Mooring shortage, national park plans and more: How the situation is developing for sailors on the Baltic Sea
After the cold spring, the Baltic Sea season got off to a noticeably slower start than in previous years. Nevertheless, the harbours are filling up again. In 2023, marina operators in Schleswig-Holstein in particular are also reporting extremely high demand. "There are still waiting lists in all of our harbours," says Hans Jaich from the Im-Jaich Group, which has harbours in Eckernförde, Flensburg, Arnis, Lauterbach and Gustow, among others. Philipp Mühlenhardt from Sporthafen Kiel GmbH, operator of nine harbours in the fjord, reports: "Unfortunately, we were unable to fulfil the wishes of around 400 owners for a berth." With the exception of a handful of harbours, the situation was similar everywhere.
The vast majority have waiting lists, many over 100, sometimes 400 places long. But sailors should not be put off by this. Many customers apply in dozens of harbours. If a place is available, it is not uncommon for the first ten interested parties on the list to turn out to be already taken.
A tip for sailors without a pitch but with a boat: look for guest pitches over several weeks. This works well at the waterway rest areas in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. There are no permanent moorings there; everyone is allowed to stay for three weeks.
The planned Baltic Sea National Park is a hotly debated topic. Harbour operators and clubs are unsettled, especially as some of their facilities are already located in nature reserves. They are worried that these will eventually become a core zone. Some now want to vent their anger in open letters to the minister.
The following 40 points describe everything else that has happened on the coasts of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
1st Flensburg
Last year, the marina in Sonwik introduced the "Boatpark" app for reserving and paying for berths. Signs with a QR code are displayed at the entrance and in the harbour, otherwise via the app store. The tenant of the former café "K", now called "Frieda" and also a coffee roastery, is also new. Flensburger Yachtservice has two houseboats in its programme and is also offering electric boat hire as a day charter from this season. The boats have a length of six metres.
2. thousands
The approach to the Club Nautic harbour from the sea has been fitted with an additional pair of buoys. Too many visitors had previously turned in or out of the harbour too quickly after the last pair of buoys - and then promptly ran aground in two shallow places. Hopefully this is now finally a thing of the past.
3 Langballigau
The harbour entrance was dredged to the target depth shown on the charts.
4. wackerballig
The harbour has not yet found a new tenant for the formerly popular restaurant "Wackapulco", it remains deserted. But: there are still four permanent berths available! However, these are larger boxes measuring 12 by 4.6 metres. For information call 0151/58 51 00 68.
5. capes
The ferryman and tenant of the ferry at Arnis has fallen ill for a long time and the ferry service is currently suspended. Time and again, hikers and cyclists are stranded there. It is unclear when it will continue. And in Missunde, the old diesel ferry was due to be replaced with a modern electric ferry in May, but its delivery has been delayed. The current target date is 18 June. The ferry will be out of service for a few weeks during the conversion. Anyone who relies on the ferries to reach their berth should therefore check beforehand whether they are running: www.schleifaehremissunde.de , www.arnis.de.
The Schleiterrassen development area opposite the Henningsen & Steckmest shipyard now has its own harbour. The 120-place marina with pontoons on floating jetties and a spacious bridge was recently completed. However, it will be of no use to the master sailors in the waters: The pitches are being sold, primarily to house and flat owners in the development area. As things stand at present, there will be no guest moorings.
Ancker-Yachting built a new winter storage shed and a new mast storage facility in 2022, and this year self-storage rooms for owners who want to store equipment are being added. However, enquiries for winter storage are pointless, as the hall was fully booked long before completion. The marina's crane is also new: it can now lift 25 tonnes.
The ASC has completed its extensive renovation work, the final icing on the cake being the new canvas roofs with seating areas in front of the popular "Tauwerk" restaurant in the club building. The Findersen yacht yard to the south of the museum harbour has invested in a very pretty bistro resting on 60 piles right next to the harbour. The "Seagull" with its modern, chic ambience offers a fantastic view of the Schlei through the large window front, even in bad weather.
There is also seating outside and a cosy lounge corner - ideal for boat spotters. There is coffee, cake and a menu with around ten hot dishes. This gives the southern end of Kappeln a welcome catering alternative. Dinghies can moor directly at the foot of the "Seagull".
6. lindaunis
The Schlei's bottleneck, the old railway bridge, is finally history! The railway dismantled it in April and boats can now pass at any time. A temporary pedestrian bridge will be built by the summer, which can then be opened and closed. It will open four times a day. The permanent residents of Marina Lindaunis have so far taken the ordeal in their stride; the harbour is fully booked. Pier D has also been renovated.
7th Borgwedel
The pretty little harbour of the Borgwedel water sports club on the Große Breite just outside Schleswig has been given a new jetty.
8th Fleckeby
With the help of funding, the water sports club has built a brand new, attractive clubhouse with new sanitary facilities. Visitors will now find a modern, contemporary club building that still has a rustic, maritime feel thanks to the sawn-off dinghy bow above the bar.
