Boating on the Baltic Sea

See also: Nordic history

The Baltic Sea is a young sea. It has changed from fresh water lake to salt water or brackish sea several times during the last 10,000 years. The effects of the Ice Age can be seen at many locations. The post-glacial rebound (see Nordic countries#Understand) is still noticeable in the northern areas, especially in the Kvarken area in the Gulf of Bothnia, a World Heritage Site.

In the Viking Age, Scandinavian seafarers sailed over the Baltic and by the Russian rivers all the way to the Mediterrean and Caspian Sea (in addition to voyages by the Atlantic Ocean).

In the middle ages the German Hanseatic League dominated trade on the Baltic; many of the important ports today were members of the league.

In the late 17th century most of the coast belonged to or was controlled by Sweden.

When steam replaced sail on most trades in the late 19th century, sailships continued to be used in several countries by the Baltic Sea. Germany had cargo carrying schoolships, such as Herzogin Cecilie of Norddeutscher Lloyd Bremen and Passat of the Flying P-Line (now in Travemünde). Gustaf Erikson of Åland was the last major sailing ship shipowner, maintaining a fleet of big sailing ships to the 1940s (Pommern can be seen in Mariehamn). Small wooden sailships for coastal trade endured to the 1950s.

The Baltic Sea remains a very important trade route for the countries by the coasts.

English is the language of the sea, at least of this sea. In most countries announcements for seafarers and yachters are made in English in addition to any local languages. Knowing local languages is useful for getting most out of listening to VTS (noting key locations and figuring out how they are pronounced may help a bit). German, Danish and Swedish are Germanic languages like English, so you should be able to understand fragments of the conversation regardless.

On shore, English is well known in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and by young people also in the other countries. Elder people in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland understand Russian, but may not be eager to use the language. There are also big ethnically Russian populations in the three Baltic countries. German used to be a common foreign language in most of the countries with Baltic coastlines but is increasingly losing ground to English. However, especially in Nordic countries you will have a reasonable chance of encountering people who speak it. While Poland, the Baltic countries and to some extent even Russia used to have big German speaking minorities, most of them have either left or been absorbed into the national culture and hence your chances of encountering native German speakers in those countries are slim.

Generally the qualification you need for a yacht at home should be enough for skippering it in the Baltic. Documentation may be needed. For bare boat chartering also the rules of the flag country apply. Documented competence may of course make bare boat chartering of a big yacht easier whether formally required or not.

The main document about competence as skipper of pleasure craft is the International Certificate for Operators of Pleasure Craft ("ICC"), which is valid for sailing or motor vessels up to a stated size, for either inland or coastal waters. It is officially recognized by Finland, Germany, Lithuania and Poland, but in practice also elsewhere. On inland waters other than in Finland or Sweden you may need the ICC with a mark for inland waters (signifying knowledge of the CEVNI regulations). If you need it for the Baltic Sea you should have the coastal waters mark.

Skippering a normal yacht requires no formal qualification in e.g. Denmark, Finland and Sweden, with Danish flag for yachts under 15m that are not "speedboats", in Finland "sufficient age and skills" [minimum 15 years] up to 24 m. Voluntary half-official exams are quite common. In Estonia you need documented competence according to your flag state rules. Check requirements for other countries.

If the boat has marine VHF radio, a licence for the boat (including a call sign, and MMSI number if applicable) and one for the operator (normally Short Range Certificate, SRC, covering also DSC) is needed.

See also: #Boating in Denmark

There are three sounds between Jutland, the main Danish islands and Sweden, from west to east: The Little Belt, the Great Belt and Øresund, all connecting the North Sea to the Baltic Sea via Skagerak, Kattegat and the Danish and German archipelago. There are huge bridges over all of them. Note currents and keep away from the heavy traffic.

See also: #Vänern and Vättern

The Göta canal goes through picturesque landscapes of Sweden, from Gothenburg to Söderköping, via Sweden's biggest lakes Vänern and Vättern, connecting Skagerrak and Kattegat to the central parts of the Baltic Sea, somewhat south of the Stockholm Archipelago. An important industrial transport route throughout the 19th century, it is now used mainly by leisure craft.

