Cruising Guide to the Baltic

[BabaYaga]

No experience with Navionics, but with regard to Swedish waters it is a fact that the official hydrographer Sjöfartsverket (from which Navionics and others get their data)
Hydrographic Information
has received a lot of criticism from boating circles in recent years for how their new charting methods blur out useful depth information in the 0 – 3 metres range. The general advice among fellow boaters has been: Don't renew your charts, the old editions are better.
Therefore the need for addition depth data, from pilot books/services and large scale charts from other sources than Sjöfartsverket has increased the last few years.

 

[Sandy]

I know about the IMRAY / RCC Pilotage guide

RCCPF Pilot - The Baltic Sea and Approaches

is there something else that might be better?

Or is that the best place to start?

I see it's 2017 - any guesses as to when a new edition might come out?

You don't say where you are located, if you are anywhere near Plymouth then I highly recommend a visit to Alice Crews Navigation - Marine Charts, Guides & Books.

If you are not then a call to Alice and you can discuss your pilotage and charting needs. Her knowledge is encyclopaedic. I am a frequent customer.

 

[Judithsails]

Some great info here and thanks very much guys.
My yacht club is going to at least Denmark in 2025 and I have offered to help plan the cruise so tips on pilot books are very welcome.
If you want to follow our plans have a browse Phoenix Yacht Club Ltd

 

[ChromeDome]

Clubs in Scandinavia tend to be different from the UK in that most are very informal and driven by members' interest.
This means that they are happy to give advice and actually know a lot about the locations, but also that they are available when time allows.

When, how many boats and what part of Denmark are you planning to visit and are any special interests in focus?

 

[Judithsails]

We will take just the one boat a Westerly35 which draws just 1.5m, so that’s easier than a crowd.
Skippers will change each week and I was considering Nyborg/Odense for one changeover and Copenhagen for another. Good transport links are critical to that. So from Kiel the areas will be (southern?) Fyn and Skaelland.
We’ll have about 6weeks there and from previous experience I know that only scratches the surface.
I’ve got a 2001 copy of Imray Germany & Denmark and although it says there are lots of anchorages and “ kissing a rock” is common there’s not enough information on finding/avoiding them.

 

[ChromeDome]

Rocks are not very common, but you might of course "find one".

A 35' with a draught of 1½m and some 3.7m wide should fit in most marinas, especially if you arrive earlier than rush hour. Almost all berths are between poles.

From Kiel you have only 20 nm to the waters south of Funen (Fyn), which are well protected and offer many islands. Head north through the Little Belt (Lillebælt) and you will have the opportunity to visit Sønderborg (at the entrance to beautiful Flensburg Fjord) and continue north through the belt with many good towns and marinas on both sides. On the west side there are good fjords into Jutland (Jylland), often with slightly larger towns at the bottom of the fjord.

You can continue north of Funen and either due east or south through the Great Belt to reach Zealand (Sjælland). South of Zealand, there are beautiful passages north of Lolland or Falster that take you to the small town of Kalvehave. From there, there are some islands and a route to the north that takes you across Fakse Bay and Køge Bay, up to Copenhagen. In Copenhagen, Nyhavn is a popular place to stay - it's the centre of the city's nightlife.

Further north through Øresund you'll pass the affluent North Zealand coast (aka the whisky belt) and finally Elsinore (Helsingør), which is super close to Sweden.

As far as (public) transport in Denmark is concerned, the coverage is quite good by train and bus, although a car is always faster. It's a small country and you're never more than 50 kilometres from the coast. Public transport is cheaper than in the UK, but not as cheap as in Germany. Planner here: Rejseplanen

The usual nautical charts have good coverage and detail. Garmin/Navionics, C-Map, Orca etc.


Due to copyrights there are no free charts for Denmark, paid chart versions are required.

EDIT: Denmark is close to non-tidal. However, currents can occur, especially in the northern part of the Little Belt.

This may be helpful: Welcome to Denmark’s updated and user-friendly harbour guide

I suggest deepl.com for better translation.

 

[st599]

We will take just the one boat a Westerly35 which draws just 1.5m, so that’s easier than a crowd.
Skippers will change each week and I was considering Nyborg/Odense for one changeover and Copenhagen for another. Good transport links are critical to that. So from Kiel the areas will be (southern?) Fyn and Skaelland.
We’ll have about 6weeks there and from previous experience I know that only scratches the surface.
I’ve got a 2001 copy of Imray Germany & Denmark and although it says there are lots of anchorages and “ kissing a rock” is common there’s not enough information on finding/avoiding them.

Is your boat old enough to not need the holding tank installation that Denmark requires?

