When you arrive in Rerik, you get a nasty navigational challenge to start with. Or no, on a more positive note, there is a great example of how exciting navigation can still be in the age of GPS: The entrance to the Salzhaff is a channel just 80 metres wide. To the west, it is bordered directly by a nasty flat, to the east by a seamless sandy headland. A whim of the shipping administration ensures that it is still not buoyed today, especially where it gets really narrow. What's more, the chart is labelled with the incredibly confidence-inspiring phrase "depths variable".
The water is also rather murky, so the very first time on the Salzhaff you feel your way slowly around the navigation oxer with the plotter image, constantly comparing it with the depth information on the depth sounder. Finally over, the realisation remains that everything is half as bad. Only in strong winds from the north and corresponding swell in the entrance should you keep your hands off it.
Once you have rounded the narrow Wustrow peninsula, the Salzhaff opens up like a sheltered inland lake. In the foreground is the pretty sand island, in front of which a boat anchors and the crew goes for a swim.
Through the Salzhaff to Rerik
But we want to continue to Rerik whose church tower can already be seen. A local yacht sails in front of us on the lagoon, always sailing close to the shallows. We briefly consider doing the same, but then laziness wins out as the sails are already down. So under diesel, first through the deep part of the southern lagoon, then into the fairway. This is good for new navigational highlights: in the channel, the echo sounder, which is set to depth under keel, goes crazy and at one point even shows minus 0.7 metres. With a draught of two metres, that's 1.3 metres. However, we are travelling over the bottom.
This ends just before the harbour: A boat's length away from the box we are aiming for, we are gently stuck in the mud. "Come over there, it's deep enough for you," shouts the owner of a Hanse 385 a jetty away. And indeed, we park our Dehler 38 neatly in the box next to him, the depth sounder still showing 20 centimetres.
"It's not that bad, it's super soft mud everywhere," says the owner cheerfully. We have moored at the Alt Gaarz sailing club. It's a picturesque spot. The jetty is lined with reeds and the promenade with restaurants begins directly behind it. And a little further on is the beach with the pier.
Rerik: cinnamon buns, smoked fish, bathing
A quick chat with the harbour master, who is in a hurry, results: A visit to the fish smokehouse, a walk along the steep bank path, a look round the village. When we ask what the wooden figures are all about that adorn the harbour entrance, the promenade and the shower house and catch the eye practically everywhere, he simply comments: "They're from Bruno. His boat is over there by the jetty. If you can't find him there, then he's in the workshop. Down the road to the blue house, there's an old boat in his front garden."
Sounds like a plan. In fact, the whole thing will be a fantastic package: walk from the beach along the path to the Michael Graf bakery and, most importantly, try the sensational cinnamon buns there. Then walk along the forest-lined edge of the cliff on the way up, with fantastic views through the greenery to the beach and sea. And to cool down at the end, go back down and swim. Perfect.
The detour through the woods back to the village takes us to Kastanienallee. This is where fisherman Maik Never lives, whose smoked products are praised by everyone in the village. So we go there. He laughs when we tell him about our experience in the driveway. "The seaweed sometimes plays tricks on you," he says. Otherwise, there are hardly any major fluctuations in water depth in the Salzhaff. Only when the wind blows from the west for a long time does the water level drop, as it does along the entire coast; if the wind then turns to the north-east, there is a risk of flooding. "The jetties sometimes sink."
Now in summer, Maik Never almost only catches flounder and eel, previously it was crabs. Crabs in the Baltic Sea? "Yes, they like the salt lagoon. The water is saltier there and around two degrees warmer. Only when it gets too warm do they go out to sea."
The 37-year-old is a fisherman with heart and soul - but is it still possible to make a living from it today? "We still rent out a bit to holidaymakers and have a boat for round trips, then that's fine," he says. Even in the future? Or will there be a rural exodus, as in many villages? "Rerik is popular, all the schools are there. Young people often stay there or come back after studying or training. But fishing doesn't appeal to my children."
With freshly smoked food in our luggage, we continue through the village. Around the church, you gradually get a picture of the tranquil, pretty village centre, which always has a nice restaurant or café in the side streets.
