Our crew welcomes you aboard at Kalmar Harbour in the historic province of Småland. You can get there from many airports after a stopover at Stockholm International Airport.
Boarding takes place at 7 p.m. During the subsequent dinner together in the cosy saloon, you will quickly feel at home on the decks of the Eye of the Wind and get to know your fellow travellers.
Gotland's secret: the unique blend of light, air and water
Driven by the wind, we set course for Gotland, Sweden's largest island. A longer leg at sea now lies ahead of us. We will sail from early morning until late evening – a highlight of this trip and a real seafaring adventure!
As sailors approach Gotland, they are greeted by bizarre rock columns known as raukar, which are remnants of the Ice Age millions of years ago. They rise up to 20 metres high and appear to have bizarre faces. Numerous small offshore islands are usually within sight of the coast, are often uninhabited or have a lighthouse as their only structure, and contribute to the fascination that Gotland exudes. The sea area is known as Sweden's fair-weather sailing area, with often light winds and average daily temperatures of over 20 degrees Celsius in July. The secret of Gotland lies in its unique mixture of light, air and water.
Visby: World Heritage Site with a vibrant Hanseatic past
In the harbour of Visby on Gotland, you can explore the old town, which is now a World Heritage Site. The town is characterised by its completely preserved, almost four-kilometre-long fortification wall, which surrounds the historic centre like a semicircular crown down to the beach. Once the most important port in the Baltic Sea region, the town was often fiercely contested. Even today, life still revolves around the four-storey half-timbered warehouses within the city limits dating back to 1250. The old cobblestones, the mighty ruins of a burnt-down church and low archways stimulate the imagination to picture the former capital of the Hanseatic League 500 years ago with clattering horse-drawn carts, lively market cries and the sabre rattling of wild pirate hordes.
A detour to Fårö, home to Sweden's wildest landscape
The smaller neighbouring island of Fårö is separated from Gotland by a narrow sound and became famous thanks to the great director Ingmar Bergman. He chose the island as his favourite filming location because "the barren, rocky landscape with the vast Baltic Sea in the background" was ideal for his film projects. The semicircular bay of Ekeviken on the north side of the island offers shelter for the night in spectacular coastal scenery. This area is also well suited as a safe anchorage.
The next destination is the Stockholm archipelago in the north-west. In these tranquil coastal waters of the Baltic Sea, atmospheric moments at dusk make for perfect holiday memories. In Stockholm, you will say goodbye to our crew and your fellow travellers. With a duffel bag full of memories, you will disembark. Relaxing summer days in the Scandinavian part of the Baltic Sea now lie behind us. The trip offers plenty of variety thanks to the balanced ratio of time spent sailing and relaxing shore excursions!