 

[ChromeDome]

Just to clarify: The requirement is for all countries around the Baltic Sea - not a Danish only thing.

• Sailing in Danish waters
  • The requirements for the boat's construction with a marine toilet and holding tank, as well as the possibility of discharging toilet waste, are partly determined by the year of construction and the boat's physical dimensions.
  • Even if there is a toilet on board, the boat does not necessarily need to have a holding tank installed. Smaller and older boats may be exempt from the requirement as it can be difficult to find space for a holding tank on board.
• Boats built before 2000
  • Boats built before 2000 that have a permanently installed toilet on board must have a holding tank and deck lead-through installed by 1 January 2005 if
    • the hull length is more than 10.5 metres and
    • the hull width is more than 2.8 metres and
    • the year of construction is after 1980
  • All three criteria MUST be met before a boat is covered by the rules.
  • The rules are set out in the Danish Maritime Authority's Technical Regulations on the construction and equipment of recreational craft, etc.
• Boats built after 2000
  • All boats built after 2000 that have a permanently installed toilet must have a holding tank and a deck lead-through for emptying the tank. The deck lead-through and the rest of the installation must fulfil the requirements defined in ISO 8099.
• Boats built from 2017
  • From 17 January 2017, all new boats with a marine toilet on board must be designed so that the hull penetration can be sealed by an authority and in that case only allow the sailor to empty the holding tank via the deck penetration.
• Where can I empty toilet waste?
  • All boats covered by the above three installation requirements must empty their holding tank ashore. However, toilet waste may be discharged into the sea if the boat is 12 nautical miles from shore (in practice this is possible in very few places).
  • Other boats, i.e. those that do not fulfil the three design criteria, may discharge toilet waste into the sea if they are at least 2 nautical miles from shore.
• Discharge of toilet waste in harbours is prohibited

Not all Danish harbours have facilities for emptying boat holding tanks (updated 2020). Nevertheless, as a sailor, you are entitled to have your holding tank emptied at the harbour, for example by a pump-out. The cost of emptying must be paid by the harbour.

Standardisation for shore connection between the ship's holding tank and a pump on land (ISO 8099) means that you as a sailor do not have to bring a number of different adapters.

In 2002, the association of countries around the Baltic Sea, Helcom, adopted a recommendation for handling toilet waste from leisure boats.

Today, the recommendation has been implemented in most countries.

 

[BabaYaga]

To which can only be added that rules in Sweden and Finland are even stricter, as discharging toilet waste into the sea is unlawful anywhere in the territorial waters of these countries, regardless of size of boat, when it was built etc…

 

[dunedin]

……
I’ve got a 2001 copy of Imray Germany & Denmark and although it says there are lots of anchorages and “ kissing a rock” is common there’s not enough information on finding/avoiding them.....

There are so many rocks, especially in Norway and Sweden, that the pilot books aren’t able to advise of individual rocks - you need DETAILED charts for the area you are going through.
I also found easier to review the route using paper charts - one brand (NV?) helpfully put red rings round isolated dangers, and I have adopted this and now always have a red pen in the chart table and manually annotate with red the dangers within potential keel depth (allowing a bit extra for waves and/or water stand below chart datum).

 

[st599]

Just to clarify: The requirement is for all countries around the Baltic Sea - not a Danish only thing.

• Sailing in Danish waters
  • The requirements for the boat's construction with a marine toilet and holding tank, as well as the possibility of discharging toilet waste, are partly determined by the year of construction and the boat's physical dimensions.
  • Even if there is a toilet on board, the boat does not necessarily need to have a holding tank installed. Smaller and older boats may be exempt from the requirement as it can be difficult to find space for a holding tank on board.
• Boats built before 2000
  • Boats built before 2000 that have a permanently installed toilet on board must have a holding tank and deck lead-through installed by 1 January 2005 if
    • the hull length is more than 10.5 metres and
    • the hull width is more than 2.8 metres and
    • the year of construction is after 1980
  • All three criteria MUST be met before a boat is covered by the rules.
  • The rules are set out in the Danish Maritime Authority's Technical Regulations on the construction and equipment of recreational craft, etc.
• Boats built after 2000
  • All boats built after 2000 that have a permanently installed toilet must have a holding tank and a deck lead-through for emptying the tank. The deck lead-through and the rest of the installation must fulfil the requirements defined in ISO 8099.
• Boats built from 2017
  • From 17 January 2017, all new boats with a marine toilet on board must be designed so that the hull penetration can be sealed by an authority and in that case only allow the sailor to empty the holding tank via the deck penetration.
• Where can I empty toilet waste?
  • All boats covered by the above three installation requirements must empty their holding tank ashore. However, toilet waste may be discharged into the sea if the boat is 12 nautical miles from shore (in practice this is possible in very few places).
  • Other boats, i.e. those that do not fulfil the three design criteria, may discharge toilet waste into the sea if they are at least 2 nautical miles from shore.
• Discharge of toilet waste in harbours is prohibited

Not all Danish harbours have facilities for emptying boat holding tanks (updated 2020). Nevertheless, as a sailor, you are entitled to have your holding tank emptied at the harbour, for example by a pump-out. The cost of emptying must be paid by the harbour.