The Kiel Canal (known in German as the Nord-Ostsee-Kanal, "North-Sea–Baltic-Sea-Canal") is one of the busiest waterways in the world, connecting the North Sea to the southern Baltic Sea. You enter via the mouth of Elbe, at Brunsbüttel. The eastern end is in Kiel.

Rivers and canal systems connect the Baltic Sea with the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterrean Sea. The CEVNI rules apply, with special regulations in the Kiel Canal and on the biggest rivers.

Vikings used the Russian waterways to get to the Black Sea and Caspian Sea. Parts of these routes can still be used. Check possible need for special permits, which may be difficult to get.

The White Sea–Baltic Canal connects the Arctic Ocean to the Baltic Sea, via Lake Onega, Lake Ladoga and Saint Petersburg, mostly by rivers and lakes.

Lake Onega is also connected to Volga, so coming from the Caspian Sea through Russia is still possible.

You can charter a yacht in most of the bigger towns along the coast and in inland archipelagos. You may want to check what documents about your qualifications the company wants, and whether there are restrictions on use of the vessel. If the boat has marine VHF radio, you need an operator's licence.

Crewed chartering is considered expensive. Usually full service charter is offered for a day trip, while bare boat chartering is the norm for longer journeys. You might get a skipper for your one-week charter by asking, but unless you ask for (and pay) full service, you should not assume he will wash your dishes.

Prices for bare boat coastal yacht charter in Finland can be expected to be in the €1000–5000 range for a week, depending on boat, season etcetera. These boats usually have toilet, cooking facilities and 4–8 berths. Typical yachts and prices vary between countries and waterways, as does quality of equipment and service. Take your time to choose. If you have only little time, local offers should suffice.

"Handy size" is good. Not being able to enter that otherwise ideal anchorage because of draft or having to choose another route because of a bridge is a shame. This is more important in some waters than in others.

As explained above, there should be no routine border controls other than in certain circumstances, except for Russia and at initial entry. It seems arrival has still to be reported at least in Poland.

For border controls going to or coming from Russian ports, see Boating in Finland#Gulf of Finland, the section Boating in Russia and Russia#Get in.

For Kaliningrad Oblast, check customs facilities near the previous and next port on your route.

With a weapon, a dog or other special goods, check the rules for individual countries.

Markings follow the international INT A standard (leave red marks at left when entering a harbour) with minor deviations. The "chart" INT 1 for each country has complete information on the symbols used etc., in the standard format.

You need detailed coastal charts (1:50,000, sometimes more) for the Finnish and Swedish archipelagos. Small scale charts can be handy for planning the voyage, but are useless for navigation in many areas.

Electronic charts can be used, but should normally not be the only ones: pleasure craft generally lack necessary electronic backup systems and have too small displays – essential details may be hidden when zooming out. The latter is especially important in Finnish and Swedish waters, with lots of small rocks.

Notices to Mariners are generally available online, bilingual with English. The notices include notifications of damaged navigational aids, firing exercises, updates to charts etc. For some countries temporary warnings are also listed separately. These are also mostly broadcast as Navtex messages.

For the river and canal systems of Germany, Poland and Russia, acquaint yourself with the CEVNI rules and check local regulations.

Finland and Sweden have large archipelagos, which means rules for inner waters cover extensive coastal areas. Some of these are good to know also for visiting yachts.

Small vessels are not required to have sidelights and can carry their toplight low. Thus a white light often means a quite fast motorboat, with the driver possibly obstructing the light at some courses. Do not rely on him keeping a steady course. Luckily the nights are often light and, regardless, if your lights are in order, he should see you. In Sweden lights have to be used from dusk to dawn instead of from sunset to sunrise, saving you an hour worth of electricity.

In Finland motoring boats with sails set have to use the day shape. In Sweden no day shapes need to be used by small enough vessels.

In Sweden boats without sidelights should keep away from bigger vessels in fairways. In Finland boats of less than 7m should if possible give way for vessels over 12m in fairways. Pleasure craft keep away for professional ones also as a matter of good manners. None of these rules apply when vessels are close enough for COLREG obligations to dictate behaviour, but freighters, ferries and other commercial craft are usually unable to stop or safely give way, as they are confined to the fairway regardless of not having the associated lights or day shapes.

Lights and day shapes are not required in safe anchorages away from traffic.

