• The week in pictures
• Recommended reading from the editorial team

Dear readers,

Religion and politics don't belong on board. I once picked up this phrase and have since nipped many an ideological discussion in the bud when the mood on board threatened to tip over. We want to sail, nothing more.

It's no secret that it's not always possible to simply flee from reality onto the water. On the contrary. There are situations where even sailors are forced to deal with political events.

The Baltic Sea National Park agreed by the black-green state government of Schleswig-Holstein last summer on the pages of the coalition agreement is one such case. Anyone who has ever familiarised themselves with the navigation regulations of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park is bound to be scared. Navigation is strictly prohibited in a number of areas there.

• Baltic Sea to become a national park, sailors face restrictions

In Kiel last Tuesday evening, I was able to experience that there is great uncertainty and concern, not only among water sports enthusiasts, but also among fishermen and the tourism industry, and even in the municipalities on the coast, that a Baltic Sea National Park could lead to the exclusion of people whose habitat the area to be protected has been up to now.

Around 300 stakeholders from a wide range of sectors attended this first kick-off of the planned consultations, on which the ministry intends to base whether and in what form a national park law will ultimately be introduced. Admittedly, this is a citizen-centred approach. Normally, such participation only takes place as part of the hearings during the formal legislative process.

Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt, whose staff at the event gave a very well prepared introduction to the various areas of the project, also emphasised that sailing is part of the culture of his federal state and that he sees no problem with sailing even in the core zone of the planned national park.

But I'm not sure how far this is intended. For example, whether it also includes the training of children and young people who are introduced to the sport on the shore, accompanied by motorised safety boats. Or whether cruising sailors, who often travel with a small crew and are therefore dependent on the use of a motor in some situations, are also taken into account. And what about the night at anchor? Will this experience of nature - one of the purposes of national parks according to the law - continue to be possible wherever it is today?

I have my doubts about this. And I can only hope that sailing is represented in the upcoming dialogue process with the ministry with competence and persuasiveness and that the consultation - the Latin word for deliberation - is actually not just intended to create acceptance for a project that has already been established.

In any case, we will keep a close eye on events and report on them.

Lasse Johannsen, Deputy Editor-in-Chief YACHT

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The week in pictures:

Recommended reading from the editorial team:

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