Dauntless Cruise Plan - Baltic 2015

Well folks, as we get closer and closer to summer, the moss in growing under my feet, so it’s getting time to move on.

As initially planned a few years ago, this summer will be spent in the Baltic. The attached picture shows the tentative route from our departure from Waterford in late May to our return in early October.

As planned, this voyage will be about 4100 nm with 72 legs spread over 130 days. A bit ambitious, but that’s us. While some of the major stops: Holland, last two weeks in June; East Germany, 4 July; Gdansk, 18 July; Riga, 24 July; Tallinn, 30 July & 15 Aug; Helsinki, 6 Aug; are hard wired in, pretty much everything in between is open and will be determined based on weather, seas and moods.

Our usual mode of travel is about 6.5 knots, consuming 1.5 gal/hr. or 4.2nm/gal (2 liters/km) so the total cruise will need about 1000 gallons, 4000 liters, of fuel. So will need to pick up about 300 gallons along the way, to get back to the UK, Ireland with near empty tanks.

Normally we like cruising one day, then stopping at the same place for two nights. By cruising every other day, it keeps the batteries up and in hot water for about half that time.

I am in the process of putting the water heater and washer on the Inverter circuit. Thus we’ll have hot water on the non-motoring days.

For charts, I am using the Jepp C-Map charts running on Coastal Explorer, plus Navionics on my tablet and smart phone. I looking for some large scale paper charts to facilitate the long range planning.

Though we will have cell phone coverage most places, I will have our Delorme InReach running and on Dauntless 24/7 to keep a running track of our trip. I will also attempt to take better pictures, videos and document the trip better.

I really appreciate the postings of Dockhead and Carstenb on Cruisers Forum. Their information and enthusiasm about the Baltic have been contagious.

As always, I’m open to suggestions, but keep in mind that some places are locked and loaded and that no trip is ever perfect.

If anyone knows the price of fuel at the Brusnichnoye Lock on the Saimaa Canal, I’d love that information, but I won’t need to know it until the very end of July. That far eastern jaunt will probably be eliminated in any case, unless fuel is 33 cents a liter, as I do need to cut down some miles.

Very ambitious, but then we have come to expect nothing less.

Ted

Looks like a great trip, and we'll be following closely. That part of Europe appeals to me MUCH more than the Med.

twistedtree said:

Looks like a great trip, and we'll be following closely. That part of Europe appeals to me MUCH more than the Med.

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Yes, perhaps a bit safer as well.

With the extremism associated with the region, I'd personally be uncomfortable with anything but the northwest shores of the Med.

ksanders said:

Yes, perhaps a bit safer as well.

With the extremism associated with the region, I'd personally be uncomfortable with anything but the northwest shores of the Med.

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There are even worse things in the Med than terrorism.
There is a prevalent sense that is you have a boat, you are mega rich and deserve to get soaked for every cent they can get out of you, by hook or by crook.

THe Baltic and Scandinavia are places where everyone has some kind of boat, so totally different attitude.

It's an ambitious plan, but it will get us ready for 2016

this voyage will be about 4100 nm with 72 legs spread over 130 days. A bit ambitious,


Understatement of the year , have a nice trip.

And in dutch "Behouden vaart".

CeesH

Wxx3 said:

If anyone knows the price of fuel at the Brusnichnoye Lock on the Saimaa Canal, I’d love that information, but I won’t need to know it until the very end of July. That far eastern jaunt will probably be eliminated in any case, unless fuel is 33 cents a liter, as I do need to cut down some miles.

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Don't know fuel price up there but I don't believe it's below 1 Euro / liter. We are paying typically between 1.5 and 2.0 Euro / liter in Germany and / or Northern Europe, getting sometimes a special price down to 1.1 - 1.2 ...

Take care of the ground seas which might establish at the southern Baltic coasts of Poland and eastwards in case of strong onshore winds.

Wish you a good and safe trip - "und immer eine Hand breit Wasser unter dem Kiel!"



best regards / med venlig hilsen
wadden

Wxx3 said:

As planned, this voyage will be about 4100 nm with 72 legs spread over 130 days. A bit ambitious, but that’s us. .

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Is ambitious, cruising 55% of the days and averaging 8.76 hours of cruising on each of those cruising days.

However, I looked back at our Alaskan cruise and the numbers were very close to that. The reason it didn't seem as bad as the numbers looked is that there were some legs that were 60 hours and that's what made the average look so bad. We actually cruised 55% of the days and averaged 9 hours of cruising per day we cruised. But it was more like two 24 hour days offset by six 4 hour days. Only things I'd see that would put your plan in peril is weather conditions or issues with the boat and equipment itself.

Wxx3,
just realized that your tour plan ignores the island Bornholm. I would suggest to take the 25-30 nm from the south Swedish coast into account and to add some days on this beautiful island.
You should not miss "klippe ø", stay a night in Hammerhavn and have on another day a talk to the "havnefoged" in Listed nearby Svaneke.


best regards / med venlig hilsen
Wadden

BandB said:

Is ambitious, cruising 55% of the days and averaging 8.76 hours of cruising on each of those cruising days.

However, I looked back at our Alaskan cruise and the numbers were very close to that. The reason it didn't seem as bad as the numbers looked is that there were some legs that were 60 hours and that's what made the average look so bad. We actually cruised 55% of the days and averaged 9 hours of cruising per day we cruised. But it was more like two 24 hour days offset by six 4 hour days. Only things I'd see that would put your plan in peril is weather conditions or issues with the boat and equipment itself.

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Exactly. I appreciate the information and your numbers.

I'm thinking that I will delete some legs by going 30 hours.

And there will be places that I will skip.

I'd rather plan big and reduce, than the other way around.

Also, large swaths of Norway, and the Shetlands may be eliminated, since I will be going that way next year.