Among the signal flags, you should know A (diver, keep away) and L (stop, shown by police, coast guard etc.).

Mooring, at least in the north, is mostly with the bow towards the shore or quay and a buoy (or the anchor) behind the stern. Local yachts often have arrangements for easy passage to shore from the bow and a rod with a hook and latch for easy fastening to the buoy. In Denmark, with crowded marinas, it is customary to moor side by side and walk over the yachts in between to get to the quay. Have a light foot, especially if returning late.

There are a few archipelagos in southern Sweden, including those at Bohuslän, Gothenburg and Karlskrona, while most of it has a quite smooth shoreline. The entry to Göta canal is by the river Göta älv, with its mouth in Gothenburg.

• Bohuslän (by Skagerrak)
• Ystad
• Simrishamn
• Karlskrona
• Kalmar

Large islands by the Swedish coast

• Öland
• Gotland; the Gotland runt regatta around the island is one of the big sailing events on the Baltic. Visby has a busy marina. It was a hub for shipping on the Baltic Sea in the Middle Ages and has preserved much of its historic centre. Gotland's position is still strategic, a popular destination and common waypoint on journeys to Finland and Estonia.

See also: Stockholm Archipelago

There is a large archipelago starting more or less with Öja (Landsort) some 50 nautical miles north of Gotland and extending to Arholma in Norrtälje. The main leisure craft fairway south to north, from Landsort via Kanholmsfjärden, Husaröleden and Blidösund to Arholma, has a length of more than 80 nautical miles. The archipelago has some 24,000 islands and islets on an area of 1,700 km².

The Baltic Sea end of the Göta canal is nearby to the south (in Söderköping). The southern entry to Lake Mälaren is through Södertälje canal, with Södertälje in a long narrow bay of the southern Stockholm archipelago. The other entry to Mälaren is through Stockholm itself.

The Åland islands and the Archipelago Sea in Finland are close by: the passage over the Sea of Åland from the north end of the Stockholm archipelago is short enough for nearly any vessel on the right day. Thus these three archipelagos could be seen as one destination, in fact continuing along the Gulf of Finland all the way to Saint Petersburg.

The archipelagos share many characteristics. There are myriads of tiny islets, interspersed with bigger islands with villages or even towns. The nature is varied, with harsh rocky islands in the outer archipelago and lush vegetation in the sheltered parts of the bigger ones. There are lots of summer cottages, yachts, tour boats and marinas. Stockholm Archipelago is by far the busiest, but even here there are many areas with little traffic.

Navigation is demanding, because of the relatively shallow waters and the many rocks and islets, but fairways are well marked and charts reliable at least in the busier areas. Once one is acquainted with the challenge, the archipelago offers nice sailing with constantly changing views. Many people cruise here for weeks every summer, still finding new places to visit.

• Öja – the lighthouse of Landsort marks the southern tip of the Stockholm archipelago
• Utö – an outer-archipelago idyllic island with a closed-down silver mine, and remnants from the mining industry. Do not confuse with Utö in Finland, across the sea.
• Sandön – the largest island in the outer archipelago, with the town Sandhamn known for its summer nightlife and base for the royal yacht club, an important sailing destination.
• Dalarö
• ...
• Furusund — an island where Astrid Lindgren, August Strindberg and many other writers and painters spent their summers. Norröra and Söderöra are in the same region, off Norrtälje.
• Väddö kanal – a long narrow passage between Väddö and the mainland, with canal passages, small lakes and wetlands, and corresponding countryside landscapes and wildlife. The northern end is near Grisslehamn, with Eckerö across the Sea of Åland.

If crossing the Sea of Åland to Finland, note change of timezone and currency. Though the passage is short, with southerly or northerly winds the seas can be rough indeed. Depending on your vessel, you might want to have some extra days to wait for (the very common) westerly winds.

Lake Mälaren, accessible via Stockholm and the Södertälje canal, has a complex archipelago with thousands of islands and islets, somewhat resembling the Finnish lake systems. It is third in area of the Swedish lakes. Ekerö is a municipality of islands, containing the Drottningholm Palace, as well as Viking-Age city Birka.

Göta Kanal gives access to the two biggest lakes of Sweden, Vänern and Vättern.