9. steam
The 18-boat charter fleet of Real Sailing, formerly based on Fehmarn, has moved to Damp because owner Martin Jannsen is taking over the service operation of the Damp Yacht Centre. Its winter storage hall is just a few hundred metres down the road from the harbour. The berths for the charter base have been redistributed so that the fleet is close together. This gives the western Baltic Sea an exciting new jumping-off harbour for charterers.
10 Eckernförde
Big events are casting their shadows ahead: the Eckernförde Sailing Club wants to present itself to members and visitors in new splendour for the 125th anniversary of the club in two years' time. This is why the club is currently investing heavily, with around 600,000 euros being channelled into the redesign. The clubhouse is being completely renovated and a new tenant is moving into the catering area. The "Hafenwirtschaft" will be taken over by a well-known Eckernförde restaurateur, Dirk Lettmann, who already runs two Italian restaurants. The menu will offer down-to-earth regional cuisine and there will also be a bunker service. However, delivery problems have delayed the completion of the building somewhat and the launch will probably be postponed until June. Furthermore: the Wi-Fi now reaches further and is faster, the harbour has switched to cashless payment and crane appointments can now be booked online.
11th beach
This year, the harbour at the entrance to the Kiel Fjord replaced the old wooden jetties with the now frequently seen non-slip and durable plastic grid panels.
12 Wellingdorf
Sporthafen Kiel GmbH, which has a total of nine harbours, is currently renovating the sheet piling. Due to delays, this will probably take until around mid-May.
The GmbH cannot spare its customers at all locations a berth price increase. "We had to increase by ten per cent, otherwise the costs would simply run away from us; many of our service providers have increased in price by 15 to 20 per cent," says the management. The Kiel-based company also has to make an advance when it comes to electricity: Consumption and prices have risen to such an extent that they are now asking long-term moorers to unplug their boats when they are away. If they fail to do so, the harbour staff intervene. Too many owners even leave consumers switched on when they are away.
13th Düsternbrook
A branch of "Ahoi", a chain run by TV chef Steffen Henssler, has moved into the club hotel building of the Kiel Yacht Club. There is also a large new outdoor terrace with a beautiful view of the fjord.
14 Wendtorf
The marina is currently a major construction site. The land development with holiday flats from a property developer is now almost in close proximity to the jetties. Construction noise is still to be expected for the time being.
However, the further development of the harbour is not making much progress. For years, the owners and guests have been waiting for a permanent solution for the now outdated sanitary containers. Operator Henning Eberhardt had wanted to replace them with a new building years ago. A huge pontoon is anchored in the harbour, which was supposed to accommodate new sanitary facilities, but now the containers have simply been placed on top of it.
The new harbour master's building, for which the old one is to be demolished, has also been on hold for years. This year, the municipality is also redesigning the promenade directly parallel to the shore.
15. lip
There is good news for the harbour, which is ideally located in Hohwacht Bay and is very cosy to boot: thanks to the initiative of yachtsman Herbert Schmitz, a petition has succeeded in convincing the state that Lippe is strategically classified as an emergency harbour. An on-site meeting was promptly followed by an official decision to make funds available for dredging. A budget of 100,000 euros has been earmarked for this and the next few years. Surveying is currently underway and dredging will begin shortly. This is a win-win situation for the contracted company, which can use the dredged sand to replenish the reclaimed beach in Schönberg further to the west. In the end, the access road to Lippe should be 2.3 to 2.5 metres deep. All in all, this is a perfect example of what private commitment can achieve.
16th Heiligenhafen
The Heiligenhafen Sailing Association, located a little in front of the large marina, has set up a new guest jetty with about six berths.
17th Fehmarn
The Schaich shipyard, which took over the harbour last year, is redesigning the area. Parts of the car park will become green spaces. Guests can now also expect more service in the form of a bread delivery service and bicycle hire. There is now also a washing machine and tumble dryer.
18 Burgstaaken
The old fishing cutter, which used to take guests out onto the Baltic Sea from the harbour, has been converted into a restaurant ship. The "Tashi" turns it into a sushi steamer right next to the moorings.
19th Burgtiefe
The "Sorgenfrei" café has moved. It is now located directly on the harbour, roughly at the level of the round jetty with a view of the ships. There is also now a 360-degree webcam ( www.fehmarn.panomax.com ), which allows owners and guests to see what is going on in the harbour.
20th Großenbrode
The Klemens shipyard has redesigned the sanitary facilities and the room for the washing machine and tumble dryer. Stronger Wi-Fi ensures better internet connections.
A completely new sanitary building has been built in the water sports centre next door. It now has eight individual shower cubicles. The number of houseboats in the harbour has also increased to nine. Six more floating domiciles are to be added in the coming years.
21 Grömitz
Anyone arriving at the harbour after the harbour master has closed or who wants to save themselves the trip to the harbour master can now book their berth using the "Yabook" web app. The QR codes for this can be found at the berths.
22. new town
Ancora Marina has replaced the old wooden planks on jetties K and L with modern plastic anti-slip grating panels. Electricity and water connections have also been renewed. And on land, there is now a new combined football, soccer and basketball pitch.
