Will we hit a rock in the Baltic?

Otter

Otter

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 Nov 2004
Messages
10,931
Location
Norfolk
Visit site
I know there's millions of them, I know most aren't buoyed, but are they all on the charts? We are travelling there for a new cruising ground and I've heard it said that everyone hits one eventually. Is it worth putting bow protection on - we've long keel - I was thinking a tek dek 2 inch by 2 inch D moulding sikaflexed in place. Worth it or just up the insurance :)

Our first year's cruising ground will be all in Danish/north German waters.
 
Yes, of course you will. That is, if you believe the Swedes.

We've been sailing in the Southern Baltic for years and haven't hit one yet, and even a few trips up the Swedish west coast hasn't spoiled our duck. The Danish/German waters are pretty free of actual rocks, though the charts often mark the bottom as being rocky or stony. You will see some passages within the Danish Islands with narrow channels and a marked depth of 2.1m. These channels are sometimes out of bounds to charterers, but the depths are as marked and are guaranteed (at normal water levels). A problem when navigating these passages is that the sounder may read very shallow depths. When your nerve has recovered, you will find that this is due to thick weed, through which your keel is happily passing.

You will also see warnings about differing depths, up to a metre. I think most of these changes happen during winter storms and I have only experinced small chnges in summer sailing.

If you venture into one of the rocky areas, you might like to try my method. In a day's journey, there will only be a few rocks that matter, often two or three. All the others, although they look alarming on the chart, will either show above the surface or be deeper than your keel. I therefore use a highlight pen to mark those few rocks that matter on the chart. I can therefore sail happily in the knowledge that if I don't hit anything I can actually see, nothing else matters, except those specially noted.
 
The charts do look a bit scary, but in practice there are only a few places you will be that close to the ones that are just hiding under the surface. It's a good place for eyeball nav with a chart in the cockpit as you need to be aware of which island you are passing and where you are. Just don't do this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1s4qoYKCqM
 
Oh yes, the Tjorn runt. Non-swedes would be well advised not to try this. A local genetic anomaly resulting in total loss of brain function is needed.
 
On Swedish and Finnish charts the safe routes with an authorised draught are all marked. At times you've got to have faith. I've seen the echo sounder go 80m-50m-3m-2m-80m in as much time as it takes to say it whilst following one route in Finland.

You do need to keep your wits about you and not lose track of which buoy or rock you're passing. The moment you're lost it gets rather difficult.

Buoys are pretty small in most cases in inshore waters and not readily differentiated from afar. Most are just sticks, so top marks are pretty rare and when the wind gets up the buoy can be nearly on its side. You'll often see little white pegs on nearby islets, which they seem to use for re-positioning the buoys each summer - these can be useful to check if it is off station.

As I said, the charts are marked with routes and authorised draughts for each of those. They're well marked, with buoys or transits, but rocks are used as 'marks' too. e.g. turn to port after the third rock on the left. Don't go off piste. If a part of the chart looks rather blank, don't go there. There's whole rock strewn areas that aren't surveyed, but that isn't a problem as the channel through will be well charted.

Be particularly careful when approaching inshore areas from the open sea. Make sure you really know exactly where you are. Doubly & triply sure. The buoys and rocks can look alike.
 
Neil_Y said:
The charts do look a bit scary, but in practice there are only a few places you will be that close to the ones that are just hiding under the surface. It's a good place for eyeball nav with a chart in the cockpit as you need to be aware of which island you are passing and where you are. Just don't do this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1s4qoYKCqM
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. A spinnacker sure has a way to make you go in a different direction to what you want. I would have pulled spin down under those conditions. All very well with plenty of water around. Those rocks look horrible. Certainly if OP is crusing a steady controllable pace would be best. Obviously. olewill
 
Lazy Kipper said:
I know there's millions of them, I know most aren't buoyed, but are they all on the charts? We are travelling there for a new cruising ground and I've heard it said that everyone hits one eventually. Is it worth putting bow protection on - we've long keel - I was thinking a tek dek 2 inch by 2 inch D moulding sikaflexed in place. Worth it or just up the insurance :)

Our first year's cruising ground will be all in Danish/north German waters.
Click to expand...

I spent some time driving a survey vessel from Denmark to Germany (Putgarden) & back, going right up the beach into 5m before turning.
Mostly muddy gravel. Your main threat, is likely to be the shipping lanes, where the traffic is crazy.
Also lots of heavy unmarked wooden stakes inshore.
 
Neil_Y said:
The charts do look a bit scary, but in practice there are only a few places you will be that close to the ones that are just hiding under the surface. It's a good place for eyeball nav with a chart in the cockpit as you need to be aware of which island you are passing and where you are. Just don't do this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1s4qoYKCqM
Click to expand...
Tjörn is not in the Baltic, it's on the Swedish West Coast :)

This video i shot during the Around Tjörn race in 2009, some of the daring shallow draft boats decided to take a short cut. Some bad navigators decided to follow without considering there own draft (daft).