Höga kusten ("the high coast") in the north part of the Bothnian Sea is a world heritage site together with the Finnish Kvarken archipelago. It is a popular destination for Swedish (and Ostrobothnian) yachters, which means there are facilities along all the coast. On the Swedish side the sea is often deep even close to the shore.

As the Gulf of Bothnia is sheltered by the Scandinavian mountains, winds are mostly quite light, especially in the (light) night.

If circumnavigating the Bothnian Sea, going counterclockwise may be the better option, because of coastal currents of 0,2–0,3 knots, giving a bonus of 50 nautical miles compared to going clockwise.

Bothnian Bay (Perämeri, Bottenviken) up north is where Sweden and Finland meet. Spring comes late up here, with restrictions on freighter traffic still in effect (ice class IA required) in middle May a typical year.

• Inland entity: Northern Ostrobothnia
• Harbor map @ guestharbours.fi - Set G, Bothnian Bay 46 harbors
• Coastal cities:
  • Tornio (Torneå) at the border to Sweden, the oldest town in Finnish Lapland, with charter from 1621.
  • Kemi
  • Oulu (Uleåborg), a university town at the mouth of Oulujoki, the biggest city in northern Finland and the fourth biggest metropolitan area in the country by population. Guest harbour in the heart of the city. Oulu is the city where Jarkko Oikarinen wrote the first irc server and client in August 1988.
  • Raahe (Brahestad)

The Kvarken Archipelago (Merenkurkku, Kvarken) is an UNESCO world heritage site and naturally very beautiful. Postglacial rebound (nearly a centimetre a year) causes the shallow seabed to rise, uncovering pristine new land every year. The land forms (seen as islands, capes, rock deposits and reefs) were created by the ice age glacier.

Because of the northern latitude, there are no dark nights in most of the summer: dusk becomes dawn and the sun rises again. The skies are also often clear; the area is one with most sun hours in Finland. The water is clean, and as it is shallow it becomes quite warm (18–21°C south of Vaasa).

• Inland entity: Ostrobothnia
• Harbour map @ guestharbours.fi - Set F, Kvarken lists 51 harbors
• Coastal cities:
  • Kokkola (Karleby), which had one of the largest merchant fleets in Finland during the 18th century and was a major producer of tar and ships. Large well preserved wooden old town.
  • Jakobstad (Pietarsaari), home to the Nautor Swan, nearby Larsmo is home to Baltic Yachts.
  • Vaasa (Vasa), the main town of Ostrobothnia. Good service for yachts. The main Kvarken archipelago is in the surroundings, out to Fäliskär, Norrskär and Valsörarna.

• Bothnian Sea (Selkämeri, Bottenhavet)
• Inland entity Satakunta
• Harbour map @ guestharbours.fi - Set E, Bothnian lists 22 guest harbors.
• Coastal cities:
  • Vaasa (Vasa)
  • Pori (Björneborg) 61°37,0’N, 21°26,4’E hosts the Pori Jazz festival on 9-17th July
  • Rauma (Raumo) 61˚8,85'N 21˚28,145'E
• Other destinations:
  • Bothnian Sea National Park covers a long stretch of archipelago along nearly all the Bothnian Sea coast. Some of the islands have services, and a couple of lighthouses and a former coastal fort can be visited.

Åland is an autonomic demilitarized island group with tight connections to both Finland and Sweden, on the route to Stockholm if coming from east.

• Harbour map @ guestharbours.fi - Set C, Åland islands lists 30 harbors. The Great Harbour Book has a volume on Åland with 140 harbours (including natural harbours).

Coming from Sweden, across the Sea of Åland, the main points of entry are Eckerö and the capital Mariehamn (with two marinas, choose in time). Most people cruise the southern and eastern archipelago, north of the main islands you will be quite alone, although there are villages also here. Thanks to the autonomy and small population, there are much less summer cottages in Åland than in Sweden or Finland proper.

Archipelago Sea (Skärgårdshavet, Saaristomeri) is a scenic and serene classic. It is explorable also with bicycle and car because of the network of small ferries connecting the bigger islands, but with boat all of it is in reach.

