August 4th: Depending on whether you are coming or going, Vänersborg marks the beginning or the end of the Trollhätte Canal, the ‘add on’ to the Gota Canal that allows you to complete your journey across the country. For about $100 you can traverse its 43nm miles, complete with just six locks. These are deeper than their Gota Canal counterparts, and they are slightly different in that lock walls have multiple indentations with small bollards protruding to allow you to slip your line around on the way up or down. This mean the crew needed two lines, rather than one, slipping the second one over the bollard as it reached about knee height, and once secured, pulling the first line off. This made going down very quick and I don’t believe we ever saw a lockkeeper, everything seemed to be done remotely. Only once did we need to call Channel 9, the recommended channel, to alert someone to our presence. The canal turns into the Gota River and has a couple of small turn offs in the event you needing a place to stop for the night. We made about 30nm that day, pulling in after dark to Skeppsholmen and took the last spot on a jetty bordering the grounds of a fancy hotel. Needless to say we were savoring the easy ride to Gothenburg the following day.
August 5th: It’s only about 11nm and a couple of lifting bridges to get to our destination, and I had booked a berth via the Dockspot app at Lilla Bommens Hamn, a well equipped marina located right in the heart of town. The very impressive 19th century four masted ship Viking dominates the entrance to the harbor, and visitors should beware the boat’s long bowsprit, which will dismast the unwary. From there we pulled in without drama, and I bid my family goodbye for now. In a couple of days I had new guests arriving. And a new adventure to begin.
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