{"id":7933,"date":"2016-10-31T20:27:57","date_gmt":"2016-11-01T03:27:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/everybodyhatesatourist.net\/?p=7933"},"modified":"2024-03-05T14:03:19","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T22:03:19","slug":"day-trip-gothenburg-marstrand-including-match-cup-sweden-fortress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everybodyhatesatourist.net\/day-trip-gothenburg-marstrand-including-match-cup-sweden-fortress\/","title":{"rendered":"Day Trip to Marstrand from Gothenburg Including Match Cup Sweden & Fortress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The west coast of Sweden<\/a> is dotted with islands, making them perfect for summer vacations or day trips from Gothenburg. Having already visited the Southern Archipelago from Gothenburg<\/a>, I wanted to head north as well. After considering a few options, Marstrand looked like the perfect place to spend a day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I began to make plans to visit Marstrand on the Saturday before I headed to Stockholm<\/a> the next day, I learned there was going to be a major event going on there that day: Match Cup Sweden 2016. While I had never heard of it before, it’s a major event in Sweden and one of the biggest sailing races in the world. At first, I was concerned that I might not be able to make my day trip to Marstrand due to the crowds, but extra buses are scheduled thanks to the sailing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The bus station in Gothenburg<\/a> is one of the nicest bus stations I’ve ever been in. In most places, bus stations feature humanity at its worst, but Gothenburg’s is a nice, bright building. I bought a ticket for the next marsEx bus to Marstrand (65 SEK each way), and waited about 15 minutes before it pulled up to the stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As we departed Gothenburg, the bus was about two-thirds full, and despite being advertised as an “express” bus, we made several stops as more and more people crammed on. The drive from Gothenburg to Marstrand took about an hour thanks to the stops and the winding coastal road. We arrived in Marstrand, where we were dropped off in a parking lot that was jam-packed thanks to the sailing. Even on regular days, this parking lot is still busy, as much of Marstrand is car-free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While you can reach Marstrand by car from mainland Sweden, the historic part of the town is located on a separate island. Access is via a frequent short ferry ride. How short is this ferry ride? Just 200 meters, making it one of the shortest ferry rides in the world. Tickets are 41 SEK, which includes the return ferry. The approach by boat does give great views of the city, including the Carlstens Fastning fortress that overlooks the islands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It was crowded in Marstrand thanks to the sailing, but thanks to the event being the main focus, other venues were actually fairly quiet. Since the races hadn’t quite started yet and were going to last for a couple of hours, I first visited the Strandverket Konsthall Art Museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Strandverket Konsthall Art Museum is a cool little modern art museum housed in an 18th-century fort that overlooks the south entrance to Marstrand Harbor. Since the sailing was going on, they offered discounted tickets for just 35 SEK to entice some of the visitors. Despite this, there were still only a few people inside, though there were more people waiting and drinking in the sailing VIP lounge that had been set up in their sculpture garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Inside the museum, there were a couple of galleries set up. One featured sculptures from Eva Hild, the other showed photography of office life from Lars Tunbjork. The latter was interesting, since despite the mundane settings, the subjects were in odd positions & juxtapositions. As someone who spends his days in a cubicle, dreaming of escape, it all hit home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I was tempted to stay inside the art museum to watch Match Cup Sweden, which was just starting warmups on the water outside, but the couple of windows were small and dirty, so I would not have been able to see much. Instead, I left after seeing all of the museum and headed up the street into the crowds that had gathered to watch the sailing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Despite being such a huge event, there was still a bit of a path through the crowds, so I walked along in search of a place to stand where I could also take photos. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something floating past me. I reached out and grabbed what turned out to be a child’s balloon that was about to float off into the sea. “Fantastic!”, I thought, “I’m going to be some kid’s hero!” Instead, there were no kids to be found that were missing balloons. My cat-like speed and reflexes did impress some of the Swedes who saw my catch, but that was only a small consolation for the fact that I was now holding a balloon that I couldn’t get rid of, one that had been in a child’s mouth at some point and was covered with child slime. I ended up having to hold it between my feet until I could find a way to dispose of it since I didn’t want to release it into the sea and stomping it would have scared the children & dogs that were nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I eventually found a nice place to watch the sailing from up a side street. While I couldn’t see the whole race course, I was able to be above the crowds just enough to be able to take some great photos of the boats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The final of Match Cup Sweden 2016 featured Team Volvo, skippered by Phil Robertson from New Zealand<\/a>, against Team Turkish Airlines (US One), helmed by Taylor Canfield. The Volvo boat won the first race, but during the second race, there was a major collision. The Volvo boat went straight through the Turkish Airlines boat, causing severe damage. The crash resulted in a penalty for Phil Robertson’s team, so after two races, Canfield was up 1-0. Their boat was so badly damaged that the races were halted for a time so they could get a replacement boat. The Turkish Airlines boat would be replaced by the Pelle boat for the remainder of the final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The third race was won by Volvo, tying the final series at one point apiece. With the final of Match Cup Sweden being first to two points, barring any penalties, it would all come down to one final race. On the line, a prize of $1 million, which was the biggest cash prize in sailing history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The race started off close, but following another small crash, Phil Robertson’s Volvo team pulled away to take the victory.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you want to see the full highlights of Match Cup Sweden 2016, which also showcases just how beautiful Marstrand is, check out the video below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n