Sailing around Rügen in seven days

We had one week and hadn't seen much from Rügen except for the Greifswalder Bodden. Therefore we started our circumnavigation going up north via the east coast and back south along Hiddensee and the west coast.

Day 1 Lauterbach Harbor - Zicker See anchorage

We started our tour in the harbour of Lauterbach on Rügen. The harbor is located opposite the nature-protected island of Vilm, which often causes turning and inconsistent winds directly in front of Lauterbach. At this point there was absolutely no wind. In the early morning, a few hours before we left, a violent thunderstorm had passed through and the heated and oppressive air had cooled down a little. On the very same morning, around 6 a.m., just in time for this approaching thunderstorm, our neighbors left the harbor together with their neighbors and the neighbors of their neighbors. A little puzzled, awakened by howling wind, a tremendous clap of thunder and pounding rain, we looked around on our jetty, which was deserted all around. Our neighbors were older people who could just barely stand on their shaky legs. The last few days they had stayed in the harbor with the bluest skies and the most beautiful sunshine. And now they had obviously decided to sail straight into a nasty-looking storm. We were just able to put into words that we were a little worried when the mast of the two adventurers reappeared at the harbor entrance. Soaking wet and a little shocked, they tied up next to us again. The very angry wife reported that the gentlemen had literally incited themselves in the morning to leave the harbor despite the storm clouds that were already visible. Behind her stood the scourged husband, who obviously regretted his decision. After them another boat came back from their neighborhood. On board an equally soaking wet and ashamed husband and an equally angry and hysterical lady.

What some had too much, we had too little. The mirror-smooth Greifswalder Bodden showed us that we shouldn't turn off the engine after leaving the harbor and that setting sails would also be pointless. So we motored in the sweltering heat all the way to the port entrance from the port of Thiesow. Our dinghy wobbled after us very motivated.

The anchorage in the Zicker See was an old fellow of ours. For a long time we hesitated to even go in here. Many Rügan sailors had told us horror stories about the mysterious Zickerer harbor entrance beforehand. Touching ground should be common here and only with luck and a lot of experience would you manage to get through here safely.

A few weeks earlier we had dared to try it for the first time. Quite nervous and in the absolute dump we had fought our way through the gully centimeter by centimeter and, lo and behold, it hadn't been a problem at all. Sure, the buoy has to be taken into account, but everything else was a sure-fire success with our 1.60m draft. The anchor maneuver worked right away on the first attempt. This time it took us four attempts to secure our anchor. The reason for this was seaweed that had grown up since our last visit. When we saw that our neighboring boat had the same problems with anchoring, we were reassured.

The anchorage itself is gorgeous. It is very deep up to the immediate vicinity of land, so that the swans diving for food in the reeds appear close enough to touch. There is a nature reserve all around, which is why we were actually not allowed to land with our dinghy. But after enough other motorized fishing boats ignored this regulation, we joined them and went for a walk around the adjacent cliff out to the Zickerer Mountains. From up here we could enjoy a wonderful sunset and then headed back across country to our Onlika.

If you want to go directly to Klein Zicker, there is a small fishing port near the anchor bay. Towards evening you can easily meet some drunk fishermen in one of the huts. Here we asked if we could moor our dinghy at their jetty in order to get to the neighboring village of Klein Zicker and after a few babbling words this was not a problem. The guys just want to be asked.

Klein Zicker is a small but very touristy place in summer. There is a campsite, a water sports station and a snack. There are no shopping opportunities in the immediate vicinity, but you can have a nice meal at the snack bar. You can always keep an eye on the water sports enthusiasts in the bay. With winds from the west, everything is possible here, from windsurfing to kitesurfing to the latest wing surfing. The spot is shallow for the first 50 - 100 m due to several sandbanks.

Back at our small floating home, we made ourselves comfortable on deck. One storm front after the next passed us in sight, but never reached us. Lucky because despite regular checking of the weather forecast, we did not see it coming. As is so often the case at this time when the wind and weather was more like a game of poker. The wind came and went at moderate strength during the night without crushing us. Rather, it produced shallow, swaying waves in the bay, which, by turning sideways around the nose of the tip of the little headland, caused our boat to roll sideways.

Day 2 Zicker anchorage - Sassnitz harbor

The next morning we lifted our anchor and set off towards Sassnitz. We have already been to the Sassnitz city harbor before. The harbor offers plenty of space for maneuvers and lots of boats, but the atmosphere there is quite industrial. Sassnitz is a perfect starting point for trips to Bornholm or Sweden and also the first port on the east side of Rügen when coming from the south.