One important rule - do your own navigation. Don't assume that the boat you are following has the same draft as you or that she is going to the same destination.

This is better videos from Tjörn Rundt
https://youtu.be/gTe1izR1Gsc
https://youtu.be/eBm5NaPzUkk
 
Lazy Kipper said:
Is it worth putting bow protection on - we've long keel - I was thinking a tek dek 2 inch by 2 inch D moulding sikaflexed in place. Worth it or just up the insurance :)
Click to expand...
Not planning to run directly at the visible rocks are you? :)
It's the submerged ones that is somewhat closer to the surface than your draft that is dangerous
The Swedes have developed a "SHOCK-ABSORBING KEEL- PROTECTION FOR SAILING-BOATS" read more here http://www.svenskakoster.se/page6/index.html#
 
Last edited:
johnalison said:
We British are very broad-minded and don't like to make narrow distinctions, hence Egypt is part of Asia and Canada part of the United States, so don't worry overmuch.
Click to expand...
Sorry for confusing you British, in my former life as navy officer my experience was that our NATO allied was well versed in geography - but it might not be true for all navigators :)
It's almost as as accurate as naming the Irish sea the North Atlantic :confused:
Definitions by Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skagerrak
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kattegat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_straits
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_Sea
 
If I was confused when I sailed to Stromstad, it certainly wasn't by the beer, at 2.8%, more likely I was too busy trying to avoid rocks, or maybe distracted by the blonde maidens who came to collect my harbour dues.
 
johnalison said:
If I was confused when I sailed to Stromstad, it certainly wasn't by the beer, at 2.8%, more likely I was too busy trying to avoid rocks, or maybe distracted by the blonde maidens who came to collect my harbour dues.
Click to expand...
So you didn't manage to locate a Systembolaget shop? https://www.systembolaget.se/English/
If you like drinks with more than 2.8% you must go one of these shops.
 
knuterikt said:
So you didn't manage to locate a Systembolaget shop? https://www.systembolaget.se/English/
If you like drinks with more than 2.8% you must go one of these shops.
Click to expand...

Indeed I did. My first attempt was in 2000. You went into this anonymous-looking edifice and were actually allowed to see bottles, but since they were behind glass in cabinets, not allowed to touch them. A catalogue consisting of nothing else but a list of drinks and their prices was was you chose from, so I decided on a couple of wine boxes that my currency allowance would run to and went to the desk. There I came face to face with a very fierce woman, who may have been an SS guard in her earlier life and gave my order, something like "one 3854 and one 2190 please. After a short while, she returned from some secret place with a plain plastic bag with my two orders inside. I then used up my currency and departed with my shameful purchase. Amazingly, the Stromstad systemwhatsit had a reputation of being the busiest in Sweden, due to the hordes of alcohol-starved Norwegians that came there to shop. (Things have changed, and you are now allowed to touch the bottles before purchase.)
 
lpdsn said:
On Swedish and Finnish charts the safe routes with an authorised draught are all marked. At times you've got to have faith. I've seen the echo sounder go 80m-50m-3m-2m-80m in as much time as it takes to say it whilst following one route in Finland.

You do need to keep your wits about you and not lose track of which buoy or rock you're passing. The moment you're lost it gets rather difficult.

Buoys are pretty small in most cases in inshore waters and not readily differentiated from afar. Most are just sticks, so top marks are pretty rare and when the wind gets up the buoy can be nearly on its side. You'll often see little white pegs on nearby islets, which they seem to use for re-positioning the buoys each summer - these can be useful to check if it is off station.

As I said, the charts are marked with routes and authorised draughts for each of those. They're well marked, with buoys or transits, but rocks are used as 'marks' too. e.g. turn to port after the third rock on the left. Don't go off piste. If a part of the chart looks rather blank, don't go there. There's whole rock strewn areas that aren't surveyed, but that isn't a problem as the channel through will be well charted.

Be particularly careful when approaching inshore areas from the open sea. Make sure you really know exactly where you are. Doubly & triply sure. The buoys and rocks can look alike.
Click to expand...

Spot on. We took a yacht out of Muskö around the Archipelago. It was chartered by a Swedish friend who was not a sailor. The boat owner did not speak English and my Swedish extends to 'Hej', however nautical information didn't take too long - she draws 1.7m, here are the paper charts, here is the compass. That was it!!! After the initial shock of actually having to navigate again without a chart plotter we had a very enjoyable trip. There were occasions when my missus had to stand on the bow guiding us in past some of the 'sticks' but generally nav was straightforwards. A beautiful place to sail.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top