United Kingdom · 29 May - 2 July 2027
Baltic Expedition - Kiel - Copenhagen - Gdansk
30-day Baltic circumnavigation from Kiel, split into 3, 10 day legs. Copenhagen, Gdansk and the Hanseatic coast in our new Baltic explorer
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Overview
This is a 30-day circumnavigation of the western Baltic from Kiel, split into three 10-day legs with changeover ports at Copenhagen and Gdansk. Join one leg, two legs, or sail the whole loop with us. This is a trip for sailors who want to stretch their skills and a great next step on from cruising in the Mediterranean or the UK. The Baltic offers something most British and American sailors have never experienced under their own sails: warm summer water, long Nordic daylight, settled weather, and a remarkable density of historic ports. Every overnight stop is somewhere worth being — Tarbert-equivalent fishing harbours, UNESCO Hanseatic old towns, Danish chalk cliffs, Polish working ports few cruising yachts ever visit. Each leg has its own character. Leg 1 Kiel to Copenhagen : Winds through the Danish South Funen Archipelago — sheltered, scenic, intricate cruising past castles, cobbled merchant towns and the towering chalk cliffs of Møns Klint. Leg 2 : Copenhagen to Gdańsk is the committing leg: an open-water crossing to the sunshine island of Bornholm, the tiny fortified naval outpost of Christiansø, and the spectacular Hanseatic harbour arrival at Gdańsk past the Westerplatte memorial. Leg 3 : Gdańsk back to Kiel is the Hanseatic homecoming — the German Pomeranian coast, Stralsund, Rügen, Warnemünde and Lübeck, every overnight a UNESCO-listed medieval port. You'll be sailing an offshore expedition capable yacht with skipper Nigel Parry — one of Europe's most experienced expedition skippers who is familiar with these waters. The pace is properly hands-on. You'll helm, trim, navigate, and stand watch on the open passages, supported by Nigel and a first mate. Total tour distance is around 830 nautical miles, averaging 28nm per day with two committing offshore passages (the Bornholm crossing and the Polish coast leg) that sit alongside long stretches of beautiful, sheltered island sailing. This is real sailing in a region most people only see from cruise ships.
Highlights
Two Great Stops
Sail directly into the historic harbours of Copenhagen and Gdańsk — two of the great Hanseatic capitals — and step ashore where the cruise ships can't reach: the Nyhavn quay in the heart of Copenhagen, and the medieval Motława River wharves below St Mary's Church in Gdańsk.
Highly Experienced Skipper
Nigel Parry will be the skipper for the expedition. A calm, patient skipper with thousands of miles of ocean experience, he will ensure you have the best experience possible.
Scenic, Adventurous Sailing
Sail through Danish island archipelagos, past towering chalk cliffs, into Hanseatic harbours that have changed little in 500 years. Then take on the open Baltic crossing to Bornholm, the long passage to the Polish coast, and the great headland approaches into Gdańsk and Kiel. Sheltered cruising and committing offshore sailing in equal measure, with something different every day.
Skippers
Nigel Parry
Nigel Parry is one of the most experienced offshore sailors you'll find, multiple Atlantic and Pacific crossings, and a professional sailing career stretching back to 1994. An RYA Yachtmaster Instructor and Examiner, Nigel has taught and skippered across Europe, the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands, and the United States. He spent a decade in Kiel preparing British military personnel for offshore passage-making. Currently Chief Instructor for a school operating in the Baltic Sea, Nigel knows these waters intimately.
Itinerary
Previous
Next
Leg 1 - Kiel to Copenhagen
29 May to 8 June : Join the yacht in Kiel in the afternoon. We'll complete a full safety briefing and depart Kiel the following morning into the Danish South Funen Archipelago, one of northern Europe's loveliest cruising grounds — sheltered passages between hundreds of small islands, preserved 18th-century merchant towns at Ærøskøbing and Marstal, and medieval castle ruins at Vordingborg. The leg climaxes with the dramatic chalk cliffs of Møns Klint before a short final sail into Copenhagen, mooring in the heart of the old harbour.
Leg 2 Copenhagen to Gedansk
10 to 20 June 2027: After a couple of days exploring Copenhagen, we depart across the Øresund to Sweden's south coast, then the open-water Baltic crossing to Bornholm — Denmark's sunshine island, with its medieval Hammershus and unique round churches.
A short hop to tiny fortified Christiansø, then the long sail south to the Polish coast and east along it to Gdańsk, with its spectacular Hanseatic harbour arrival past the Westerplatte WWII memorial.
Leg 3 : Gedansk to Kiel
Leg 3 is from 23 June to 3 July 2027. The Hanseatic homecoming. West along the Polish Baltic coast through Łeba and Kołobrzeg, then into German waters at Świnoujście and through the Strelasund to UNESCO-listed Stralsund. The chalk cliffs of Rügen, then west along the Mecklenburg coast — Warnemünde, Lübeck and Travemünde — every overnight stop a preserved medieval Hanseatic port. A final sail around Fehmarn into Kiel Bay completes the loop
What's Included
What's Included
All food and drink (non-alcoholic) on board
Safety equipment including life-jackets.
All mooring and port entry fees for the boat.
• Hands on sailing, watch keeping, helming and opportunity to fully immerse in life on board.
