Thinking of going to the Baltic next year..

Fergus

Fergus

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 Aug 2004
Messages
1,212
Location
Poole
Visit site
Anyone done this from south coast? Will be using Kiel canal, thought about Eastbourne dieppe as crossing points there doesn't seem much of interest, harbours etc west of Dover

Thanks for any input!
 
I've sailed in the Baltic years ago. Enjoyed it, and hope to go back one day.

Most of that was based in Kiel, so can't advise on the passage over there.

Been through the Kiel Canal once (southbound), and can offer one minor piece of advice:

The floating "pontoon" you moor to in the lock is not really a pontoon, but a very heavy timber raft floating inches above the water. The only way to get a fender to stay in between the timber and your boat is to weight the bottom of it so that a few inches of the fender are submerged. The skipper I did the trip with had brought some bunches of old chain to hang off the bottoms of the fenders, which worked well.

Sure you'll get much more helpful stuff from others :)

Pete
 
Baltic 2013

We will be going from the Hamble in May, via Kiel, aiming to spend a month in the Stockholm archipelago, returning to Hamble by end of season. Very glad to exchange ideas and tips.
PM sent.
 
Fergus said:
Anyone done this from south coast? Will be using Kiel canal, thought about Eastbourne dieppe as crossing points there doesn't seem much of interest, harbours etc west of Dover

Thanks for any input!
Click to expand...

Can you say a bit more about expectations for time to get to the Baltic, and the sort of length passages you are aiming for.

Personally I would go from Dover and cross over, and make for Ijmuiden, or a stop off on the way on the Belgian coast if necessary. The trip from Ijmuiden gives you rather more options depending on weather and available time. There is a fixed mast route which can take you out at the German Frisians from Ijmuiden along the canals (and Ijsselmeer). This can be handy if the weather is bad, although it does take much more time than going all the way round the outside.
 
prv said:
I've sailed in the Baltic years ago. Enjoyed it, and hope to go back one day.

Most of that was based in Kiel, so can't advise on the passage over there.

Been through the Kiel Canal once (southbound), and can offer one minor piece of advice:

The floating "pontoon" you moor to in the lock is not really a pontoon, but a very heavy timber raft floating inches above the water. The only way to get a fender to stay in between the timber and your boat is to weight the bottom of it so that a few inches of the fender are submerged. The skipper I did the trip with had brought some bunches of old chain to hang off the bottoms of the fenders, which worked well.

Sure you'll get much more helpful stuff from others :)

Pete
Click to expand...

We just left the fenders a bit slack.

b3e399172510cf99b115080467a9b917.jpg
 
prv said:
I've sailed in the Baltic years ago. Enjoyed it, and hope to go back one day.

Most of that was based in Kiel, so can't advise on the passage over there.

Been through the Kiel Canal once (southbound), and can offer one minor piece of advice:

The floating "pontoon" you moor to in the lock is not really a pontoon, but a very heavy timber raft floating inches above the water. The only way to get a fender to stay in between the timber and your boat is to weight the bottom of it so that a few inches of the fender are submerged. The skipper I did the trip with had brought some bunches of old chain to hang off the bottoms of the fenders, which worked well.

Sure you'll get much more helpful stuff from others :)

Pete
Click to expand...
The Sport lock at Vlissingen has a floating timber baulk. We float a central fender on the water, always keeps the timber off the hull.
 
Pye_End said:
The trip from Ijmuiden gives you rather more options depending on weather and available time. There is a fixed mast route which can take you out at the German Frisians from Ijmuiden along the canals (and Ijsselmeer). This can be handy if the weather is bad, although it does take much more time than going all the way round the outside.
Click to expand...

We went that way because of continuing North Easterlies on the North Sea coast. Best decision we could have made. I was only there for the delivery to Kiel but the owners enjoyed it so much they went all the way down to Rotterdam on the way back.

Canal depths can be a bit dodgy in places and I wouldn't try it with more than 1.8m draft.
 
We went last year, and cruised Stockholm archepeligo. Amazing, just amazing and will be going back.

The trip out/back was done by a delivery skipper and crew. I couldnt take enough time off work unfortunately.

So it was flat out from Cowes to Keil canal and then up to Stockholm. Actual course was driven by the weather and requirement for fuel! So out was different to back. Both 8-9 days.

If you need any advise for when you are out there, kit, places to go etc etc drop me a PM.

Enjoy.
 
