Cruising ground recommendations

[johnalison]

I’m sorry if I’ve missed it but I haven’t seen how long you’ve got. If you are anything like me, you won’t want to have to worry about the business of getting home in time to be back at work, which makes the Baltic a bit far for a short cruise. When we went there it usually took two days to get to the Elbe and a day or two to get through the canal, but it often took an eternity to get home if the weather was being silly. I did manage to get round Fyn and back as far as Norderney in three weeks in a Sadler 29 once, where I left the boat for a month. It then took a difficult two further weeks to get home, having to go through Holland to avoid the storms outside.

The Baltic is a fabulous place for pottering about or extensive sailing but you either need time to enjoy it, such as the three months or more that we usually, or be prepared to leave the boat there. Leaving the boat abroad because of bad weather is one of the hazards of Continental sailing, and I’m rather proud of the fact that we only had to do it once, in Ostend, but with modern forecasting it is easier to take steps to avoid this.

 

[John_Silver]

Re shelter in the Frisian Islands:
Harbours are on the Waddenzee side. So, well sheltered. Used to make for Oudeschild, on Texel, or Terschelling. Post Brexit, a clear in at Den Helder may now be required.
Stargazer is back in Chatham for the winter now. Out on F, if you want a chat. The smaller of the 2 Rassy’s.

 

[Boathook]

For the Solent you could include down to Weymouth depending upon the weather. Poole harbour has Brownsea island with walks and a kids play area or even the town Quay for supplies.
Swanage is meant to be nice but I'm never sure where a dinghy can be left so never visited.