We came out of the Thiessow fairway with a lot of pressure in the sail with a wind of 10-14 knots. This then got lost on the open bay - a phenomenon that we had noticed several times: In the harbor approaches there is often a fresh breeze, which then evaporates after the narrowness of the surrounding cliffs. So we ended up in the fairway in front of Mönchgut Südperd with the engine running. It's not that we didn't try to sail. We ignored all the other sailing boats that were already under engine: “Of course! Nobody can sail but WE can do it! ”What a stupid idea ... the end of the story was that we joined the motor column and had to motor almost as far as the bay of Binz. On the route we met many similarly desperate sailors who sat out the calm or shot past us with their engines.

Shortly before Sassnitz the wind suddenly increased from 2-4 KN to 15-18Kn and our hurt ego made us set the sails again for the last few miles. There is nothing more humiliating for a sailboat than to get to its destination with engine power. After another long day of sailing, we moored in Sassnitz. The route from Thiessow is not to be underestimated. Many turning winds and also the detour through the fairway between Rügen and the Greifswalder Oje make the apparently short route a day trip. Skipping the fairway and shortening it is still not a good idea, as many shallows and stones are just waiting to put naive sailors in their place.

Day 3 Sassnitz - Lohme

The next morning was gray and not very windy. Nevertheless, we wanted to get out of Sassnitz and prepared for a longer passage with our engine. At the beginning, however, we could still sail at 7-9Kn. Four huge boats of the coast guards patrolled in front of the harbor, two German and two Danish or Swedish. These were circled by several black motor boats that obviously belonged to them. Just a few minutes later, two helicopters joined them. We couldn't believe that such a military presence was necessary on the Baltic Sea! We tried to behave as inconspicuously as necessary and refrained from performing a turning maneuver in front of the boats' noses. Hours of patient cruising followed. The sun turned into rain and a little wind turned into no wind. So we had no choice but to turn on the engine for the last few miles.

Despite the rather laborious sailing, the unique view of the chalk coast was rewarding. Some sailors dared to go surprisingly close to the coast - we stayed at a safe distance. In fact, on the way to the next port in Lohme, there is also an anchor spot marked on the map right in front of the imposing coast. We decided, drenched in the rain, which was still working for the "safe haven" in the last few meters.

The entrance of the harbor in Lohme is quite narrow, which is why the approach can be adventurous with onshore winds. In the harbor itself the water is super clear and the bottom seems to be closer than indicated on the map. So we chose a box that was much too big on the northern jetty of the harbor. The harbor flair in Lohme is just cozy. Although we were there before the start of the main season. In the immediate vicinity of the harbor there is a cafe and hiking trails to the Kreidefelsen.

Day 4 Lohme - anchorage Hiddensee Libben

The next day we were unfortunately not blessed with more wind than the day before with 5-8 knots. The wind direction was also not ideal for our further route towards Hiddensee. Nevertheless we tried it and started crossing upwind that led us past Cape Arkona. This part of Rügen also looks much more impressive from the water than from land. In the end we had the cape beside us for much longer than we would like. Our maximum speed was an average of 2.0 knots and the wind around the cape continued to turn towards us.

So crossing upwind became more pointless and Onilka seemed at some point to lose the patience to cross against the treacherous Baltic Sea wave. Each wave destroyed the speed that had just been so laboriously built up. The last remnant was the fact that we were overtaken by all the yachts that were on the same course as us. Including a yacht that we met in the harbor in Lohme on the last evening. Its crew had slept in their hangovers that morning when we were already leaving the port. Now they obviously arrived at their destination much earlier than we did.

Before the frustration could overwhelm us, we started the engine for the last few miles. Arrived at the northern point on Hiddensee (Libbe) we set anchor in front of a dreamlike backdrop: The sun was just dipping into the sea, the water around us was just so incredibly clear and the Hiddensee lighthouse winked at us at regular intervals.

Day 5 Anchor bay Hiddensee Libben - intermediate stop at Marina Neuendorf - anchor bay Neuendorf

Awakened by a blue sky and countless kayakers, after a short morning swim and a hearty breakfast, we set off towards downtown Hiddensee. We wanted to head for the port in Neuendorf, hoping that it wouldn't be too crowded. We had heard a lot about Hiddensee beforehand and, above all, that it was not a secret place among sailors.

For a long time now, sailing has been done with pressure in the sail. On a closewind course in the fairway with a 15-20kn wind with oncoming traffic, it was definitely a challenge, especially because the fastest and largest boats seemed to have right of way. In addition, a couple of kayakers paddled in the fairway, which - surprisingly - were faster than our Onilka. One of them used our stern wave for a paddling break and told us that they were once around Hiddensee from Stralsund. At that moment we felt very unsportsmanlike and admired the iron-like paddler.