I've done Hamble - Southern Sweden via the Kiel Canal. Ramsgate - Scheveningen was our crossing, and then nipped in through Amsterdam on the canals and out again via the Isselmeer and outside the Friesian Islands to Cuxhaven and Kiel to Ystaad in Sweden. Great trip. I've also done Isselmeer - Turku, Finland via the Kiel Canal. I live in Finland and have been cruising quite widely in the Baltic so let me know if you have other questions. There is a lot more to it than the Stockholm archipeligo which I find terribly overcrowded these days, particularly in the main summer season.
 
We went from the east Coast this year. It is a super area to sail. Although we concentrated on the Danish islands this year (including Bornholm which is wonderful) we'll be back to try Sweden next year.

Other people's points:
The mast up route is a good way to get through the Netherlands, and a better way to get back, because the normal winds are SW. As far as we have been able to find out, you have to lower your mast to get through Germany though. Inside the Friesian islands is a good, but slow, option if you have shallow draft. The Friesian islands are lovely places to visit, either from inside or outside, so you can do the whole lot in day sails, except the North Sea crossing. However, you do have to get the tides right for the Elbe, and be aware that the whole German Bight is an unpleasant place to be if the wind pipes up!

This year the Kiel canal Holtenau lock for yachts was being repaired, so we used the big ship lock. There were pontoon at water level, made of very slimy wood, with no cleats, so you moored to the securing chains, which disappeared through holes in the pontoons - very difficult and unpleasant.

I did a blog, which I am just polishing up ( so leave it for a few days before you look at it!) It may be of interest:
Alshira2012.blogspot.com
 
AliM said:
This year the Kiel canal Holtenau lock for yachts was being repaired, so we used the big ship lock. There were pontoon at water level, made of very slimy wood, with no cleats, so you moored to the securing chains, which disappeared through holes in the pontoons - very difficult and unpleasant.
Click to expand...

Ah - that sounds like where we went through. Perhaps why my description didn't match SolentBoy's.

Pete
 
I crewed on a delivery from Dover. We did Zeebrugge, Ijmuiden, Den Helder, Norderney and then to Brunsbuttel. Some longish days, even in a 42'er. We'd intended Scheveningen but westerly 7s blowing so Ijmuiden was a safer entrance.
We did the canal in a day. A chum recommends stopping at Rendsburg along the way.
 
Hi,

We sailed from North Wales to the Baltic 2 years ago, via the south coast(warmer in April, than our original plan to go to Shetland and over to Norway)

After a relaxed sail along the South Coast we crossed the channel Dover to Dunkerque, then to Breskens, Scheveningen, Ijmuiden, and Texel. After that we went to Het Vlie on Vlieland and then to Borkum, Helgoland and to Cuxhaven. Into the Kiel canal, we stayed the night at Rensburg before exiting into the Baltic less than 3 weeks from setting out, with a few days off and no overnight passages other than North Wales to Plymouth.

It was a very pleasurable trip - great weather and the Frisian Islands were lovely especially Borkum although it was quite shallow (we draw 2metres+).

There are some really interesting German Hanseatic Cities to visit, Lubeck, Rostock etc etc.

We spent the summer mainly in the Stockholm Archipelago, crossing over to the Aland Islands and into the Finnish Turku Archipelago.

Our plan to return home was quickly abandoned as it is so nice in the Baltic better weather, great sailing in shelteres waters, loads of natural harbours/anchorages, interesting places and lovely people. So we now leave our boat in Germany over-winter.

If you are thinking of going to the Baltic, I can't recommend the Cruising Association highly enough, they have a Baltic Section which will provide you with any information you could possibly want.

Mike
 
Re South Coast to Baltic

I've just got back to the UK having done Plymouth to Sweden to Holland singlehanded.

If you want to PM me, I'll be happy to try to answer any questions.
 
I can really recommend the swedish archipelagos, east coast as well as west coast. My boat is in the Baltic (Germany), and we visited Swedens east coast in 2011, and the west coast this year.
Pictures of the east coast:
https://picasaweb.google.com/116553362502950902920/Ostschweden2011?gsessionid=suUWbh4c43IwO2WiEPQRcA

West coast:
https://picasaweb.google.com/116553362502950902920/Westschweden2012?authuser=0&feat=directlink

If I can be of any help regarding the Baltic and sailing there, feel free to ask :)
 
Baqck in 1972 I had a very nice letter from the Kiel Canal authority saying it would be a pleasure for me to transit their canal in my 15 foot cruiser,but as someone pointed out a bit of a cul-de-sac for a wannabe world girdler...
 
Just cruised the Baltic for two years running in my old HR35, overwintering in Germany. It is a fantastic cruising ground with so many options. I'm staying for another year at least. PM me if I can help with specifics any time.

WindyOut
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

Concerto
Round Ireland Part 2
Replies
15
Views
606
Concerto
Concerto

Share this page

Top