Visit to the sculptor
But we want to see the sculptor Bruno Blank. His house is indeed squeaky blue and there is a dilapidated fishing boat in the front garden, but behind it is a sailing yacht on a trailer. You can't help but overhear Blank working on a new creation in the back garden. We interrupt the artist and ask how the wooden sculptures were created.
"There's no theme or anything like that. There's an object in every piece of wood, but what exactly sometimes happens spontaneously." Animal, human, mermaid, anything is possible. When customers order something, he makes sure beforehand that they don't have to take it away later. "I don't know exactly what it will be beforehand. I'd rather the customer cancels and I keep it. After all, my art should make them happy, not unhappy."
The artist, bon vivant and enthusiastic sailor of an old Norwegian pointed yacht is known in the village like a colourful dog, also because of his action art. "In the nineties, I half-sunk a telephone box in the harbour basin and put a wooden seal on it. That was at a time when mobile phones were coming onto the scene and phone boxes were suddenly disappearing from the cityscape. I wanted to make people aware of the fast pace and transience of everything." However, this didn't go down well in the village. "Some people told me off for dumping rubbish there. A week later, ZDF was here and they fell silent," he says with a grin.
You can tell that the artist, who lives there with his wife and five children, is a free spirit, original, entertaining and cosmopolitan. As we say goodbye, he says: "Visitors are always welcome there. Just pop in. Opening hours? There are no opening hours!"
Hotspot Kühlungborn
After the soothing deceleration that Rerik radiates, a programme of contrasts awaits: Kühlungsborn. Back through the keel, this time relaxed, then just under 15 nautical miles along the coast. As is often the case in this area, with or high in the wind, as the wind usually blows from the west or east, typical for the coast.
Approaching from the west, you can see that Kühlungsborn consists of two parts, west and east, connected by the promenade, which is over four kilometres long. Sailors stop in the east at Kühlungsborn Marina, directly behind the pier.
The harbour has become a small hotspot on the coast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It offers comfortable moorings and something that many people appreciate: a chic promenade right by the harbour. Anyone arriving there for the weekend on a balmy summer evening will encounter a hive of activity: In front of the cult gastro address " Multi-sea The small "live stage" is often filled with passers-by and guests dancing to live music on the street. You might find yourself between ambitious tango couples.
There is always something going on in Kühlungsborn, the almost four-kilometre-long promenade with pier and beach never gets boring, there are plenty of shops, restaurants and bars. And if you feel like it, take a seat on the steam railway " Molli ", which puffs its way to Kühlungsborn-West or Bad Doberan.
To the metropolis of Rostock
The sailors from Rostock also like to come here on weekends as a day trip. This is exactly where we sail to next. Along the coast, there is not much to see apart from the gleaming white buildings of Heiligendamm, before you reach Warnemünde with its very popular harbour on the Alter Strom and the Marina Hohe Düne opposite.
Which one suits a crew is a matter of taste. The first is the quaint town harbour right next to the tree-lined promenade with the old captain's houses and fishing boats. The marina, on the other hand, is spacious, a luxurious full-service facility with a luxury wellness centre and sauna area. Both destinations have a great beach right next door.
Warnemünde - with sunset guarantee
On the Alter Strom, the yachts are often tightly packed together on the centre pier, while the crowds of tourists push their way ashore during the season. Highlife in bags sometimes, as the saying goes. But somehow this doesn't detract from the charm of the long harbour with its nice pubs and restaurants. Warnemünde is one of the most beautiful harbours on the coast, especially in the evening, at the blue hour, when the daytime tourists are fewer and the lights come on and the cone of the old lighthouse makes its rounds. The Tower You should have climbed it once, the view is fantastic. As are the views from both beaches in the evening: In good weather, sunsets over the sea are guaranteed
And there are new berths: The extension of the harbour basin at the Mittelmole has been completed, and it may be worth looking for a free berth there too.
Rostock - in the shadow of Warnemünde
Some crews therefore only ever stop in Warnemünde. But if you don't travel up the Warnow to Rostock, you will miss out on one of the most exciting cities on the coast. Even getting there is an experience, there is hardly any other harbour on the Baltic Sea with so much commercial shipping: ferries, freighters, cruise ships and the large shipyards in between. You can sense that seafaring still has a firm place here.
