – which is highly recommended – fenders of various sizes are essential. Large ball fenders can also be very useful in this situation.
Bowman
If you don’t like jumping overboard, you can make getting out of the boat much easier with a clip-on bow ladder. These are available as universal-fit models from well-stocked outdoor equipment shops.
How to find a safe spot on the rock face
Especially when you’re just starting out, it’s better to choose a well-sheltered, straightforward spot with little wind than the most photogenic but cramped skerry. It’s not the most spectacular backdrop that matters, but whether the boat, crew and landing spot are safe there.
The first step in successfully finding a sheltered spot amongst the rocks is, above all, to obtain as accurate a weather forecast as possible. As a general rule, days with light winds or even no wind at all are recommended to start with. Furthermore, the forecast is extremely important. Nobody wants to wake up hanging by their stern anchor with just 30 centimetres of space between the bow and the rocks. It is therefore essential to work out, before mooring, from which direction the wind will blow – ideally without shifting direction and as gently as possible – until the following morning.
Waves and swell can also spoil the peace and quiet of mooring alongside the rocks. It is therefore important to check whether regular ferry or cargo ship traffic causes swell at the mooring. If there is very little space between the rocks and the bow – and often beneath the keel as well – this is a deal-breaker. To find the best spot for the situation at hand, all available sources of information are utilised. Tips from locals are best. Nothing beats years of experience.
It’s also helpful to think about a Plan B straight away: is there somewhere nearby where you can anchor for free, in case the spot on the rocks isn’t suitable after all or is already taken? Having this backup option takes the pressure off the decision and prevents frantic manoeuvres as evening approaches.
As well as local sailing guides, which explicitly cover rock moorings, there are digital nautical charts showing archipelago moorings. In addition, information is available via Google Earth, travel reports and online forums. Once an interesting bay has been identified that is sheltered from the prevailing wind direction, the possibility of anchoring there freely is explored. This makes the search much less stressful. After all, late arrivals are not forced to move on in the dark if all the spots on the rocks are already taken.
A firm bond with the stones
Once you’ve reached your destination, it’s time to choose a mooring spot and explore the surroundings thoroughly. Are there already people moored on the rocks with boats of a similar size, or are there only motorboats with shallow draughts? Use your binoculars to scan the shore for suitable spots. If there are marked spots on the nautical chart, we check whether they are suitable. As a rule of thumb, the rocks below the water’s surface should continue at a similar angle – whether steep or flat – to those above.
A steep slope is good in that the water is likely to be deep right up to the edge of the rock; on the other hand, getting ashore from the boat when the rock face is very steep is a major challenge and not without its dangers, particularly when the rocks are wet. Whether the skerry at the chosen spot is suitable for the crew to go ashore and carry out their plans – such as barbecuing, swimming or walking the dog across the skerry – is a decision that must be made on a case-by-case basis. Of course, it makes a difference whether you plan to sail on the next morning or stay moored at the skerry for a few days of swimming.
In most cases, you can see even before you moor where you’ll need to secure the boat later on. There are often eye bolts already in place at popular mooring spots. Otherwise, you’ll need to look out for exposed boulders, trees or crevices in the rock where you can drive in your own pegs.
Three tried-and-tested manoeuvres for mooring at the skerry
Mooring at a jetty: Three things to do before your first attempt
- Check the weather and any possible changes until the following morning.
- Assess the spot first in terms of water depth, swell and whether it’s possible to get out of the water safely.
- Clearly assign roles on board before the manoeuvre.
Mooring with a stern anchor
At the start of every holiday in Sweden, the depth sounder is recalibrated once. To do this, simply measure the depth over rocky ground at a depth of between 2 and 4 metres using a line and a weight, and compare this with the display. When navigating through shallow waters or approaching rocks, having the readings match exactly is very reassuring. Once you’ve decided on what appears to be an ideal spot, make your first approach at a slow speed to test it out, without dropping the stern anchor just yet.
A crew member at the bow signals the helmsman, using pre-agreed hand signals, to indicate the remaining distance to the rock. During the last few metres, they attempt to gauge the depth immediately in front of the rock. If there is any doubt as to whether it is safe to proceed, or if visibility is too poor, they give a signal to abort the manoeuvre. The helmsman steers as slowly as possible towards the pre-determined landmark. It is important to bear in mind that the boat may well touch the bottom slightly. For this reason, the final metres are covered at an extremely slow speed.
If you’re still unsure about stern anchoring, you’ll find the basics here on Proper anchoring whilst sailing.
It is important to have a clear division of roles on board. Who is monitoring the depth, who is at the helm, who goes ashore first, and who takes charge of the mooring lines or shore stakes should all be decided before the boat actually moors. This calm approach often determines whether the manoeuvre is carried out successfully and without incident.
Once the rock face has been reached to the point where it would be safe to climb over it, the test run is aborted as planned and the team returns.
