Inland waterways for beginners
Isn't every trip on the water complicated and associated with more or less incalculable risks? There is certainly something to that. Nevertheless, it can be said that there are clearly identifiable criteria for the particular "difficulties" of each area. And since we all started out, we know all too well what caused us problems on our first trips.
Current: Of course, in the beginning every second mooring manoeuvre went to pot. At least.
Commercial shipping: Okay, it never came to a collision, but the sometimes very narrow strip of water that such a big ship left only on our side when encountering us was a bit frightening.
Locks: Today I have to laugh about the fact that lock manoeuvres are considered difficult. After all, it's no different to mooring and briefly mooring to a wall. Nevertheless: unfortunately, only a few locks are designed for pleasure craft. Holding lines or poles help if the niche bollards are too far apart. In the Dutch boating areas, this is solved perfectly throughout.
Tide: Playing with currents and water levels can be difficult, at least mathematically. But this is one of the higher consecrations - which you should definitely avoid, at least as a beginner.
Strong wind:It is an unpleasant comrade that can thwart any harbour manoeuvre. Unfortunately, it cannot be switched off as required and - as a small consolation - is by no means only a problem for beginners.
Swell and waves: Mainly come with strong winds, but not only. Anyone familiar with the Rhine and Hamburg harbour knows that commercial shipping also makes quite a lot of waves. But even on large lakes such as Müritz or Lake Constance, it can be fierce.
So let's just look for waters that offer as little of all this as possible. Because they do exist, these perfect beginner waters!
Germany
In Germany, this is relatively easy: the inland areas in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg, which can only be navigated with a charter certificate without an official pleasure craft licence, can all be described as beginner areas: There is little to no commercial shipping, and the same applies to currents. Of course, there are also no tides inside. The infrastructure is perfect, however, with harbours and waterway rest areas close together. The number of locks is also manageable. Most of them are modern, designed for self-service and have plenty of waiting areas. This results in an Eldorado for beginners, especially as you don't even need your "own keel", as charter bases are not only found on every corner in the blue paradise around the Mecklenburg Lake District, they also offer a large selection of completely different boats - from adventure rafts to cosy houseboats and elegant steel yachts.
France
The quaint canals (and rivers) of France are somewhat richer in locks, but also without commercial shipping, currents and tides. Here too, charter skippers do not need a licence, but if you have your own boat, you do need an inland navigation licence. My personal favourites are the Burgundy-Nivernais-Loire region (although the latter is not navigable and is served by the Loire Lateral Canal). An alternative is the equally attractive Burgundy-Saône-Doubs region, whereby I am particularly fond of the Saône. Its navigable section flows leisurely from Corre to the mouth of the Rhône in Lyon, is around 400 kilometres long, has 24 locks and two tunnels. Unsprawling towns and cities such as Gray, Saint-Jean-de Losne, Tournus, Macon and Villefranche-sur-Saône offer culture and pleasure in abundance. And the nautical challenges are manageable. So let's get there!
The Netherlands
Beginners will find similarly favourable conditions in the popular boating areas of the Netherlands, where charter boats can generally be used without a licence. However, if you have your own boat, the skipper must have a recreational boating licence if the boat is designed to travel faster than 20 km/h. The most popular areas are in the province of Friesland (Friese Meren) between Lemmer and Drachten, in Noord-Holland between Amsterdam and Den Oever, in the Randmeren of Flevoland between Kampen and Muiden, around the Vecht between Utrecht and Amsterdam and on the waterways of South Holland between Amsterdam and The Hague.
Although there is a little more commercial shipping here, the infrastructure leaves nothing to be desired. So much for the inland areas, which are also perfect for beginners. But the "also" is crucial: experienced "professional skippers" can, of course, slow down just as wonderfully here.
Coastal areas
And when do you go out to sea? For me, it's only when you've worked your socks off on the inland waterways and the boat handling has become second nature, even in difficult conditions. After all, you don't just have to sail at sea, you also have to navigate. This is no longer a serious problem with electronic assistance, but if the worst comes to the worst, it should still be possible without a plotter. And if the weather is also capricious (usually everything comes at once, unfortunately), chaos is inevitable. So don't take even "easy" sea areas lightly, because even here there are strong winds, swell and poor visibility.
Croatia (Adriatic Sea)
As a fair weather and light wind area, Croatia is undoubtedly at the top of my hit list of beginner areas. These ideal external conditions are complemented by a nautical infrastructure that is hard to beat, with perfect marinas and an ever-growing number of former fishing harbours that have been developed to suit sports boats.
There are a good 17,000 moorings in marinas, harbours and anchorages along the almost 6,000 kilometre-long coastline. In recent years, treacherous shallows, reefs and rocks have been systematically marked by navigational aids, making it easier to navigate by sight. However, Croatia is not licence-free. Both for your own boat and for charter boats, a licence is required. As charter boats in Croatia are required to be equipped with a VHF radiotelephone, at least one member of the charter crew must be in possession of an official VHF radiotelephone licence (SRC).
Greece (Ionian Sea)
In terms of wind and weather, the Ionian Islands off the west coast of Greece between Corfu and Zakynthos are comparable to the "light wind conditions" in Croatia. In the summer months from June to the end of September, the wind usually blows from north-west to west-north-west at 2 to 5 Bf, with the wind only picking up around midday and dying down again in the evening. For motorboaters, the early bird really does catch the worm.
Although the nautical infrastructure is not as perfectly developed as in Croatia, quaint local, municipal and fishing harbours as well as countless bays offer plenty of safe moorings within short distances.
Greece requires a licence. With your own boat and on charter boats, the skipper is required to have a recreational boating licence. A charter boat must also be manned by a co-skipper who must provide proof of experience. This can be done by signing a so-calleddeclaration of honour must be submitted. However, nautical mileage certificates are also accepted.
Germany (Baltic Sea)
The Baltic coast of Schleswig-Holstein is also suitable as a beginner's sailing area. In the event of rare strong winds or storms, the sea weather forecasts are so accurate that there is always enough time to crawl into a safe "hole". Connoisseurs regard the Bay of Lübeck as a "duck pond". Its coastline provides perfect protection from winds from the north-west to south-west. The Baltic Sea north-west of Fehmarn up to Flensburg is somewhat less cosy than the Bay of Lübeck. However, there are three small-scale wind-protected areas here: Kiel Fjord, Schlei and Flensburg Fjord.
As there are only 60 nautical miles between Kiel and Flensburg, it is no problem to connect these three areas in calm weather. There are no treacherous shallows along the entire Baltic coast, and if there is a shallow spot, it is safely buoyed or marked. So there is no need for complex navigation. A near-shore journey "on sight" is sufficient throughout.
