- Baltic Sea sailing area: peak season for MV-marinas
Blue sky, clear water, and the picturesque coastline in view - sailors appreciate the Baltic Sea off Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. According to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's Minister President Manuela Schwesig, the waters off Warnemünde are even "the best sailing area in Germany". If it were up to her, the sailing competitions in the event of an Olympic bid for 2040 would take place there.
Yacht Harbour Hohe Düne
On the eastern side of the fairway of Warnemünde, the Marina Ostsee offers leisure sailors in the seaside resort of Hohe Düne a safe haven. The facility has 920 berths, with crane and slipway facilities, fuel station, wastewater disposal, power and water supply, broadband internet access from the boat, and sanitary and shower facilities. Prices for so-called guest berths are tiered by meters: from nine to a substantial 23 meters, 32 or 62 euros per day are charged. For ships that are longer, five euros per meter is added on top. During the Hanse Sail event on the second weekend of August, there is a 100% surcharge.**
Boat Harbour Kühlungsborn
In the boat harbour of Kühlungsborn, skippers and crew can go directly from the facility to the restaurant and the promenade. Currently, there are a total of 400 berths, of which 190 are permanent, the rest are guest berths, according to managing director Matthias Bohn. Boats up to 24 meters can be moored at the piers, up to 18 meters at the floating jetties, and even larger ships up to 35 meters at the quayside.**
Day guests with boats up to eight meters pay 15 euros per day. From 16 to 17 meters, 49.70 euros is due, and 2.85 euros per started meter thereafter. "The occupancy has, after a weak May, risen pleasantly again since July," emphasizes Bohn. "The holiday season is the highlight in the Marina Kühlungsborn."
Home Port Lauterbach
It's the same on Rügen, where the home port of Lauterbach has 400 berths available, about 300 of which are for permanent mooring. In August and July, managing director Till Jaich reports about 90% occupancy. The home port is mainly for sailing ships, but the proportion of motorboats is increasing. Day guests with boats up to eight meters in length pay 18 euros per day, each additional meter in length costs two euros more. The marina is located opposite the nature reserve island of Vilm, which is part of the biosphere reserve Southeast Rügen.**
Island Harbour Prerow
The new island harbour in front of Prerow may not be a marina and is still not open as planned. However, the harbour in the shape of a drop will soon be an important stopping point for sports boats seeking shelter with an eastbound course on their way to Rügen. The island harbour offers 33 berths for this purpose. A lifeboat of the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service is also stationed there. However, the island harbour is likely to have one of the longest walks from the boat to land, which can only be reached on foot via the 720-meter-long sea bridge.**
Leaving Kühlungsborn, passing Warnemünde, and sailing by the still-closed island harbor of Prerow, the next stop could be in Stralsund, mooring at the City Marina's dock. There are 150 permanent and 150 daily mooring spots, along with 180 meters of dock space for large yachts. The City Marina is located on the western shore of the Strelasund, offering protection from the north wind with its 450-meter-long pier. From the boat, it's just a short walk to the old town, which, like the old town of Wismar, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2002.
In the bustling sailing season, leisure sailors flock to the Marina Ostsee in Hohe Düne, as it provides an ideal shelter during the high season. During the Olympic bid for 2040, if successful, the sailing competitions would take place in the best sailing area in Germany, which is the Baltic Sea off Warnemünde.