The view from the fairway of the area was just super beautiful! There was shallow water everywhere, so that some of the seagulls came running towards us. So we tried all the more not to be deceived by the distorted optics on the water - and in any case, the drift must be taken into account;)! We could almost hear the raised index finger in this thought.

When we arrived at the harbor of Neuendorf, we actually got the last free box. It has to be said that we got there around 1pm. After us the port was full. We looked in vain for the harbor master, who should probably only come by in the evening to collect the money. So we grabbed our backpacks and went exploring.

The mood on Hiddensee was somehow dreamy. There are no cars or paved roads and time seems to pass a little slower here. The houses are all built on a huge field into which smaller paths have been trampled or tracks have been driven into with a cart. The properties are not marked by a fence and laundry day was almost everywhere, so that fresh laundry was drying in the wind in every garden. We ran across country towards the western beach of Hiddensee. Then back again and all over the place. It was good to stretch our legs after long days at sea. In Neuendorf there isn't much, there is a small shop that was closed, a few restaurants and cafes and opportunities to rent bicycles.

Back at the port we found that the harbor master was still not there. Since it was a bit too crowded and turbulent in the harbor, we decided to spend the night a few meters further south in an anchor bay. This is shown in the map and from a distance we could see countless masts that obviously had the same plan as we did. However, there was more than enough space and the day ended with a spectacular sunset.

Day 6 Anchorage Neuendorf - anchorage in front of Puddemin, Rügen

The next day we set off in such a way that we would arrive in Stralsund just in time for the next bridge opening. The Ziegelgraben- Bridge opens every few hours. The opening times can easily be found on google. We set off early after a coffee and a small breakfast. The wind was good and there was enough 12-15Kn, so that we arrived in Stralsund about 1.5 hours before the bridge opened, we weren't the first. Immediately in front of the bridge there are moorings and there we used the waiting time for a second breakfast and to have a little small talk with our also waiting neighbors. The closer the bridge opening got, the fuller it got. Soon all the dolphins were occupied and the waiting area in front of the bridge was full of boats. The Ziegelgrabenbrücke was wound up on time and our side was allowed to go through first. The permission to drive through would be indicated by a traffic light.

On the other side we were greeted by no fewer boats, who were hurrying through the bridge behind the last boat from the opposite direction. For us it went on through the Strelasund. How had we missed the turning and changing strong winds of the lagoon landscape! We continued towards the anchor bay at Puddemin.

The anchor bay is next to the port entrance of Puddemin. It is very flat all around and we had to ignore the warning light of our depth gauge in the fairway. With little speed and a lot of courage we ventured further and found ourselves a few minutes later in the really idyllic anchor bay.

We wanted to explore the area a little more, but that's almost not possible from this bay. There are really lush reeds everywhere and the ground looks more like a swamp there. The next way out for us was behind the Vogelhaken Glewitz reserve on the other side of the bay. From the water we could already see that bullies were parked in small bays from time to time. When we got ashore, however, we were greeted by a special kind of party. A family had probably set up their holiday home here with a caravan and a lush awning. In addition, according to German hits, echoed over their heads in our direction and the bright red faces only gave an idea of ​​how much alcohol was involved here. Somewhat astonished by this scenery, we made a short lap and then returned to our boat. An incredibly beautiful sunset (once again) rounded off the day.

Day 7 Anchorage in front of Puddemin, Rügen - Lauterbach harbor Rügen

The last day of our circumnavigation of the Rügen was on. This last stage took us back to the Greifswalder Bodden towards the port of Lauterbach. It didn't look like wind at all that day. The water was smooth as glass and the trees didn't move. That is why it quickly became clear to us that there would probably be another motorboat trip today.

We skilfully passed the Glewitzer ferry and squeezed past the water police that patrolled the exit of the Strelasund. When we left the Strelasund, a light breeze came up, which made us arrive in Lauterbach harbor a few hours later.

Conclusion

Our sailing trip around Rügen was more than worth it. Many beautiful spots on the island look completely different from the water and the island of Hiddensee is also worth seeing. We also realized how versatile Germany’s largest island is. Unfortunately, we had a bit of bad luck with the wind and in combination with time pressure to cover the distance within a week, this is not the best starting position. If you don't feel like turning on the engine on days that are better spent on land, then there should be more than a week for the trip (or you have a faster boat, which also likes to cross upwind fast with 5 knots of wind;) ).