September routes from the Baltic

[Roy M]

In my bucket list of fantasy voyages, I'd like to cruise Sweden and the Baltic for a summer. But as the autumn approaches, I notice that nullschool.net shows powerful easterly winds leaving the Baltic, being replaced by more southerly and southwesterly winds as one approaches the English Channel, enroute to the escape mode to the Carribean. So, Carsten and Dockhead and other local denizens who frequent this area, what routes do you use to exit the Baltic in autumn?

[barnakiel]

They are mostly Westerlies on the exit. You can use Kiel canal or else you have to go thru the belts where you have good choice of ports on the up leg but fewer and more difficult ports on the down leg. For the above reason those who sail thru the belts generally avoid using Danish ports on the Western seaboard.

September there varies from year to year with some fine years and some extremely rough. You never know.

b.

[carstenb]

barnikel pretty much said it. Generally the winds in the Baltic and northen europe are from the southwest/west. Eastern winds are no so normal.

Best exit is the kiel canal, then either down along the german/dutch/french coast, cross the Biscay (before the end of september), alternative is exit kiel canal, cross to the UK and follow their coat down to the Biscay.


Either way - you end up sailing upwind (unless you are very lucky). You can take the "Standing Mast Canal" through the Netherlands and get a break from the channel.


It's not so bad - upwind against a gale in the English Channel - most enjoyable in a well-founded boat.




carsten

[CarstenWL]

cross the Biscay (before the end of september)

As Carsten said, you probably want to do this. The problem is really getting to the Baltic 'in time' (depending on where you leave) and how to get back to warmer climates.

The Baltic is beautiful but the season is very short (even in the 'westerly Baltic' around Kiel). It starts mid May and last until mid September. But even in May and September you might have temps in the one digit °C range at night ... Yes, there will be nice sunny days also in October once in a while but ...

So if you really want to sail the Baltic 'only one season' you will encounter not optimal conditions on the way to or from the Baltic (if you do not want to shorten the already short sailing saison in the Baltic).

But go for it - the Baltic is hard to beat (this is from someone who was raised on the Baltic shore but also sailed/lived quite a bit in the Caribbean) - if only the season would last longer ...

Carsten

[carstenb]

I forgot.

I'd strongly advise against going up through the Danaish belts and around Skagen to come down the west coast of Denmark. There are few harbors there and the North Sea can be very challenging unless you particualrly like really nasty weather and gales (or worse).


Take the kiel canal - much easier.

[hoppy]

Whilst the Baltic experts are on this thread, sometimes I've thought about taking my boat to Sweden from the med to have one summer season there (possibly having 2 winters hauled out in Stockholm). As part of this idea, I would transport it one direction and sail it the other.

What I've wondered is which direction would be the best and easiest way to sail? Med-Swe or Swe-Med?

The timing of the sail would be done to suit the conditions. i.e. if going to the Med in Spring was the best, then I could plan to truck the boat to the Baltic in winter/spring, sail from Germany to Stockholm spending the summer there and then haul out for winter before leaving Stockholm the following Spring...

A change of circumstances is making it possible that I'll be back living and working in Stockholm again with my liveaboard sail to Aus plans shelved for the moment.

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by hoppy

Whilst the Baltic experts are on this thread, sometimes I've thought about taking my boat to Sweden from the med to have one summer season there (possibly having 2 winters hauled out in Stockholm). As part of this idea, I would transport it one direction and sail it the other.

What I've wondered is which direction would be the best and easiest way to sail? Med-Swe or Swe-Med?

The timing of the sail would be done to suit the conditions. i.e. if going to the Med in Spring was the best, then I could plan to truck the boat to the Baltic in winter/spring, sail from Germany to Stockholm spending the summer there and then haul out for winter before leaving Stockholm the following Spring...

A change of circumstances is making it possible that I'll be back living and working in Stockholm again with my liveaboard sail to Aus plans shelved for the moment.

Hoppy




Since the winds in the channel/biscay are generally from the southwest - I'd say sailing up is the easiest.


going back, you might consider unstepping your mast and sailing down the rivers/canals to the med. I believe your boat draws 1.95. This means you will have to stay out of the smaller canals, but you can still use the big ones.


I've never done it, but have heard for others that it is enjoyable. Since sailing with the mast unstepped , but lying along your coachroof is a PITA, ship the mast (not terribly expensive) to Marsielles or similar. That way you have a motorboat, albeit one that draws deep.




carsten

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by carstenb

Hoppy




Since the winds in the channel/biscay are generally from the southwest - I'd say sailing up is the easiest.


going back, you might consider unstepping your mast and sailing down the rivers/canals to the med. I believe your boat draws 1.95. This means you will have to stay out of the smaller canals, but you can still use the big ones.


I've never done it, but have heard for others that it is enjoyable. Since sailing with the mast unstepped , but lying along your coachroof is a PITA, ship the mast (not terribly expensive) to Marsielles or similar. That way you have a motorboat, albeit one that draws deep.




carsten

Thanks...

A former colleague motored his Bavaria 34 south to Marsielles a couple of years ago. They took two 4/5 week summer vacations to do it wintering in Paris because they took it easy and stopped a lot. Personally I don't think I could handle the constant drone of the motor and the need to be constantly behind the helm.

I got back into sailing because I got bored sh!tless with my Searay which even got boring at 47knots. So I'd rather put it on a truck

[CarstenWL]

... agree with carstenb ...

English Channel is orientated North East / South West and with winds from the westerly sector mostly you want to sail 'up' from the med.

I think rivers/canals back to the med would take quite some time (and good planning), trucking the boat down should be easily possible.

Regards,

Carsten