• Harbour map @ guestharbours.fi - Set D, Archipelago of Turku lists 91 harbors. The Great Harbour Book has a volume on the Archipelago Sea with 140 harbours (including some natural harbours). See also visitsaaristo.net.
• Inland entity: Finland Proper.
• Coastal cities:
  • Uusikaupunki, the main town of the Vakka-Suomi region, an important ship building and shipping centre in the 19th century. Empire style wooden old town.
  • Naantali. The President of the Republic of Finland has his summerplace Kesäranta within sight, the Muumimaa Moomin Troll Theme Park is a hit with the kids, and there is a wooden old town with shops, cafés, exhibitions and restaurants. Not accessible with height over 16.5 m. With mast over 11 m, check which route to use.
  • Turku, former capital and the main city in the region, at the mouth of the Aurajoki river.
  • Pargas, in the archipelago, with bridge connection to the mainland.

The archipelago is a wonderful place for small craft cruising. Mostly the waters are open enough for relaxed sailing, but the landscape is constantly changing. There are myriads of islands to land on when you feel like, and guest harbours not too far away.

Most waters are sheltered, so with some care and checking weather forecasts you might get along with any vessel. For longer journeys a yacht with cooking and sleeping facilities is nice – and the most common choice – but if you did not come with one, also a smaller vessel, even a kayak, can be a good choice. Regardless of craft there are always new places to explore.

You should definitively visit minor islands. Utö, (Korpo-)Jurmo and (Nagu-)Nötö are classics not to miss if nearby, while countless others are nice as well. See Archipelago Sea.

The Gulf of Finland stretches from Hanko to Saint Petersburg, a distance of some 220 nautical miles, while the distance across it easily can be covered in a day

There is an archipelago along much of the northern coast, giving shelter from the sea unless you choose an outer route. It is similar to the Archipelago Sea, but much more narrow; you will see the horizon every now and then even keeping to the inner fairways. The route from Helsinki via Hanko to the Archipelago Sea and back is used by countless yachts from the Helsinki regions, so the fairways and marinas are quite busy. There are several nice towns along the coast.

• Inland entity: Uusimaa
• Harbour map @ guestharbours.fi - Set B, Parainen (Pargas) - Helsinki lists 70 guest marinas from Pargas to Helsinki
• Harbour map @ guestharbours.fi - Set A Virojoki - Helsinki lists 58 guest marinas east of Helsinki
• Coastal cities
  • Hanko, on a peninsula reaching out into the open sea. Former spa town and Finland's first winter harbour.
  • Helsinki, Finland's capital.
  • Porvoo(.fi) is a renowned destination with a well preserved old town by the Porvoo river's mouth.
  • Kotka is an old port and marina city. The apex of Kotka summer is the Kotkan Meripäivät(.com) in the end of July
• Other destinations
  • Ekenäs Archipelago National Park.
• Gulf of Finland National Park

There are many waterways consisting of at least partly labyrinthic archipelagos, with islands, capes, bays and narrows, in addition to the more or less open bodies of water. There are always things to explore off your channel, if you have the time. Lake shores and islands are popular for summer cottages, private or rentable, but there is so much shore that much of it is left alone.

Depending on intended routes, smaller craft than by the coast can be handy. On many lakes day sailors are common. Staying overnight in a tent or a hotel instead of in the boat is often a serious option – as is renting a cottage and using a small rowing or motor boat, sailing dinghy or canoe to explore the surroundings. That said, many of the lakes are large enough for comfortable sailing with proper yachts. Bridges and power lines restrict mast height. The lower the mast the better, but height over 12 m will seriously restrict your options. On the main shipping routes of Saimaa the limit is much higher (24m?).

Of the lake systems, only Saimaa is directly accessible from the sea by yacht (by the Saimaa Canal). For the other lakes you mostly have to charter a yacht or smaller boat locally.

Lake Saimaa is fifth largest in Europe, 1,147 to 4,377 km² depending on what is counted (443 to 1690 sq mi), with some 14,000 islands. The connected navigable waterways, also with big lakes, reach from Lappeenranta, where the canal ends, all the way to Mikkeli (South Savonia), Iisalmi (North Savonia) and Nurmes (North Karelia).

Other significant waterways in the Finnish lakeland include Vesijärvi–Päijänne–Keitele near Jyväskylä, Längelmävesi–Vanajavesi east and south of Tampere, and Näsijärvi–Ruovesi north of Tampere.

