Sailing to the Baltic is quite demanding as you’ll be crossing the often-turbulent North Sea and some of the busiest shipping lanes in Europe.

So you’ll need a sound, seaworthy craft fit for the purpose and suitably equipped for long, open sea passages.

When you arrive, you’ll find the sailing season is fairly short within the Baltic Sea itself, so if you plan to keep sailing to the very limits of the season you’ll need to think about heating and cosy, well-insulated interiors.

A deck saloon yacht is often a good solution. That way you don’t have to leave the warmth of the inside helm other than to adjust your sails.

In certain areas, however, it’s not advisable to stay afloat too close to winter as the sea can often freeze up and severely damage your hull.

Some boats have even been sunk by the sheer weight of snow and ice on the decks, which is why most boats are hauled out and kept in heated sheds where possible.

Although there are effectively no tides in the Baltic, there are certainly plenty of rocks. Solidly constructed boats are a must in these waters.

Being quite shallow and rocky close to the edges, bow-to-mooring is commonplace to protect your rudder – most local boats have open pulpits and a sturdy bow plank.

Another popular method of mooring in the Baltic is the ‘box’ berth, whereby you tie the bows ashore and the stern to two posts, one on each of your aft quarters.

If this is the case you need to keep your quarter rails free from too much clobber that can be accidentally dislodged as you berth.

Boats for Baltic Sea sailing: 20-25ft LOA

Although there are only a few sub-25ft boats I’d consider seaworthy enough to sail from the UK to the Baltic, if you select a decent weather window, pencil in plenty of fallback ports along the way, and take the inland waterway routes where you can, you should be fine in almost any well-found yacht.

As with most small boats, how safe she is more often depends on the skipper and crew than the boat itself.

Sailing yachts

Beneteau’s Evasion 22 is a tough little motorsailer built well enough to withstand a North Sea crossing in fine weather, especially the fin keel model.

What she lacks in length she gains in stability, her 40% ballast ratio keeping her nicely stiff in a blow and her flared bows keeping the spray off the decks.

Below, she is nicely bright thanks to myriad windows. She has a second helm station and a comfortable four-person dinette with views outside when seated.

Headroom is a reasonable 5ft 8in, but six-footers can stand upright under the main hatch.

She has berths for four with the convertible dinette, but is ideal for two sleeping in the roomy forecabin. The galley is OK for a 22-footer.

Workspace is limited, but fortunately, the dining table is close to hand. The heads are a bit of a squeeze but at least it’s private, unlike on most small boats.

Most importantly, she came with an inboard diesel engine, usually a 2-cylinder Yanmar, that is more than capable of pushing against a foul tide if needed.

Those wanting a little more space might prefer the slightly larger Evasion 25, which is equally well-designed and constructed.

Definitely up to a North Sea crossing, the ketch-rigged Fisher 25MS is loosely based on an offshore fishing boat and, for a small boat, is surprisingly well-found.

Similar to her larger sisters, she has a tall wheelhouse with big windows all around.

Her long keel and deep rudder offer good directional stability, even in a big following sea, plus the deep-vee forefoot, pronounced sheer, flared bows and deep bulwarks combine to keep the waves and spray off the decks.

Accommodation is practical and sensibly laid out, making living aboard under sail comfortable for a cruising couple.

The vee-berth forward takes up all of the forecabin with the infill in place and a narrow quarter berth is also available, accessed by hinging the chart table up.

She has a narrow, private heads compartment and a decent size galley, with an L-shaped settee around the small dining table opposite, capable of seating three to four at a push.

The 25 boasts a powerful 27hp, 3-cylinder, shaft-driven diesel engine to get you safely into port should the weather deteriorate and she motorsails comfortably at an economical 1,200rpm.

Motorboats

One of many ‘Nelsonesque’ style motorboats, the Jersey-built semi-displacement Seaward 23 soon earned an enviable reputation for build strength, comfortable accommodation, and the ability to power through big seas without wavering from her course.

Available with single or twin diesels, the latter usually two 75hp Yanmar 4JH4-TEs, she has sufficient power to cruise at gentle revs or battle against an oncoming sea if the plan goes awry.

Inside the open wheelhouse is businesslike, with a very practical helming station and nav seat with a chart table opposite.

In addition to the fixed part of the wheelhouse, a full canvas enclosure creates a good size area for relaxing in any weather or it can be opened up to provide a very roomy cockpit capable of seating up to six on padded benches around a central removable table.

In the cabin forward, twin settees/forepeak berths provide inside seating with padded backrests around the same table or convert to a double berth with the infill in place and the table removed.

The heads, surprisingly large, has its own private compartment complete with a sink. There’s a well-equipped galley opposite.

