When would you sail UK to Baltic ??

[Guest]

I have studied all the info possible and still cannot come to a decision as to when to do the trip ....

The route would most likely be : UK south coast to about Dover .... cross channel to French coast and then creep round Fr, Belg, Dutch coast to Den Helder. From there follow the islands round to Cuxhaven and then to Kiel Canal. Through canal and into baltic. The baltic part would be skirt southern Sweden and then across to my home place of Ventspils. Maybe later when ready - trip round to my other home place ... Tallinn for final destination for boat.

Now any thoughts on when is best time to do it ? When did you do it ? Why and what found ?

I'm very interested so that I can finally make my mind up - with no responsibility on any reply posts ...

 

[stevebirch2002]

Hi Nigel

I would suggest you leave the UK asap as the season is very short in The Baltic and I have been caught out in late August early September. Should be a great trip and I envy you. I sail in The Baltic most years and it is my idea of ideal sailing. Why not get a decent sailin boat, A Vega, out there instead of taking your over-engined smoke maker!!

See ya

 

[jenku]

October most definitely.

http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/westindia/515/articles/October_Potter.htm

Seriously, April to arrive in the Baltic in May if you want it reasonably warm. Otherwise I guess it's OK to leave at once, there will be no serious ice this winter any more, it's too late for that except north and east of Åland of course. However it's blowing a gale in Sweden right now and it has been snowing all day.

 

[Birdseye]

Depends where you start from . April / May in the channel often seems to bring Easterlies

 

[roger]

The general rule is that NE winds occur early in the season and SW ones later on. Thats life.
We left the Dart april 28th in 2000 and May 21st in 2003.
Both times it was cold across Lyme Bay and ok thereafter but double sleeping bags were welcom in harbour at night initially.
We had a force 10 in Borkum 8th June in 2003 and very strong winds in Denmark at midsummer and later.
By going through Holland you can shelter partly from the weather and also by using the Langeland Vordingbog route through Denmark but not if you have a deep draft. From Kalmar nothwards you have almost continuous shelter in the skerries.

 

[LadyInBed]

I did Faversham - Arhus, Denmark on a delivery late in the season. We stopped off in Helgoland before the Elbe, as it was easier to plan the time to catch the flood up the river, also Helgoland is worth a visit. The weather was very kind from Keil to Arhus - warm and sunny, I even went for a swim in the sea at Arhus.

<ul type="square"> Date : Time : From : To : Passage Time : Dist : Wind
06-Sep-02 11:30 Faversham Helgoland 81 hr 30 405.0 SE 3-7
10-Sep-02 10:00 Helgoland R Elbe (Brunsbuttle) 10 hr 0 52.0 E 2-3
11-Sep-02 10:00 Brunsbuttle Kiel 9 hr 30 40.0 E 2-3
11-Sep-02 20:00 Kiel Arhus 30 hr 0 120.0 E 3-4 [/list]

 

[trouville]

Ive been told May onwards, im going to be in Denmark where ive found several folkboats,which seem to be just what im looking for. If i buy one of them ill be getting it ready during June July, but ive been told August and september are still good sailing months there, as for the North sea im not sure, Im looking at place to leave the boat over winter, but it seems you must join a club.

To retern to Europe i intend to use the canals??I hope there not to bad for small craft.Which would meen you can stay in the Baltic untill september then take the canals back to where you want,to cross, to the UK.
For me the main fear of the north sea is not the weather,but the shipping,theres so much of it and there so fast that at night in a small boat without radar i would fear for my life imagin in rain or fog with a rough sea force 4 it would be very hard to keep a good watch--i hope the canals are safer!

 

[IanPoole2]

Have you read - "To the Batltic with Bob" by Griff Rees-Jones. Very good read and some useful "tips"

 

[AliM]

We did it last year right at the end of April, arriving in Aarhus in May. Nice easy North Sea crossing, Felixstowe to Den Helder, not too crowded in the Friesian island harbours, and decent F3-4 south westerly for much of the way (except the North Sea bit, which was on the nose). We came back in late August - and had to retreat into the dutch canals for a few days, but its easy enough to do. We crossed back from Den Helder on the first day when the wind died down 1-2 September, straight to Burnham on Crouch. Another quiet crossing.

The North Sea crossing is fine for shipping - there's not that much of it, compared to a Channel crossing, and there's less fog risk. We saw a few big ships, but you can see them miles away and decide at leisure whether you need to take any action (we never needed to). Crossing the Channel, we saw dozens of ships - the North Sea was much easier.

 

[trouville]

I was thinking of the channel crossing!! And since ive seen a shipping program about Hamburg, and the comeing and going, i imagined it to be far worse than the Channel!!
Anyway in my case i want to spend (the boat) a year up there,then i HAVE to go to visit it from time to time!!Then i will bring it back to France via the canals.

 

[roger]

In August, around Stockholm, the days are getting significantly shorter by the 15th, Finnish marinas are closing down - empty shelves in some Aland marinas by 1st August.
July is of course incredibly busy.
Further south the weather is likely to be warmer.
The canals are not an entirely safe option because of the risks to your boat in the locks. If the mast is down it will stick out over the ends and be vulnerable. Also progress will be slow.
The North Sea coast north of Holland and Germany is ok from the point of view of shipping if inshore of the separation zones but you do need good weather.

 

[AliM]

Yes, there are big ships along the Elbe to Hamburg, but you can easily keep to the side of the channel and that leaves plenty of room. You just have to pick a good day because you have to catch the tide (it runs at 5 knots or so), and you do not want a wind-against-tide in anything above F4. We had about a F4 SW when we were coming out, and it was a bit bumpy but OK. More would have been uncomfortable. You can always try the Eider, or wait at Helgoland for the right conditions.

We expected it to be difficult, but it wasn't. Perhaps we were just lucky!
Good luck.

 

[Guest]

Smoke maker indeed !!!

I have you know that that engine is now replaced with a Milder version !!!

As to decent sailing boat .......... you are more than welcome to try your hand on my racer ..... which I have you know won the Baltsail Regatta in Tallinn 2003 by clear margin !!

My smoke maker as you call it is for the lazy stuff !!! and to save marina fees for once !! If I can get her to my own private mooring in my back garden - what could be better ????

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Guest]

Weather at home at moment ...

Ranging from -10 to +4 .... snowing and freezing / thawing .... can't seemj to make its mind up ! Where am I ?? Ventspils .......... I tyhink I'll leave it a bit before freezing my proverbials ..... middle summer sounds about right when I look out window !!

Trip is expected to take 3 weeks plus.

 

[ponapay]

I have sailed in the Baltic and Kattegat for the last six years.

We left Aarhus area inon May 1st for Stockholm, everything was peaceful and quiet at all the harbours until mid-June then it started to get busy. We carried on to the Aland Iskands and Finland and Estonia. We eventually departed Helsinki in mid September for Stockholm where we overwintered.

We encountered few gales, had mostly warm dry weather and had about three days of wet weather in 10 weeks. We did come across a tornado in Lohusalu, it put off most of the shore power (one phase of three anyway) and did 140 miles of damage.

We met G Rhys-Jones in Gothenburg and discussed both our cruises, his seems to have been more dramatic.

Leaving UK is the difficult bit, the Baltic is easy - there are plenty of harbours, they are all very reasonable and delighted to see British boats. Mind you it might be best to miss Arkosund unless they have got a new HM (she is notorious throughout Sweden and our encounter with her was memorable).

PM me if you want any more, but will be off air from Friday for 6 weeks (away sailing).