Cruise Areas

Our Cruise Area Pages

Our Cruise Area pages are designed to help crews choose where to go; for charter, a new base, or a cruise itinerary. They outline the attractions and challenges of the many cruising regions around Europe, comparing them, describing cruising conditions. They pick places worth a special voyage, whether for layup, for crew change, or to see some local attraction. We also warn of pitfalls. When uncommon, we list ports of entry, ports of refuge, repair facilities, and perhaps even laundrettes. If good on-line harbour guides are available, we link to these rather than writing our own detail material. 

Once you have decided where to go, we advise on boat preparation, paperwork, and how to find and where to buy (discounted) charts and pilot books. 

Which European Waters will Suit You?

There's a wide choice, from the rugged exposure and pilotage challenges of Atlantic tidal waters, to the eminently sheltered inland waterways of Europe. Or compare the relatively fresh waters of the Baltic, where northern summer days can last all night (and the winter nights last all day), with the heat of the salty Mediterranean, where even the winter days at 20C can make life aboard a pleasure (when it's not raining) and frost is almost unkown.

Before leaving your native country, "Preparing to Cruise" can advise on keeping in touch, obtaining weather forecasts, the paperwork to carry and the administrative effects of spending longer periods in other countries. What is different in any particular country is described in the 'Country; rules and regulations' section.

The Baltic

This is widely regarded as one of the finest sailing areas, covering ten countries with all their diversity of language, customs and geology.  Of these ten countries (Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland) only Norway and Russia are outside the EU.  There is a wide variety of sailing, from the open waters of the Kattegat, Southern Baltic, Northern Baltic and the Gulf of Finland to the sheltered waters of the Swedish and Finnish archipelagos, inland seas and lakes and, for the energetic, canals.

With little to no tide (although there can be wind-driven currents in places) there is no need to rise early to catch the tide!  In addition, the long summer days, when temperatures can rise well into the 20s, provide many hours of daylight sailing and ideal conditions for swimming.  Whilst there is not a need for tidal planning, careful attention to pilotage is required, particularly in the Swedish and Finnish archipelagos although modern chart plotters remove most of the potential stress!  There are many miles of fine sandy beaches from Kiel to Russia to keep the children and grandchildren happy.

With the colder winters of the northern latitudes many folk obtain under cover storage when overwintering in the Baltic, which is no more expensive or even cheaper than laying up ashore in the UK.  Nevertheless, many Baltic yachts are stored outside, in some cases with mast up and covered with a tarpaulin.  For overwintering facilities see Baltic Lay-up Directory.   Generally, there are good yachting facilities throughout the Baltic, although they might not be in the local harbour.  There are good mail order facilities, mobile mechanics and local harbour masters.  Local yachtsmen and our HLRs are all very helpful.

One of the joys of Baltic sailing is the ability to sail into and moor in the many capital cities and historic towns around the Baltic.  Enough culture to ensure that your stay in the Baltic is not just a fleeting one.

There are yacht and motor boat chartering facilities throughout most of the Baltic with large fleets in German waters. 

The Atlantic cruising regions are demanding, and call for more sailing skills than the Mediterranean and Baltic. Tidal streams north of Biscay often dominate passage planning. Tidal range, the risk of severe weather throughout the year, occasional big swell, frequent poor visibility and areas of heavy commercial traffic create the Atlantic challenges. Rain dilutes the fun, too. Frequent bad weather limits winter sailing from October to April.

However, there is enormous diversity. The dramatic scenery of Norway, West Scotland and NW Ireland provide a backdrop for remote, cheap and uncrowded sailing. South West Ireland probably has the most welcoming culture in Europe. For the visitor, the south coast of England (especially the Solent) is a crowded mix of sailing for sport, commercial traffic, expensive berthing, and superb yacht support. The south west corner of England is busy, but an attractive cruising ground of flooded river valleys. The Channel Islands and North Brittany coasts have strong tidal streams running through them, creating some of the most exciting pilotage challenges in the world. Worth it, because France has some delightful old half timbered towns hidden up the tidal estuaries. Once south of Ushant, weather improves. The civilised older towns of southern Europe with their attractive pavement cafes offer a new culture - and new menus - to enjoy.

Chartering is popular in W Scotland, SW Ireland, from the Solent,  from several ports in the SW of England, and from  French ports south of Ushant.

Inland Europe

Travelling the canals and rivers of Inland Europe is an even better way to visit and enjoy many of the great cities and towns of Europe, together with their gastronomic highlights. The cruising experience, protected from the hazards which threaten so much Atlantic sailing, make this a relaxed way to reach the Mediterranean. Of course, under way someone will always be at the helm - no autopilot laziness here. Hazards are occasional winter floods, turbulent locks, and depths dependent on seasonal rainfalls. Vessels over 1.5m draft are limited in their choice of routes, and some routes have even less water. A new world of bridge heights, air draft (<3.5m, and less in  places), flights of locks, CEVNI, ATIS and RAINWAT are considerations often new to the sea sailor.

Vessels built for inland waterway cruising can be chartered from many locations. 

Mediterranean

In the warm and virtually tide-less Mediterranean pilotage is generally very easy, and the sailing season as long as you want. Cultural and organisational contrasts are strong, from the sophisticated resorts of S France, to the developing world welcome (or lack of it) in some N African countries. Add the risks with political instability in the Levant and Algeria. Un-intelligible bureaucracy imposed by poorly trained staff in a foreign language is an occasional feature, creating inconvenience, frustration, and giving rise to the occasional fine.

In summer, brilliant weather is the norm and unsettled weather the exception. This is just as well, since unsettled weather can bring very sharp and violent wind shifts. Steep sided coast lines in settled weather also bring fierce gusts when the winds are up. These sudden changes are unfamiliar to more northern sailors.  Except in defined regions, big winds rarely last for long. Diurnal wind variation is common, often light in the morning.  

In these sunny conditions, the popular parts of the west Mediterranean and the Adriatic become crowded and expensive. Marina prices in the peak six weeks can put the Solent to shame, but it's usually possible to escape to free anchorages. Luckily, much of the East Mediterranean remains uncrowded. Yacht support varies widely between regions, but where there are charter fleets, yacht support is good.

There are strong charter markets along the French coast, in the Balearics, from Croatia, and from many areas of Greece and Turkey.

It depends on the sea area. The four main areas above are split into regions, which roughly correspond to the sections or chapters of some popular pilot books. The regions can be seen in the left hand menus, then drill down to individual areas. Cruising Guide booklets describe many of these regions. Booklets may be downloaded by members free of charge as (rather large) Adobe .pdf  files, or bought "print on demand" from the office. For use on board, print out parts of these PDF, or copy them onto a CD.

The Mediterranean (and later, other area) booklets are being replaced by these web pages, which have more detail than the booklets, are more up to date, and link to all the other information relevant to each region. The "comments" link at the bottom of each page allows you to add your opinions, and next to that is a "printer friendly" link - to print the page without menus - so you can take it afloat.

Enjoy exploring Europe, and let us know how we can improve these pages by adding comments!