You only have to be careful at the beginning, before the first shipyard hall the fairway splits into two channels, and in the traffic between them some crews overlook the shallows there, which are treacherous at less than 1.5 metres.
Once you arrive in front of the city backdrop with the old cranes and St Mary's Church, you are spoilt for choice: there are a total of eight mooring options close to the city centre. If you want a quieter spot with a beautiful view of the city, you can go to one of the pretty club harbours on the Gehlsdorf side, but then you have the Warnow river between you and the city centre. But you shouldn't have much draught, as it quickly becomes shallow around the jetties towards the land.
You can cross the Warnow either by ferry from the Gehlsdorf jetty to the Kabutzenhof next to the city harbour or by bike or on foot around four kilometres around the Upper Warnow.
If you want a very short walk, just go to the harbour at Kabutzenhof, the first one right when you enter the harbour. It is the quietest city harbour, because in Rostock, the young people of the largest city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which is also a lively university city, like to meet later in the evening to party when the weather is nice. This can sometimes last longer and get louder. If that doesn't bother you, you can go to the city jetties behind the crane or to the Marina Oceans End in the far east of the harbour.
Rostock has many stories to tell
We also meet a sailing veteran from Rostock at the jetty: Martin Kringel, co-owner of the event charter company Speedsailing who charters out three ex-Volvo ocean racers for team events and regattas in the city. The 49-year-old was born in Rostock, and the city still inspires him today. "Rostock simply has everything, the quality of life is great. We have a beach, the huge harbour, the city is young because of the university, and there's always something exciting happening."
A tip for visitors is the weekly regatta on Friday, starting at 6 pm. It starts directly in front of the quay with the crane and goes down the Warnow and back again. Kringel is also there, of course. As befits a local patriot, of course with a Hiddensee, the cult boat of the GDR at the time.
"This is the Trabant of the Baltic Sea. At the beginning of the seventies, there was a single mould for the quarter-tonner developed in the GDR, and it was transported from club to club by lorry, and then you got your own boat!" That's what laminating was called in the GDR back then. Nobody can say exactly how many were built. "If the people were well organised, they worked in three shifts and got two or three boats out in a week."
Just like the Trabant, the Hiddensees still have their fans today. A few boats are pimped up to the max in terms of speed. "The best story is the one about Bornholm round," says Kringel. "Back then, there was still a kangaroo start, and a Hiddensee was actually the first boat to come into sight off Rostock after the 280 nautical mile course. Directly followed by the 'Uca', a 26-metre carbon high-tech racer owned by the then employer president Dr Klaus Murmann. The Hiddensee then crossed the line with a hundred metres to spare! That was an unforgettable moment for us!"
The Hiddensees are lovingly cherished and cared for. Incidentally, the top boat on the coast goes by the name of "Kalkei". Unfortunately, there are now fewer finishes like this; the kangaroo start has fallen victim to the desire for comparable weather at the start. If you fancy taking part in the regatta, you can even book in with Kringel: The three Volvos 60 are also taking part in the race with charter guests.
Martin Kringel also has some tips for Rostock, as he is a certified tourist guide: "If you want to see the Hansesail", the big annual windjammer and traditional sailing meeting, "you should do it from the water in your own boat; it's just too crowded from land. A dinghy tour up the Warnow is also nice."
The life of the sailors often takes place right next to the blue crane in Haedgehafen harbour. "It's one of the last harbour areas on the coast that hasn't been so mercilessly 'developed' and built up. It's something special. The people of Rostock appreciate and know that."
Area information Rostock, Rerik, Warnemünde
Navigational
The approximately 25 nautical mile long section along the coast is navigationally uncomplicated, with the exception of the approach to the Salzhaff. There is a lot of commercial shipping traffic on the approach to the Warnow. Keep to the right in the Warnow fairway, it quickly becomes shallow away from the buoy line.
Wind & Weather
From April to the beginning of September, winds from the west dominate, and from the east for longer in stable high-pressure conditions. The summer average is 12 to 13 knots, corresponding to 4 Beaufort. Atlantic lows provide more wind and rain. In recent years, however, there have also been surprisingly long, very dry periods as well as heavy thunderstorms, probably a side effect of climate change.
