Skerry cruisers are slim, long, light, and correspondingly sensitive boats, picking up speed even in light winds. This is why they have always been popular in sheltered waters such as the Swedish archipelago, especially in eastern Sweden, and in light wind areas such as the lakes of southern Germany and Switzerland. Even the slightest breeze that just touches the surface of the water is enough to get them moving. This is especially true of the 40-foot skerry cruisers of the 1910s and early 1920s, which were kept narrow to minimize water resistance.
When the touring version of the classic Skärgårdskryssare appeared in the 1970s, it became wider and significantly heavier in favor of comfort and convenience below deck. Headroom, galley, toilet, tanks, engine, and extensive equipment for cruising come at a price. So it’s no surprise that there’s a world of difference between the sailing pleasure of a sensitive classic 40-footer and, say, a Swede 55. It’s simple physics. The following comparison shows why.
Key data of Gustaf Estlander 40s skerry cruiser, 1923
Length
14,33 m
Waterline length
≈ 9,60 m
Beam
1,79 m
Length/Beam ratio
8,4 : 1
Displacement
≈ 3 t
actual upwind sail area
55 m2
Segeltragezahl
5,1
Key Data Swede 55
Lenght
16 m
Länge Wasserlinie
≈ 13 m
Breite
3 m
Verhältnis Länge/Breite
5,3 : 1
Verdrängung
≈ 8,5 t
Am Wind Besegelung
74 m2
Segeltragezahl
4,2
The windward sailing performance, displacement, and the ratio of both values, expressed by the sail area ratio, speak for themselves. As described in this article, I once had the opportunity to sail a newly built classic Estlander Schäre on Lake Starnberg in similar conditions. It was sensational and an entirely different world. The light wind sailing characteristics of a classic 40-foot boat like Aphrodite are comparable to those of an IACC America’s Cuppers, which I once sailed off Genoa.
Light wind sailing with Swede 55
As the photo above shows, taken while approaching Orth on Fehmarn in winds of about half a force, the Swede 55 can still be sailed in the slightest breeze. As I recall, it was perhaps half a force.
As in the old days of dinghy sailing, the boat was tilted slightly to one side with the crew crouching as far forward as possible on the leeward side to improve the sail angle. The weight trim is evident in the raised stern. This was not entirely voluntary, as for some inexplicable reason the engine had stopped working in the Langeland Belt. A fishing boat had towed us to Spodsbjerg the evening before. In the morning, we somehow managed to sail out of the harbor basin. Even the agonizingly slow crossing of the busy shipping lanes from the Fehmarn Belt to Kiel went well.
Ansteuerung von Orth bei einem Hauch von Wind – Foto Axel Pohl/Swedesail
Knud Reimers had planned a 48 m² Genoa I for such winds. We were sailing with the 40 m² Genoa 2. As the following video of sailing on the Trave shows, with more wind, the boat’s standard sails, the jib and mainsail, perform quite well.
Photo on top by Axel Pohl: Gamle Swede approaching Orth on Fehmarn. Thanks to S30 sailor Guido Kruse for the video. Published March 12, 2026, updated March 12, 2026.→ Subscribe to the newsletter, and you won’t miss future articles.
