Sweden and Baltic Sea Sailing Trip

Published 11:43am on 12 Jul 2026

Our Vice Commodore, Leticia, went on an amazing sailing trip to Sweden with 4 other current OWSA members. In June, Leticia flew to Sweden to join a group of current and former OWSA members on a sailing adventure. They enjoyed Stockholm for a few days before embarking on a seven-day sail on the Baltic Sea.

Their trip coincided with the Golden wedding anniversary of the King and Queen of Sweden, so it was extra special. They saw the Swedish Royal yacht and the Norwegian Royal Yacht and many Naval ships that were out to protect the Royal Ships. They were there for the Summer Solstice, so they had very long days and not much night. This provided flexibility to visit more things later in the evening. The towns they stopped at were colorful with many spring flowers in bloom and midsummer festivals happening.

The food was fantastic with bakeries everywhere. The food was very fresh, and they used local real ingredients, not pre-packaged things. She really enjoyed trying the different Swedish food. There were English speakers everywhere, and the locals were friendly and ready to share ideas of where to go and what to see. There were lots of tourists, including many Americans.

The sailing was a learning experience. Lots of practice docking and anchoring. They saw others Rock Anchoring but decided not to try it themselves. They watched others dock and saw a few close calls. Eating on the boat was a new experience, and how to prepare food onboard and keep things tidy. Clean as you go was needed due to the small space. Everyone on board had jobs assigned, and they helped each other. Teamwork was the way to get things done. The accommodations were great. They had room for all 5 people to sleep and two heads on the Sun Odyssey 44-foot boat. 

They managed to problem-solve any issues that came up, including an overfull bilge due to the waste not being emptied by the chartering company. Talk about a shitty situation. 

The connections made at OWSA leads to fun adventures! Sailing has really opened my world and I cant wait for the next destination. -Leticia

By Patti Schrock, News Coordinator