German Tourists' Ice Floe Sauna Adventure Ends in Dramatic Ferry Rescue

A group of five German tourists turned a quiet Sunday in the Stockholm archipelago into an unexpected rescue operation after their ambitious DIY project—a motorized floating sauna on an ice floe—went adrift. The incident occurred near Värmdö island when the swell from a passing ferry fractured their chosen platform of ice, leaving them stranded.

Passengers aboard the ferry watched, astonished, as the figures stood on the narrow, crumbling ice sheet in sub-zero temperatures, surrounded by their gear: a sauna tent, a motorized saw, a standup paddleboard, a camera, and an outboard motor. The ferry crew swiftly rescued four of the individuals. A fifth remained behind briefly to pack equipment before also being brought to safety. All were taken to Stavsnäs harbour unharmed.

"We think they sawed an ice floe loose and went out on it," said Karolina Wichman, a spokesperson for Stockholm's transport administration. She noted the weather was calm, but emphasized that ice is always affected by boat traffic, however gentle.

While winter rescues of ice-skaters are common in Sweden, authorities confirm this floating sauna attempt is a first. Johan Axberg, a witness on the ferry, described the scene to SVT: "The ice floe was drifting away and breaking apart. The crew went out and started picking them from it." The tourists' chilly entrepreneurial spirit provided a spectacle, but ultimately served as a stark reminder of the Baltic's unpredictable winter conditions.