Boats for Baltic Sea sailing: 26-30ft LOA

Sailing yachts

The Danish-built LM27 is a round-sterned, heavy displacement, long-keeled motorsailer not unlike an early Colin Archer lifeboat design.

First launched in 1975, she proved very popular due to her enviable seakeeping abilities.

The model went through various upgrades and name changes throughout its long life, finally morphing into the Scanyacht 290 (thanks to the addition of a 2ft-long bowsprit) when production moved to the UK.

Inside the wheelhouse, it’s cosy and a bit busy as it houses the helm station and galley.

Sat at the wheel you have an excellent all-round view through the big windows and it’s not far from the kettle!

Stepping down into the saloon you find the heads immediately to port, while to starboard is a large hanging locker.

The two long and straight saloon settees allow at least six to sit for dinner around the long table and also make excellent sea berths with lee cloths.

There’s also a roomy vee-berth in the forecabin, along with useful stowage.

The LM27 has a simple masthead rig with slab reefed mainsail and a large furling genoa. For those wanting fresh air, she can be tiller-steered, although visibility over the wheelhouse is not good.

She has a surprisingly good sailing performance for such a weighty, bluff-bowed boat, provided you reef before she heels too much.

Being so seaworthy makes her easily capable of averaging 5-6 knots on a long, challenging offshore passage under sail.

The 27 was typically equipped with a shaft-drive, 27hp inboard Bukh DV36 diesel engine, although the smaller 2-cylinder 20hp DV20 was standard.

Both give her a comfortable 6.5 knots in flat water, the larger offering some extra oomph for battling big seas.

Another small pilothouse yacht, the UK Hunter Pilot 27, was equally well conceived.

A development of David Thomas’s Hunter Channel 27, she was said to be available with a fin keel, although I’m pretty sure they were all produced with twins which, being asymmetric and toed-in, performed not unlike a fin but with the bonus of a shallower draught and the ability to dry out if required.

She doesn’t have a wheelhouse as such, just an optional raised inside steering position to augment the cockpit tiller helm when the weather is grim.

The headroom is over 1.83m/6ft in the spacious and bright saloon, where there’s a good linear galley to starboard and a comfy, raised U-shaped dinette opposite.

In the forecabin are a large vee-berth and hanging locker.

There’s also a decent double cabin in the starboard aft quarter plus a surprisingly roomy heads compartment with a shower to port.

Her spacious cockpit is made even more roomy by hinging up the tiller when at anchor, and getting about on deck is made considerably easier by the raised coachroof handrails and wide side decks.

Her fractional rig with a conservative sail plan and self-tacking jib makes her a doddle to tack in a hurry without leaving the comfort of the inside helm.

She sails upwind remarkably well and is really easy to handle. Her transom-hung rudder is large and effective, though a little heavy if over-pressed.

Downwind she really kicks up her heels with the big gennaker hoisted.

In all, she’s a remarkably seaworthy yacht for her length.

Motorboats

The Norwegian-built, semi-displacement Saga 29LS (aka: the Sea Saga in the UK) has a fully enclosed, cosy wheelhouse with large sliding doors aft that can be left open to include the cockpit into the lounging area.

However, the HT (Hard Top) model was completely open at the back (although fully covered by a canvas canopy), which really made the cockpit feel like an extension of the wheelhouse saloon.

Either way, the large cockpit makes an excellent entertaining area.

Well-built with plenty of attractive teak joinery, the deck saloon has a comfy helm station with easy access to all the controls and instruments from the seat, plus an excellent 360° view through the large windows.

Beside it, is a twin navigator bench with a reversible backrest that can form additional seating around the four-seater dinette.

The linear galley, directly opposite the table, is well equipped with plenty of worktop and stowage.

Below decks are two sleeping cabins, a private forecabin complete with a good-sized vee-berth, and a midships double underneath the saloon with seating and clothes lockers.

A spacious heads compartment has a shower and full-standing headroom.

They were equipped with a single, shaft-drive 170hp Yanmar diesel engine, which delivered around 15 knots cruising speed, or the larger 230hp option, which gave her a few more knots and a top speed of closer to 20 knots.

From the cockpit, there is direct access to a large, teak-covered bathing platform and deck shower.

A bow platform and open pulpit greatly facilitate boarding from the bow.

Boats for Baltic Sea sailing: 31-35ft LOA

Sailing yachts

Requiring only a few feet of water to float, the Southerly 100 is a truly versatile yacht that can be motored through the canals, sailed up shallow creeks, parked on a beach or driven hard through heavy seas.

Stoutly built, the hulls are solid laminate below the waterline, doubly reinforced around the keel, with balsa/GRP sandwich topsides and decks.

The hull is moulded with a recess at the bottom, into which is bolted a massive, 1.25t cast-iron ballast plate that provides two-thirds of the total ballast and offers protection when taking the ground.

