Knowledge

Navigation

- Four Saildrone Voyagers are now officially registered under the Danish flag; Denmark therefore bears flag state responsibility.  
- Insurance, liability following a collision and any insurance obligations remain largely unresolved despite the flag status.  
- Rules on giving way depend on the actual propulsion system of the drones; sailors should, as a general rule, avoid critical encounters.

Saildrone: Sailing drones flying the Danish flag for the first time

- At the EBA General Assembly in Hamburg, Peter Lauritz Lasen was elected President; topics: the environment, safety and navigation.  
- GPS disruptions in the Baltic Sea highlight the importance of traditional navigation; discussion on the standardisation of electronic nautical charts, with no concrete decisions taken.  
- Focus on environmental protection and safety: protection of seagrass through new moorings, assessment of electronic distress signals, mandatory emergency stop for motorboats.

Summit: European sailing federations discuss safety at sea

- Night-time sailing offers advantages in terms of range and provides a unique experience, but requires thorough mental, navigational and safety preparation.  
- Key precautions: defensive sailing, a clear route plan including a Plan B, a watch system, a lookout, red lights, and ensuring equipment and hot meals are to hand.  
- You must have a firm grasp of light signals, rules of way and fire signals; on charter yachts, night sailing is sometimes prohibited by contract.

Autumn night sailing: How to prepare your crew, route and boat

- ‘Albatross’ is an airborne sail probe that falls onto the water in an autorotating manner, like a maple seed, and rights itself.  
- On the water, it sails autonomously to waypoints using GPS and a compass, utilises wing sails and a flapping rudder, and is capable of collecting environmental data.  
- The probe is designed for short-term, time-critical missions; it is not yet suitable for use on the high seas and raises unresolved issues regarding identification and maritime safety.

Sail probes: Will ‘ghost ships’ soon be falling from the sky?

- Off Swinemünde, oil is to be extracted from the ‘Wolin East’ field via up to 30 wells from an artificial island, starting in 2028 at the earliest.
- The scope of a cross-border environmental impact assessment is currently being defined; a licence has not yet been granted.
- Environmental organisations and local authorities fear risks to protected areas, tourism and sailing routes; over 89,000 signatures have been collected in opposition to the project.

Oil off Usedom: the drilling platform is drawing nearer

- Dead reckoning becomes increasingly important in the event of GPS interference, as the course and speed are continuously plotted on the nautical chart.
- Sources of error include magnetic declination, deviation, wind and current offsets; these are corrected by course conversion and bearing adjustment.
- Plotting ahead, logbook entries and simple aids such as a railing log ensure navigation even without electronic equipment and allow for the calculation of ETA and speed.

Navigation by bearing: From the chart bearing to the correct compass bearing

- ‘He Dreiht’ is currently Germany’s largest offshore wind farm, with a capacity of 960 MW; the safety zone has been permanently closed since March 2026.  
- The joint safety zone covers He Dreiht, BorWin epsilon, Nordlicht I and BorWin kappa; Vessel access to German wind farms will be prohibited from the end of 2025.  
- Further wind farms (Nordlicht I/II, Gode Wind 1–3, NC 1/2, Borkum Riffgrund 3) and grid connections will result in extended restricted areas until at least 2029.

Offshore wind power: ‘He Dreiht’ now operational – the North Sea is getting busier

- GPS can fail due to interference or faults, so terrestrial navigation using a map, compass and bearings remains essential.
- Positioning is carried out using position lines, cross and double bearings, four-point bearings, and distance and depth lines.
- Accuracy requires the correct conversion of compass bearings, suitable bearing objects, reliable navigation and up-to-date nautical charts.

GPS failure on board: How to determine your position

- OhMyWind combines weather, sea state and current data with boat performance curves to enable realistic passage planning without automatic route optimisation.  
- The software uses different weather models depending on the area, takes into account tacking and efficiency factors, but is no substitute for a nautical chart or local knowledge.  
- Multiple departure times can be calculated and analysed via the AI client; decisions regarding the route and departure remain with the user.

