Gullholmen

About This Anchorage

Gullholmen is one of the most charming islands on the Bohuslän coast — a small, dense fishing village with no cars (only wheelbarrows for moving goods) and colourfully painted wooden houses that have barely changed since the 19th-century herring fishing boom. The island sits in a dramatic outer-coast setting between the open Kattegat and the inner skerry channels. Gullholmen was a major herring processing centre and the fishermen's history is preserved in the local museum. The village has a small cafe and provisions shop. The anchorage is exposed to the W and SW but gives good shelter from N and E. Gullholmen is the kind of place that makes Bohuslän sailing memorable — authentic, beautiful, and away from the crowds of Marstrand.

Hazards

• !Western exposure to prevailing Bohuslän SW/W winds and Kattegat swell
• !Lobster and crab pots throughout the approach waters
• !Rocky outer approaches require careful chart navigation
• !Shallow bar on the NW approach at low tide — check current chart

Skipper's Tips

• →Visit the herring fishing museum — excellent small exhibition on 19th-century Bohuslän economy
• →Walk the full island perimeter in 45 minutes — views from the bare western granite are spectacular
• →Car-free island: bring your own wheelbarrow if you have heavy loads to move to the boat
• →Smögen is 8nm north — combine with a visit to Sweden's most photographed boardwalk harbour
• →Arrive from the east via the inner channels — the western approach is more exposed and rockier
• →The village ICA shop stocks basic provisions — limited but sufficient for a day's sailing

Nearby Anchorages