Pilot Tower

The channel through the Sandhamn Sound was open only to warships until the end of the 1600s, when it also became accessible to merchant ships. The need for pilotage was immediately great. 

The farmers on Eknö had pilotage as a secondary occupation in the 1600s. Eknö lies a bit further into the archipelago and was a so-called pilot farm (lotshemman). The sand island was their grazing island (for two cows) and was also used as an observation post for the pilots. For pilot farms, certain tax exemptions applied, and they were exempt from the wolf round. The pilots were paid by the pilot farm and also received pilotage fees from those who were piloted. 

By the middle of the 1800s, boat traffic had increased and the need for pilotage became greater. The pilots on Eknö left their island and settled on Sandhamn permanently. Sandhamn had long been the pilots' land, but despite the customs officers taking a large portion of the land, the pilots had to pay tax to them and the customs officers were exempt from fees. It is said, therefore, that the relationship between customs officers and pilots was very chilly for a long time. In 1850, 22 pilots served on Sandhamn. They disposed of a number of kayaks and two slightly larger boats, one for four oars and one for six oars. A ship in need of a pilot hoisted the pilot flag and fired a blank shot from a light deck cannon (nicka) to call attention. When the pilots discovered the ship, four men rowed out to meet it. In harsh weather, the pilots' task was risky. It required high concentration to board a ship from a fragile small rowboat in heavy seas. 

This tower was built in 1869 and replaced an older, simpler one. 

Photo: Eknö Hemman Samfällighetsförening (www.eknohemman.se) - Exhibition on Sandhamn

On the height, a concrete pilot station built in 1962 stands today.

Source: Eknö Hemman Samfällighetsförening (www.eknohemman.se) - Exhibition about Sandhamn, https://www.destinationsandhamn.se/om-sandhamn/historia