This page was translated automatically from German. View the original

Autumn sailing in the best sailing weather – Kiel Bay, the Danish South Sea Islands and Lübeck Bay – aboard the gaff schooner LaMarieChantal, an old, slender schooner built in Singapore and designed for the tropics. She therefore has a relatively large sail area of 100 m² upwind and a very open aft deck, with no deep cockpit but plenty of seating and a sea rail that is a proper rail and not a wobbly wire that must not be looked at too hard.

Sailing area: Baltic Sea
Country: Germany, Denmark
Departure: Heiligenhafen
Destination: Lübeck
Route: Heiligenhafen- Strande-Marstal- Fehmarn -Neustadt- Travemünde-Lübeck,
Nautical miles: 200
Travel dates: 10.10.2026 – 17.10.2026
Sailing yacht: Traditional sailing ship, schooner, 57 ft
Organiser: Die Segelfreunde

We set out from Heiligenhafen as early as Saturday afternoon, heading for Marstal.
As the wind shifted at 4 p.m., naturally after the heavy monsoon-like shower, we had to change course for Strande.
At least we were able to sail a close-hauled course to the mark, and by 11 p.m. we were
made fast. First job: find some electricity, fire up the stove – spaghetti with red sauce always goes down well, and it's quick, just like we were used to from childhood. On Sunday there were bread rolls from the kiosk from 8 o'clock, then off we went: mainsail, schooner sail and jib set in the harbour, galley duty crew on watch as we left, then the flying jib up.
Even so, we only entered Marstal after dark, using the upper and lower lights. Monday was maritime museum day because of adverse winds. Then on Tuesday we left the harbour under full sail,
with a Bavaria on the horizon. At 8–9 knots on a beam reach to broad reach we caught her up off Flüggesand, and by 3 p.m. we were already moored in Burgstaaken. Engine time about 15 minutes for the day.
We moored next to the fuel station at the new quay; there was no water there because of poor planning with the electricity company.
Harbour master Mirco was on holiday, but his stand-in was just as nice.
Right after that, another 52-foot yacht came alongside with a faulty bow thruster. But the mooring went smoothly.
Had another superb meal at the Goldenen Anker, then on to Mirella at the Haifischbar.
The next morning, pancakes, because there is no longer a bakery in Burgstaaken and the café doesn't open until 10 o'clock. We set off under full sail, then reached Neustadt with about 12 tacks close-hauled. We sailed into the town harbour just as it was getting dark and moored with the engine on the south bank, right in front of the Greek restaurant, where the owner waved us over to a table, as friendly as ever. The next morning we left the harbour under sail,
past a Lithuanian naval squadron (at first we thought the Russian fleet was already lying off Neustadt), then on to Travemünde. We dropped 4 people off at the landing stage by the Passat so that there would be enough time to have a proper look round this beautiful museum ship, and then moored in the fishing harbour on the outer mole. The 4 crew members eventually came back full of enthusiasm; it is truly mighty and impressive how seafarers used to sail around the world and still almost always came home safely. The Passat is said never to have lost a single man. And the whole thing ended with dinner in a restaurant. Then early on Saturday we set off for Lübeck, could only sail as far as Schlutup, and then the underwater genoa did the rest. 12:30 Eric Warbug, 13:00 swing bridge, and then we were back alongside the Samsara. A super trip, almost no rain, suitable wind (or destinations to suit the wind).