From Gota Canal Steamship Co., this riverboat was built in 1912 in Sweden. She is one of the three converted vintage steamers of a certain age that now serve as no-frills Gota Canal boats sailing on alternating 4- to 6-day itineraries between Stockholm and Gothenburg from May to September.
This trim vessel, just under 105 ft, with a beam under 20 ft and displacing 2680 tons, has Swedish officers and crew, and carries 55 passengers at up to 10 knots in 25 cabins. The boat was last renovated in 2003-2004.
Gota Canal cruise operations began in 1869 and have operated continually ever since. Early on, the canal performed a vital transportation role across Sweden but now nearly all traffic consists of purely pleasure craft.
The informational languages include Swedish, German and English and the nationalities taking these trips reflect this with some speaking English as a second language. Most passengers will be older and few children are present because of the confining nature of these tiny boats.
Starting in Stockholm, the voyage takes in Sodertalje lock, the largest of many "lock staircases" on a trip that sails between two seas and along one river, three canals, eight lakes and 66 locks.
Rarely visited towns and villages offer fascinating glimpses into Hanseatic history, museums, spas, fortresses, churches and forests that are home to the golden eagle, heron, nightingales and elk. Select cruises are tailored for golfers. The four-night cruises offer some overnight running, while the six-night trips are more likely to tie up and offer more time ashore for excursions, walking, jogging and cycling.
The dining room serves hearty Swedish-accented meals at one sitting. Especially memorable are the fresh gravlax, sherried herring, caviar-stuffed eggs, reindeer meat, and cloudberry jam. Breakfast is a buffet while lunch and dinner are set menus with choices. Special dietary requirements need three weeks' notice. A covered sundeck and windowed lounge with light-colored wallpaper and dark-wood trim provide good canal-viewing opportunities.
A second paneled lounge has no windows but is relaxing nonetheless. The ship has no elevators, but it does provide a small library and low-key entertainment that may include costumed Swedes performing traditional country dances dockside.
Cabins are about the size of train compartments with upper and lower berths, sinks and limited stowage. Medium-size suitcases are stored under the bunks. Toilets are in hallways on all decks, and showers are on the Main and Bridge decks. Main Deck cabins have portholes; Shelter and Bridge deck cabins have windows.
Overall, the charmingly compact Wilhelm Tham offers a friendly, unpretentious way to sail through a beautiful archipelago, see rarely visited parts of Sweden, and sample Swedish cuisine and hospitality.
A comparative small-scale canal trip would be the Caledonian Canal trip across Scotland where the conveyance is far more luxurious. Most European canal barge trips carry fewer passengers in much larger cabins.