Like all Southerlys, she has a raised deck saloon offering good protection from the elements under way, and an excellent view of the anchorage or mooring once you have arrived at your destination.

The raised coachroof opens up the interior, giving it the feel of a much larger yacht, and the numerous large windows keep it bright and airy.

The raised deckhouse has over 1.83m/6ft headroom and features an inside helm station with a chart table, from which the helm can see right around the boat, including the sails, through the well-raked forward windows.

Opposite is a really good size, L-shaped galley, while aft, at the same level, is a roomy heads and a narrow quarter berth.

Her cosy saloon offers seating for six around a large table, which slides up the mast support when not in use.

The U-shaped port settee also creates a double berth utilising the table as the infill while the forecabin has twin, overlapping bunks, a large hatch and plentiful stowage.

In the cockpit, most of the essential control lines are within easy reach.

The small wheel allows the helmsman to trim the genoa easily, although the main sheet is on the coachroof. She sports a masthead rig with a powerful 140% genoa.

Upwind she is quick to get in the groove, her deep centreplate and ample ballast keeping her reassuringly upright and firmly on course.

Though not a particularly sparkling performer, the Southerly 100 is a sound and steady cruising yacht and a comfortable passage maker.

Said to resemble a traditional, double-ended Nordic fishing boat, the Finnish-built Nauticat 33 is the archetypal motorsailer designed for battling across the Baltic in all weathers.

Pre-1977 boats had a wooden wheelhouse with inside steering and a long, shallow keel.

Later models gained a raised afterdeck with a secondary steering position. In 1979 an all-GRP version was introduced, with a deeper fin keel and skeg.

She is surprisingly roomy inside thanks to her having a constant beam throughout her length.

This enabled two good-sized cabins and heads to be included. Frequently used as liveaboard boats, they are endowed with quality woodwork, giving them a warm and cosy feel.

Rarely were two boats the same, as she was fitted out by hand, often to the owner’s preferences.

You enter through one of the two narrow sliding wheelhouse doors, over the sill and down a step.

Using the leeward side door when heavily heeled is not recommended. Inside you are cocooned from the elements but remain in touch with your surroundings through the large windows.

Although her bulwarks rise noticeably, your view forward is unrestricted and there are wipers on all three windscreen panes.

She has a central wheel and a huge chart table with chart stowage.

Instruments are above, mounted on a deckhead console, and the sails can be viewed via a sliding hatch. In addition, there’s a small settee and a coffee table.

Later models had a U-shaped dinette in the saloon, which converted into a double berth.

There are deep bookshelves and cavernous lockers above and under the settees. The water tanks are under the cabin sole.

Opposite is a large, well-appointed linear galley. The Nauticat 33 has reassuringly high bulwarks and teak handrails, but narrow side decks.

Moving aft onto the raised afterdeck, you’ll find a second helm station and the sheet winches

. The aft deck is a long way up and a tad precarious, especially on early models without seating.

Beneath the wheelhouse was a powerful, 90hp shaft-drive Ford Lehman diesel turning a fixed three-blade prop.

Ketch-rigged, her mainmast and mizzen are both deck-stepped and firmly stayed. Under sail, she is a little ponderous but rarely knocked off her course.

Motorboats

Not dissimilar in layout to the Saga, the Swedish Nimbus 345 has all the warm woodiness common to Scandinavian-built motor cruisers but with enough space and accommodation for six people.

The wrap-around windscreen offers an excellent view of the way ahead; the helm station is practical yet truly comfortable and all the important controls and instrument displays are within easy reach.

The saloon and galley are separated from the large cockpit by sliding glass doors.

This enables the helmsman to see behind, especially when docking, as well as offering good access to the outside.

She has a large U-shaped dinette and a well-appointed galley.

Ventilation and natural light inside the wheelhouse are plentiful thanks to two large overhead hatches and two oval window hatches on the sides.

Stepping below past the helm, you find the luxurious heads compartments immediately to starboard and the entrance to the midships double cabin opposite, with a seat and lockers.

The master cabin forward has a large island berth and numerous lockers and drawers.

The 345 was fitted with twin, shaft-drive 230hp Yanmar 4LH-STE diesel engines, capable of 20 knots at full throttle and an economical cruising speed of around 16 knots.

Boats for Baltic Sea sailing: 36-40ft LOA

Sailing yachts

The centre cockpit Rasmus was Hallberg-Rassy’s first proper cruising yacht.

Designed by the legendary Olle Enderlein, she is a traditional heavy displacement, long-keeler, most notable for its windscreen (now a Hallberg-Rassy trademark), separate aft cabin and substantial 75hp diesel engine.

Built to Lloyd’s classification, scantlings and workmanship were to the highest standard. The hull is solid GRP with longitudinal stringers and an encapsulated cast-iron keel.