Now we’ll discuss the mooring itself and get everything we need ready. How many lines will be used, and do they need to be extremely long? Are there any fixing points on the skerry, or will you need your own rock pitons and hammer – in which case these can be taken ashore in a provided bucket. If there is a bow basket ladder on board, this is now attached. You should also make sure that the rock is absolutely bone-dry, at least in the area where you’ll be getting out. Damp or even wet skerries can be as slippery as soft soap. This would turn such a manoeuvre into a suicide mission in the truest sense of the word.
The crew member who is the fittest gets the job of climbing over. To do this, you have to wear sturdy shoes, even if it’s warm and flip-flops would be more comfortable. But wearing them, or even walking barefoot, isn’t cool on a job like this – it’s dangerous.
Once everything is ready and roles have been assigned, the final mooring manoeuvre begins. Two to three boat lengths before reaching the skerry, the stern anchor is dropped, and the anchor line – which, hopefully, has been neatly coiled beforehand – can be let out as expected. The person at the helm feeds the anchor line loosely through a winch in the cockpit. Hand signals for direction and distance are given from the bow. About one metre before reaching the rock, the two bow lines are thrown ashore and you position yourself on the bow ladder or the anchor fitting as far forward on the boat as possible.
If it is possible to cross over in complete safety, the person at the bow signals this, and the helmsman stops the boat with a clenched fist: ‘Stop!’ and climbs over. Should there be a slight crosswind, they first secure the air line to a rock hook, rock or tree. Then the leeward line. Now the anchor line can be hauled in from astern using the winch. It is easy to tell straight away whether the stern anchor is digging in properly.
Once the anchor line has finally been secured to a stern cleat, the helmsman moves forward to help transfer the mooring lines to the slip. Moored in this way, it is possible to cast off quickly from the rocks in the event of an unexpected shift in the wind, without having to go ashore first. If the boat is lying very close to the rocks, it should be moved back a little for the night. Of course, this is only possible from the boat itself if the lines are already on the slip.
The Swedes do not even thread their lines through the eye of the eye bolts they encounter, but simply wrap them round the entire bolt. This way, there is no risk of kinks forming and getting caught in front of the eye, preventing the line from being hauled in. In such a case, you’d have to go back to the rock and climb over again, or even sacrifice the line. If there’s a bit of a crosswind, or if you expect one whilst moored, you can attach an additional shore line from the relevant centre cleat to relieve the strain on the stern anchor.
Preliminary reconnaissance trip
If you’re towing a dinghy behind you as you sail through the archipelago anyway, a crew member can take it out to check the water depth at the potential mooring spot, go ashore there and take the lines. In such cases, it’s best to have at least three people on board.
If there are free berths right next to ours, it’s good manners to put out fenders. After all, for Swedish sailors it’s perfectly normal to moor against a rock, even if that means you end up hull-to-hull with your neighbour. You shouldn’t turn your nose up at this; instead, make the most of the opportunity to socialise and pick up some tips for the next few days. It goes without saying that you should take the lines from a yacht arriving behind you and provide information on the water depth right by the rock.
Rear first
And why is it customary to approach the shoal with the bow rather than the stern first? That way, you could use the bow anchor and disembark via the swim platform. You do see such manoeuvres from time to time. However, you should be absolutely certain that there is enough water beneath the rudder. Whilst a slight touch of the bottom with the bow or keel at a very slow speed might still be tolerable, this should under no circumstances happen with the comparatively unstable rudder.
Mooring alongside the rock face
For many crews, mooring alongside the rock face is the most elegant solution, but the same rule applies here: only where the draught, wind direction and shape of the rock face are truly suitable. If in doubt, mooring with a stern anchor is usually the more reliable option.
Places where you can moor alongside the rocks are much harder to come by. Once you’ve found such a rock, you can moor there without a stern anchor, much like at a jetty. It’s best to ask locals about such spots or to anchor freely in a place where others are moored alongside nearby. If they then leave their spot, you can be fairly sure – at least for boats with a similar draught – that it will probably suit your own boat as well. For many sailors who spend their holiday cruising in the archipelago, mooring alongside a rock is the highlight of the whole trip.
The most important thing here is to fender the boat correctly. If you have an onshore wind and the rock does not drop absolutely vertically into the water, the fenders tend to creep slowly upwards between the sloping rock and the sloping hull until there’s a crunch. Using fenders of different sizes and types is the best way to compensate for an irregular rock face. Here, too, the rule of thumb is therefore to make your first attempts when there is little offshore wind.
Sometimes you find yourself moored alongside two yachts, which are themselves moored with their stern anchors. When casting off, depending on the circumstances, you may find yourself passing relatively close to the stern of the neighbouring yacht. The Swedes are familiar with this and will briefly let their stern anchor line drop to the seabed to ensure we don’t come into contact with it. So make sure there’s someone on board the other yacht to help out.
Summary
Anchoring off the skerries is one of the experiences that makes a sailing trip in Sweden so special. If you prepare the manoeuvre well, choose your spot carefully and allow for a safety margin, you’ll gain a sense of freedom that no harbour can offer.
If you follow the tips above, it’s something any crew can manage – though it might be a bit nerve-wracking the first few times. For us, apart from sailing through the inner archipelago, it’s definitely the highlight of any holiday in Sweden.
Mike Peuker
Freier Autor