Navigation: OhMyWind: Free weather planner with AI integration

- High-quality, sometimes high-resolution weather and routing apps with special models for certain areas are essential for safe cruise planning.  
- The 15 apps presented cover a range from free services to complex professional solutions with routing, satellite connection and plotter functions.  
- Price and subscription models vary greatly; users have to choose between one-off purchases, annual subscriptions and regionally limited packages depending on their needs and budget.

Apps: A comparison of the best weather apps – features and subscriptions

- NATO is conducting the first operational trials of the GANDALF 4 prototype sensor on the vessel ‘Turva’ and an H215 helicopter to detect GNSS jamming and spoofing.
- At the same time, the NCIA is testing CRPA antennas, which ensure GNSS reception under jammed conditions and complement GANDALF by increasing system resilience.
- According to Traficom, the Baltic Sea – particularly the eastern Gulf of Finland – has seen increased GNSS interference since spring 2026, with consequences for navigation and on-board systems.

Navigation: GNSS jamming; NATO tests sensor to counter GPS jamming at sea

- A legervall occurs in onshore winds, waves or currents and can quickly cause yachts that are not at a sufficient distance from the leeward coast to run aground.
- Clusters of accidents, particularly in Seegatten and harbour entrances, are often the result of overconfidence, unfamiliarity with the area and technical failure.
- Prevention: choose the leeward shore, factor in currents and break-off points, keep the anchor clear, keep sails ready to reef, make radio contact early and consider insurance risks.

Avoiding Legerwall: What skippers can learn from the groundings off Norderney

Navigating successfully while sailing ➤ Here's how! ✅ Learning to navigate while sailing: tips, sat nav apps & more! ✅

Navigation while sailing: Learning to navigate at sea

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Navigation while sailing: Learning to navigate at sea

Saildrone
Sailing drones flying the Danish flag for the first time

Summit
European sailing federations discuss safety at sea

Autumn night sailing
How to prepare your crew, route and boat

Sail probes
Will ‘ghost ships’ soon be falling from the sky?

Oil off Usedom
The drilling platform is drawing nearer

Navigation by bearing
From the chart bearing to the correct compass bearing

Offshore wind power
‘He Dreiht’ now operational – the North Sea is getting busier

GPS failure on board
How to determine your position

Navigation
OhMyWind: Free weather planner with AI integration

Apps
A comparison of the best weather apps – features and subscriptions

Navigation
GNSS jamming; NATO tests sensor to counter GPS jamming at sea

Avoiding Legerwall
What skippers can learn from the groundings off Norderney

Navigation while sailing: Learning to navigate at sea

SaildroneSailing drones flying the Danish flag for the first time

SummitEuropean sailing federations discuss safety at sea

Autumn night sailingHow to prepare your crew, route and boat

Sail probesWill ‘ghost ships’ soon be falling from the sky?

Oil off UsedomThe drilling platform is drawing nearer

Navigation by bearingFrom the chart bearing to the correct compass bearing

Offshore wind power‘He Dreiht’ now operational – the North Sea is getting busier

GPS failure on boardHow to determine your position

NavigationOhMyWind: Free weather planner with AI integration

AppsA comparison of the best weather apps – features and subscriptions

NavigationGNSS jamming; NATO tests sensor to counter GPS jamming at sea

Avoiding LegerwallWhat skippers can learn from the groundings off Norderney

Saildrone
Sailing drones flying the Danish flag for the first time

Summit
European sailing federations discuss safety at sea

Autumn night sailing
How to prepare your crew, route and boat

Sail probes
Will ‘ghost ships’ soon be falling from the sky?

Oil off Usedom
The drilling platform is drawing nearer

Navigation by bearing
From the chart bearing to the correct compass bearing

Offshore wind power
‘He Dreiht’ now operational – the North Sea is getting busier

GPS failure on board
How to determine your position

Navigation
OhMyWind: Free weather planner with AI integration

Apps
A comparison of the best weather apps – features and subscriptions

Navigation
GNSS jamming; NATO tests sensor to counter GPS jamming at sea

Avoiding Legerwall
What skippers can learn from the groundings off Norderney