23 Travemünde
In Passath harbour, jetty E was completely renovated and the red wooden piles were replaced with PVC-coated steel dolphins. Pier C will follow in 2023.
24th Böbs shipyard
The harbour facility was due to be expanded in 2023, but now it will probably be next year. 60 berths are being built in front of the already completed harbour building. There is a studio for painter Frauke Klatt on the ground floor. The sanitary facilities in the harbour building are also finished. Nice for the marina's customers: there will soon be a passageway directly along the water to the fishing harbour. However, the "Baltique" next door still has to be completed first, but things are progressing well there.
25 Lübeck
The smart harbour "The Newport" in the heart of Lübeck has equipped its berths with electronic sensors. These register when a berth becomes free. This is displayed via the "Yabook" software so that berths can be booked in advance. The easiest way to do this is via the harbour's website. The programme also provides information on the opening times of the Eric Warburg Bridge in front of the port and the code for the sanitary facilities. The harbour now also offers wintering in the water. Experience with this has been good. The operator is also planning to expand the marina and preparations are underway.
26 Boltenhagen
In the Weiße Wiek, the Travellift has been replaced by a more powerful model that can lift monohulls up to 60 tonnes and cats up to 50 feet and 30 tonnes. Outdoor storage areas are also available. The long-distance race from Boltenhagen to Oslo, which was introduced a year ago, is entering its next edition, and 13 entries have already been received. Information can be found on the Weiße Wiek website.
27 Wismar
Work on the permanent jetty behind the water hiking rest area has not yet progressed any further. However, the floating jetties are in operation. In the western harbour, the city's moorings are still closed due to mussel infestation. However, the marina next to it is in operation. And in the wooden harbour, an "Ahoy" restaurant from Steffen Henssler's new restaurant chain has opened at the tip of the pier.
28 Warnemünde
The Hohe Düne marina is one of the very few on the coast with free berths: There are still 13-metre boxes for permanent berths.
29 Rostock
The city has surprisingly pulled the ripcord due to organisational shortcomings and cancelled the Federal Garden Show. Although this does not automatically mean the end for the planned pedestrian bridge over the Warnow, hardly anyone believes that the state and city will still tackle the 53 million euro project. For the sailing clubs in the city centre, who had been up in arms against the bridge, this is a relief.
30th Darßer Ort
The access road to the emergency harbour was dredged in spring. However, as preparations are already underway for the dismantling of the facilities, there are only around ten spaces left for yachts. Some floating construction equipment is also moored in the approach, so care must be taken when approaching. When Prerow goes into operation in 2024, the port of refuge will be closed for good.
31 Prerow
The construction work for the island and emergency harbour to replace Darßer Ort is on schedule and progressing well. The old pier has been dismantled and the piles for the new, longer bridge have almost all been driven. The superstructure of the bridge is currently being constructed with prefabricated concrete parts using a crane. Breakwaters made of granite blocks are being piled up at the actual harbour; the future shape of the harbour is already clearly visible. The sheet pile walls for the foundations of the service building and the sea rescue station already show where the premises will later be. The island harbour is scheduled to open in April next year.
32nd Barth
The large-scale combined marina project behind the old warehouse, which also includes new flats, has not yet been completed. Work on the "Vinetarium" in front of it has also not progressed much further.
33 Stralsund
There are now also sanitary containers in the marina built last year on the Schwedenschanze. However, the construction site for the flats being built behind the harbour is still there. And on the Dänholm, opposite the old town of Stralsund, a nine-tonne crane is now available at the waterway rest area. There are also outdoor storage areas here for the winter.
34th Sassnitz
The floating jetties have been fitted with more water connections. And on Fridays there is now live music in the harbour from 6 to 9 pm.
35th Mukran
The construction of an LNG terminal in Mukran on the island of Rügen is currently the subject of heated debate. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Economics Minister Robert Habeck were only there in April and emphasised that they were in favour of the project. On the island, however, this has met with fairly unanimous resistance. At the time this issue went to press, it was still unclear what would happen next. The LNG terminal in Lubmin, not far away, is already in operation.
36. thiessow
In future, there will be more space for pleasure craft in the small harbour, as the last fishermen have stopped fishing there.
37th Greifswald
The Marina am Ryck has now switched the electricity and water connections on the jetties to credit cards, which are available from the harbour office. At the petrol station, cashless payments can now be made by EC card, which means that it can now also be used after opening hours.
38th Wolgast
The Peene Bridge will be closed for maintenance work from 2 to 16 May and from 4 to 29 September.
39th Kröslin
The marina has a new restaurant and terrace: "Dennis Diner" specialises in typical American dishes, complemented by regional dishes. In future, guests will also be able to reserve and pay for their pitches using the "Boatpark" app.
Also: The marina is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year on 3 June with a harbour festival with live music, a children's programme and hearty barbecue. There will be a safety seminar for permanent residents, with demonstrations of life-saving equipment, life rafts and fire-fighting.
40th Mönkebude
The small harbour on the lagoon has installed new power connections in the section by the wash houses. This means that skippers no longer have to run long extension cables. A new tenant is moving into the beach hall for the season, who will offer Greek cuisine.
