About our skippers

Birgitta Silfverhielm

Founder of Vind o Vatten

Skipper of Esmeralda II and sailing coach

“My name is Birgitta Silfverhielm. I am the founder of Vind o Vatten and the skipper of Esmeralda II.

I grew up sailing in the early 60’s and have had the east coast archipelago as my playground every summer. When I left home at 18, I immediately bought myself a boat, and started dreaming about sailing beyond the horizon. At the age of 25, I sailed from Stockholm as a crew member on a sailboat bound for the Caribbean. After eight months, I was home in Stockholm again, and just wanted to keep sailing… I got a job as a sailing instructor, and for many years I taught adults to sail. After 18 seasons and four boats, I realised it was time for me to start up something of my own. Dreams of creating a company for sailing activities based on my own experience took shape, and I started to run private sailing courses. I was the skipper on charter, single and multi- day tours and even holiday adventures for families and groups. I developed a personal approach with respect to the customer’s individual needs and saw how that was key to creating lasting relationships with my guests.

In 2008, I bought the Linjett 35. This is an extremely fine quality boat that meets the highest standards of comfort and sailing performance.”

Birgitta’s education and experience in brief:

• Navigation certificate and Ship’s Officer class VIII
• Machine Officer class VIII
• STCW 95 Basic Safety
• Long distance skipper’s degree
• Ocean Skipper’s degree
• VHF radio certificate

Birgitta brings solid experience cruising in the Swedish Archipelago, as well as racing and ocean sailing. Her motivation to continue sailing is life-long. She has sailed on many waters, upon numerous vessels, from dinghies to big ships and from competing in racecourses to crossing oceans. She has even been a part of the Search and Rescue crew on Dalarö, as a navigator and deck crew.

Jonas Lindskog

Skipper of The Big Chill and sailing coach

Jonas has spent every summer since he was born on a sailboat, mostly in the Stockholm archipelago, but Åland, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Scotland have also been visited by boat. There are few harbors in the Stockholm archipelago that he does not know. 

Jonas has experience from sailing many different types of boats and has himself owned an S-30, a Linjett 32 and now a Linjett 40. Besides these, he grew up on a Vega, a Ballad and a Scanmar 33.

When he was younger, he did a lot of racing and after a 25-years hiatus, he started racing again 10 years ago. He races both in the archipelago and out at sea, with full crew or short handed.

Jonas thrives best in the archipelago. Be it exploring new ports or returning to a location for the 20th time, there is always something new to discover. A cove can be fantastic one day and impossible to stay in the next day. The possibilities are almost endless, from solitary islands to the busy, noisy port of Sandhamn.

As a skipper, Jonas is engaging and encouraging. Trying new things is part of learning, based on the needs and wishes of the participants. We all want to experience different things and when staying attentive to the guests on board there are great opportunities to create a unique experience. 

Jonas’ education and experience in brief:

• Ship’s Officer class VIII
• A lifetime of sailing experience
• Long-distance sailing trips to Denmark, Norway and the British Isles, among others
• Racing experience, ocean racing, full crew and shorthanded sailing

Kim Silfving

Sailing coach

Kim Silfving has been sailing for as long as he can remember. Growing up sailing a wooden sailboat in the Stockholm archipelago, he has recently got back from an Atlantic crossing with his family. Kim is also our Spanish-speaking sailing coach!

“I grew up sailing on a wooden sailboat in the archipelago of Stockholm and later started racing different boats and regattas. Lately, I have focused on cruising and just recently got back from a 20 000 NM sailing trip with my family on our Baltic 51. We sailed up and down along the European coast, down to Africa, across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and back to the Mediterranean.

Over the years, I have worked as a skipper and coach at sailing events. I have also taught courses for both beginners and more advanced sailors with focus on trimming and spinnaker sailing. The more I sail, the more I understand that there are so many more things to learn. I’m just in the beginning myself and sailing is such a huge universe. There will always be more to learn and that’s what is driving me most in this sport.”

Kim’s education and experience in brief:

• Navigation certificate and Ship’s Officer class VIII
• STCW 95 Basic Safety
• VHF radio certificate
• Fluent in Spanish and English