Corona: Open harbours on Ascension Day? What is possible on the North Sea and Baltic coasts

The long May weekends are coming up, but short trips from harbour to harbour are still almost unthinkable - and if they are, then only under coronavirus conditions with registration and testing. The regulations along the German North Sea and Baltic coasts are inconsistent. What currently applies in the marinas in the three coastal federal states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania:

Lower Saxony

While accommodation was previously only permitted for permanent residents in their home port, a little more has been possible again in Lower Saxony since 10 May. Accommodation for guests in hotels, holiday homes, campsites and harbours is once again permitted - but only for people who are resident in Lower Saxony. The relaxation does not yet apply to owners from outside the state - they are not yet allowed to call at harbours as guest berth holders.

Strict rules also apply in the harbours for the time being: Only 60 per cent of the berths may be occupied. On arrival, a negative test no more than 48 hours old must be presented, which must be renewed twice a week. Persons who have been fully vaccinated and have demonstrably recovered from coronavirus are exempt from this requirement.

Many sailing clubs and harbour operators on the East Frisian Islands, for example on Wangerooge , Spiekeroog , Langeoog and Norderney, explain in detail on their websites the conditions under which you can travel by boat. Pre-booking is required everywhere. The new Lower Saxony regulation with these rules applies until 30 May.

Update from 19 May: Tourists and therefore also sailing crews from all over Germany are once again allowed to stay overnight in Lower Saxony. The Higher Administrative Court in Lower Saxony has overturned the regulation in an urgent decision. This is because the ban would treat people from Lower Saxony and other federal states unequally, and also because day tourism from other federal states had previously been permitted.

Schleswig-Holstein

In the northernmost federal state, the ban will be relaxed from Monday 17 May, i.e. after the Ascension weekend. Until then, the ban on accommodation for tourist purposes, which also applies to marinas, will continue to apply. Owners with a permanent berth and transfer journeys to the harbour are exempt from this.

However, crews can already call at harbours in the so-called model tourist regions as guest sailors. These are available at the Schlei , in Eckernförde at the Bay of Lübeck , in North Friesland and in Büsum. However, not all marinas are taking part. Corona requirements also apply, such as travelling only with a current negative test and regularly repeating the test on site every 72 hours.

From 17 May, the rules of the model regions will be extended to the entire federal state. The marinas will then be allowed to accept guest sailors again. Sailors must then either present a negative test (rapid antigen test or PCR test; not older than 24 or 48 hours) or belong to the group of people who have already been vaccinated or have recovered from an infection.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the easing of the very strict measures is still a long time coming. Yesterday, Tuesday, they were only announced for June in the tourism sector. Currently, non-resident holders of a permanent berth are still not allowed on their boat in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - unless they have been fully vaccinated and 14 days have passed since the last vaccination.

Minister President Manuela Schwesig has now announced that from 14 June, tourism in the federal state will once again be possible for guests from outside the state, provided the incidence in the state falls below 50 and the vaccination rate rises to 50 per cent. This should then probably also apply to sailors and boat owners as well as overnight stays in harbours.

On the long weekends in May, however, hardly anything is possible on the Baltic Sea coast of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania despite the falling number of cases - the incomprehension of many owners with moorings on site is great.