🇩🇪 Germany

The German Baltic runs from the western fjord-like inlets (Flensburger/Kieler Förde) and the bays of Kiel and Lübeck to the island and lagoon waters of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern—Rügen, Usedom and the Szczecin Lagoon. Hydrographically it mixes glacial förde with shallow bodden lagoons, where depths are often just a few metres (e.g., the Bay of Greifswald averages ~5.6 m).

These sheltered waters support short, daylight itineraries across bays and bodden, including the Strelasund routes around Rügen and Hiddensee. The Baltic here is effectively non-tidal; water levels are driven mainly by wind setup/seiches, with storm surges requiring attention—check BSH/ELWIS warnings.

For emergencies, maritime SAR is coordinated by MRCC Bremen (DGzRS), listening on VHF Ch 16/DSC 70 (“Bremen Rescue”). The Kiel Canal provides a direct Baltic–North Sea link, avoiding the Skagerrak route.

On the western side, Kiel and Travemünde/Lübeck anchor the network (Kiel/Lübeck Bays); centrally Fehmarn and the Lübeck Bight; eastward, Rostock/Warnemünde, Stralsund (Strelasund), Greifswald and Usedom.

Within the Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park, bodden waters are calm but shallow—stick to buoyed channels. Peak season is late spring through summer, with dense marina infrastructure and good shore transport for crew changes. Before sailing, consult BSH/ELWIS for water-level forecasts and navigational warnings, and keep a radio watch as advised by DGzRS.