Overnight accommodation onboard, your own bunk and bedding
• Waterproof Clothing available to hire
What's Not Included
• Meals Ashore
• Sailing & Travel Insurance
Accommodation
Leg 2 : 10th - 20th June - Copenhagen - Gdansk
Leg 2 Copenhagen - Gdansk
10th - 20th June :
FROM$4,884.96 /pp
Baltic Explorer - all three legs
Full Trip :
A comfortable berth for the full trip
FROM$12,572.31 /pp
Leg 1 - 29th May - 8th June : Kiel to Copenhagen
Leg 1 - Kiel to Copenhagen
Leg 1 : 29th May - 8th June
FROM$4,884.96 /pp
Leg 3 : 23rd June - 3rd July - Gdansk to Copenhagen
Leg 3 : Gdansk to Kiel
A comfortable berth
FROM$4,884.96 /pp
Gallery
You'll Be Staying Here
Gatsby - Baltic 51
Gatsby is the last Baltic 51 built — one of only 24 ever to leave the legendary Finnish yard. The Baltic 51 is a high-performance, easily handled yacht equally suited to offshore racing and fast ocean cruising. Her balsa-sandwich hull, rod rigging and deep keel were built to the highest specification, and she has proved her offshore credentials on multiple Atlantic crossings.
Gatsby has four spacious cabins, heating, pressure hot water, and a fully equipped galley. A genuine classic of offshore sailing, and a fittingly named vessel for a Baltic expedition
Interior
Four private cabins sleep up to eight guests but Wavysail trips have a maximum of six guests per trip, meaning there is plenty of space. Each cabin has individual berths and stowage. Two fully equipped heads with hot showers are a little luxury. The spacious saloon seats the whole crew comfortably around one table and is central to life aboard on passage days and in port. The well-equipped galley has a full oven, hob and fridge while heating keeps things comfortable on cooler Baltic evenings. At 51 feet, there's genuine breathing room on deck and below.
FAQs
Do I need sailing experience to join the Baltic Explorer?
No. Wavysail is an expedition operator, not a sailing school, so trips are open to complete beginners through to experienced sailors. Skipper Nigel Parry is an RYA Instructor and with roughly 200,000 nautical miles under his belt, including a Clipper Round the World campaign, tailors the sailing to the group's experience level.
What's the cancellation policy?
The group size is kept very small on our trips which gives you a real 'masterclass' with our highly experienced Skippers. However, that means each place is valuable.
We ask for a deposit to secure your berth, with the balance due 10 weeks before departure.
If you cancel your place more than 10 weeks out, your deposit is fully refundable. If you cancel less than 10 weeks before departure, the full amount is payable, but we may be able to transfer you to another trip where space allows and will always try to be flexible. We also offer optional cancellation insurance at checkout, which can cover the cost of your trip in the event you need to cancel.
Full terms and conditions are available here : - Terms & Conditions
What should I bring?
We’ll share a kit-list which will be adapted to the trip you’re taking.
All bed linen is provided as well as safety equipment. You will need some decent deck shoes (or sailing boots), otherwise it’s layers of clothing adapted to the conditions you’re likely to encounter.
Bring a camera. If you want to bring a drone, let us know beforehand and bear in mind drones tend not to be waterproof and are carried / used at your own risk!
How adventurous is it?
We want everyone to get the most out of their time on board – so we’ll work around your wants.
However, our trips are designed for you to take an active role – that means, for example, we’ll take turns in cooking (all the menus are planned already and step by step instructions given, so you don’t need to be a masterchef!)
You can get tips and instruction on all aspects of sailing from our Skippers and get as involved as you want, trimming, helming and learning. On the other hand, there’s also plenty of time to relax and just take in the beautiful ocean scenery. It’s your trip!
What boat will I be sailing on?
Gatsby is a Baltic 51 built in 1988 and refitted in 2015 — the last of her type ever built. She's a proven offshore yacht with the space and stability for six guest crew living aboard comfortably across each 10-day leg.
Can I book just one leg, or do I need to do the full expedition?
Either. The Baltic Explorer runs as three separate 10-day legs — Kiel to Copenhagen, Copenhagen to Gdańsk, and Gdańsk back to Kiel — so you can join a single leg for £3,495 or book the full circuit.
Legs run 29 May–8 Jun, 12–21 Jun, and 25 Jun–4 Jul 2027.
What's the route and what will we see?
Starting and finishing in Kiel, Germany, the route threads through Denmark's sheltered island archipelagos to Copenhagen, crosses open Baltic water to Gdańsk's medieval Hanseatic old town, then returns along the German and Polish coast. Nigel spent a decade based in Kiel training offshore crews in these exact waters, so route decisions are backed by genuinely local knowledge.
How many guest crew are on board?
A maximum of six, which is Wavysail's standard across every expedition — small enough that everyone gets real hands-on time at the helm rather than watching from the sidelines
Is the Baltic a good choice for my first off shore sailing trip?
Yes, it's a well-sheltered, island-hopping route by offshore-sailing standards, with plenty of harbour stops rather than long open-ocean passages, making it one of the more approachable expeditions in the Wavysail calendar for a first-timer. In any event, Heather who is our shore operations lead, will help you understand if this trip is suitable for your experience and we will adapt or suggest alternatives. Just get in touch with us Heather@Wavysail.com