There are also large lakes farther north, the largest ones being Oulujärvi in Kainuu, and Inarijärvi. Both have national "hiking areas", with service for boaters and day trip hikers. Inarijärvi, with an area of 1,040 km² (400 sq mi) and some 3,000 islands, in sparsely populated northern Lapland, also includes part of Vätsäri wilderness area.

• The River Narva marks the Estonian-Russian border in East Estonia
• Lahemaa National Park by the coast in North Estonia
• Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, has many guest marinas. Tallinn was a strong trading port in the Hanseatic League in the medieval times. This was partially due to the extreme ease of sailing safely into and from the port of Tallinn on most winds as practically the whole Bay of Tallinn is deep and practically free of natural hazards on the approach, save a few exceptions easily avoided with modern charts. Tallinn is considerably more expensive than the rest of the country.
  • In the Old Town Marina at N 59°26,32' E 24°45,32' the medieval Old Town is only 15 minute walk away. The entrance to the Old Town Marina is actually through the same entrance in the wave breaker as the huge commercial ferries enter the busy passenger ports. There is a fish restaurant in the guest marina area and various competitively priced and well stocked stores, hotels and restaurants in the immediate vincinity.
  • Pirita on the western bank of River Pirita features 2 guest marinas. The Pirita Sailing and Recreation Centre was the home harbour of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games sailing events and is bustling with life in the summertime. Pirita is a larger complex with a very popular sandy beach, a hotel displaying the brash architectural aesthetics of the soviet of that era and some restaurants, pine forest walks and pop-up food wending in summertime. There is a very impressive ruin and a lovely botanical gardens just nearby.
    • Kalev Jaht Klubb with 20 quays for guests at N 59°28.23' E 24°49.10'
    • Pirita Olümpiapurjespordikeskus with 45 quays for guest vessels at N 59° 28,2' E 24° 49,2'.
• Laulasmaa is a small coastal village in North Estonia with nearby Lohusalu Marina N 59°23,2' E 24°12,6
• Paldiski used to be a highly closed military base in the soviet times.
• Nõva is a small coastal village in North Estonia
• Osmussaare is the last island before reaching the Western Estonian archipelago. It is mostly in natural state.

Hiiumaa and Saaremaa are the biggest islands of the West Estonian islands and hit destinations also for domestic holiday makers. Both offer sights of scenic beauty with vast unpassable juniper forests, meadows and leaf forests and important age old lighthouses. The history of these islands is interesting and the wood building style is a thing to see. Both islands are connected to the mainland with around the year service by small ferries and have various many good guest marinas. The water is shallow, so you mainly have to keep to the fairways, and navigate accurately at entry from the sea.

• Haapsalu is an old spa city famous for its mud bath treatments and castle ruins. Grand Holm MarinaN58°57.50' E23°31.61'
• Hiiumaa is renowned for its natural beauty and also important lighthouses (the Kõpu lighthouse is from 1531, third in age of active lighthouses worldwide). Vormsi is a smaller island between Hiiumaa and mainland.
• Saaremaa has populated history of 8,000 years and the island's main city is Kuressaare located on the south shore of the island. In the west is the scenic Vilsandi National Park with a small island of the same name..
• Muhu is an island between Saaremaa and the main land. Lounaranna Sadam guest harbour N58°32.458' E23°19.163 on the southern shore of Muhu.
• The Muhu straight between Hiiumaa and Vormsi and between Muhu and the continental Estonia is shallow with water depth rarely exceeding 10m anywhere but is a safe fairway to the Bay of Riga even for deeper swimming vessels. Naturally with calm seas the swimming water gets very warm in the waters of Muhu.
• Matsalu National Park is situated 30 miles south of Haapsalu on the mainland coast.
• Pärnu is renowned sunbathing city by the north of Bay of Riga, at the mouth of Pärnu river and on the Via Baltica.
• Kihnu is the largest island in the Gulf of Riga
• Kabli is a small coastal town 10 km (6.2 mi) north of the border to Latvia
• Ruhnu is a small island in the middle of the Gulf of Riga

To the west is the Irbe Strait towards south-western Latvia and onwards and to the southern end of the Bay of Riga is the Latvian capital Riga