Standardisation for shore connection between the ship's holding tank and a pump on land (ISO 8099) means that you as a sailor do not have to bring a number of different adapters.

In 2002, the association of countries around the Baltic Sea, Helcom, adopted a recommendation for handling toilet waste from leisure boats.

Today, the recommendation has been implemented in most countries.

According to the RYA, Germany only expects Helcom signatory flagged vessels to comply, hence the q. about Denmark.

 

[Judithsails]

Thanks for reinforcing the thought about holding tanks. She hasn’t got one, and isn’t exempt. But we were going to install one for the Dutch canals which will probably be requested en-route.

 

[johnalison]

Rocks are not very common, but you might of course "find one".

A 35' with a draught of 1½m and some 3.7m wide should fit in most marinas, especially if you arrive earlier than rush hour. Almost all berths are between poles.

From Kiel you have only 20 nm to the waters south of Funen (Fyn), which are well protected and offer many islands. Head north through the Little Belt (Lillebælt) and you will have the opportunity to visit Sønderborg (at the entrance to beautiful Flensburg Fjord) and continue north through the belt with many good towns and marinas on both sides. On the west side there are good fjords into Jutland (Jylland), often with slightly larger towns at the bottom of the fjord.

You can continue north of Funen and either due east or south through the Great Belt to reach Zealand (Sjælland). South of Zealand, there are beautiful passages north of Lolland or Falster that take you to the small town of Kalvehave. From there, there are some islands and a route to the north that takes you across Fakse Bay and Køge Bay, up to Copenhagen. In Copenhagen, Nyhavn is a popular place to stay - it's the centre of the city's nightlife.

Further north through Øresund you'll pass the affluent North Zealand coast (aka the whisky belt) and finally Elsinore (Helsingør), which is super close to Sweden.

As far as (public) transport in Denmark is concerned, the coverage is quite good by train and bus, although a car is always faster. It's a small country and you're never more than 50 kilometres from the coast. Public transport is cheaper than in the UK, but not as cheap as in Germany. Planner here: Rejseplanen

The usual nautical charts have good coverage and detail. Garmin/Navionics, C-Map, Orca etc.


Due to copyrights there are no free charts for Denmark, paid chart versions are required.

EDIT: Denmark is close to non-tidal. However, currents can occur, especially in the northern part of the Little Belt.

This may be helpful: Welcome to Denmark’s updated and user-friendly harbour guide

I suggest deepl.com for better translation.

We cruised Sweden’s west coast a couple of times, up to Stromstad and many times in the relatively rockless southern Baltic. My system in the archipelago was to check the route on the chart (pre-plotter) before departing. Of the hundreds of rocks lining the route, many were >2.5m depth and could be ignored, as could those showing above the surface. This would leave only about three or four 0-2.5m racks near my expected track, which I would mark with a highlight pen. After this I could relax and enjoy the trip.

 

[mattonthesea]

After this I could relax and enjoy the trip.

Even, or despite, a fast motor boat passing close every few minutes?

 

[johnalison]

Even, or despite, a fast motor boat passing close every few minutes?

That has reminded me of something I had been trying to forget. Ta ever so.

 

[ChromeDome]

According to the RYA, Germany only expects Helcom signatory flagged vessels to comply, hence the q. about Denmark.

More clarification:

HELCOM, or the Helsinki Commission, is an intergovernmental organization established to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea. Its primary goal is to combat pollution from various sources and to restore ecological balance in the region. The organization comprises nine Baltic Sea countries—Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Sweden—along with the European Union as a member.

General Enforcement: While HELCOM extends regulations on sewage discharge to all ships, including pleasure crafts, enforcement and penalties depend on national laws. Not all HELCOM countries have enacted specific legal requirements for holding tanks on smaller vessels, which can lead to inconsistencies in enforcement

Holding tanks | boating abroad | RYA

Even if somewhat unclear about the enforcement, I wouldn't gamble. Penalties might well spoil the holiday(-budget).