A total of 760 were produced between 1967 and 1978. As expected, the interior is warm and woody, but large windows dispel any gloom.

The accommodation comprises three twin cabins and one spacious head. Her saloon features a large, convertible dinette above which are lockers and deep shelves; further stowage is behind the seatbacks.

A long linear galley opposite has a full-size cooker and plenty of stowage.

The large, forward-facing chart table has ample chart stowage and instrument space, while the roomy heads is further forward, with a hanging locker opposite.

The forecabin is compact but the berths are adult size and there’s an infill for making a double.

The separate aft cabin is spacious and makes an ideal play area for the children when sailing.

Its U-shaped berth can make two generous 2m-long singles or a transverse double using the infill.

The downsides are there’s only sitting headroom and it’s a long way to the heads.

Reassuringly chunky, her attractive lines and gentle sheer give her a purposeful air. Deck access is good, with wide side decks and a clear foredeck, plus excellent handrails all along the coachroof and doghouse.

Models with the doghouse offer more protection for the helm but at the expense of having to duck if you’re tall.

She is a masthead sloop with a deck-stepped mast and stout rig, including a baby stay.

Typical of this era, a large genoa provides much of the power upwind.

All the sheet winches can be reached from the helm with halyards and reefing lines at the mast.

Under sail she’s predictable and steady, showing a very reasonable turn of speed for a heavy boat.

Her helm is light and precise, although it takes time and practice to haul the large genoa around the baby stay.

Jeanneau’s Sun Odyssey 41DS does a good job of combining performance under sail with luxury accommodation in a single package.

In many aspects, the boat is quite modern with flush hatches, twin wheels, a walk-through transom, and ‘eyebrow’ coachroof styling.

She was built using a modern vacuum-bagging, resin injection system to ensure accurate resin impregnation and to reduce environmental pollution.

The interior is spacious and comfortable but, despite the raised coachroof, headroom is still only just over 1.83m/6ft and the seating isn’t raised for all-round views.

Large windows provide plenty of light, however. There is only one layout, with two cabins and two heads.

The aft cabin is full-width with good headroom, plenty of stowage and a large double berth.

The heads has a separate shower stall and can be accessed from the cabin or saloon.

The forecabin is again spacious and has an ensuite heads/shower, only smaller.

In the saloon, the folding table can be lowered to create a large double berth. Opposite is a short settee, which is also the chart table seat.

The galley has all the kit and stowage to provide meals for a large crew.

The 41DS uses the same slippery Philippe Briand-designed chined hull as the S/O 409, and as such she’s equally quick and agile.

The sail plan of the 41DS, however, is relatively conservative.

Jeanneau offered a self-tacking jib or a small furling genoa, while all featured a single-piece mainsheet enabling the mainsail to be trimmed from either helm. I’d recommend the self-tack option and a gennaker for light airs.

As standard, the primary winches serve both the mainsheet and jib/genoa, which annoyingly involves jamming off one to trim the other.

That said, her cockpit is spacious and well protected by tall coamings, the helming area is roomy and there are rope bins on each side.

She sails nicely, is well-balanced, light on the helm and keeps her course with minimum effort.

She gets into her groove quickly and you can safely leave the helm briefly without her drifting off course.

Upwind, she points high and tacking is dead easy, rarely requiring a winch. Her hull performs well in light airs, with the quarter chine biting in for extra stiffness in a gust.

Downwind, she needs a cruising chute or similar to maintain a decent speed.

Motorboats

The Broom 37 Crown superseded the Continental in 1978 but utilised the same semi-displacement hull. New features included a large, double island aft berth with a separate shower closet and heads.

Entering from one of the two sliding wheelhouse side doors, you step into the spacious saloon, which is bright and airy thanks to all-round windows and glass doors.

An L-shaped dinette seats four to six for dining and can be converted into another double berth for guests.

From the saloon, steps down forward take you to the superb, U-shaped galley; opposite is a spacious heads.

Further on is the large forecabin, with convertible twin berths and plentiful stowage. The master suite aft is also accessed via steps from the saloon.

It’s roomy and luxurious with an ensuite heads, a separate shower, a dresser, seats and beautifully crafted wooden lockers.

All Broom 37s have interior and exterior helms. Most owners prefer to helm from the better-situated command station above, accessed via a spiral staircase from the saloon.

Excellent, uninterrupted views from this position make close-quarter manoeuvring much less fraught.

Behind these is the after deck with seating around a large table, which is excellent for entertaining, especially al fresco when the canvas covers are opened up.

The Crown had twin 145hp Perkins shaft drive engines that offered a cruising speed of 10-12 knots and a maximum of around 15 knots.

She has a reputation for providing a smooth, slam-free ride.

Continues below…

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