Lübeck Bight - always worth heading for

Travemünde Week

The Travemünde Week has established itself as one of the major events in the Lübeck Bight. Grömitz, Neustadt, Niendorf... all venues for yacht and dinghy competitions. The bight has been the meeting point for years for the traditional boat owners and from May to September there is hardly a week that goes by without an event taking place on the water.

One-way street
Admittedly travelling from Travemünde up the river Trave toward the Hanse town of Lübeck has only one way back. Still the semi-circle between Dameshöved and Klütz is really worth the effort, not only for the sport. Old ports such as Neustadt and the idyllic fishing ports like Niendorf mix in with the well-equipped and geared uop modern sailing places such as Travemünde or Grömitz. The Hanse town of Lübeck itself, a UNESCO world heritage site, is perhaps the best lure of all. The lovely lightly undulating moraine landscape typical of Schleswig-Holstein is also well worth exploring.

Sandy beaches of Grömitz

Lübeck, Niendorf and Grömitz
Naturally you should not forgo the pleasures offered by Lübeck and look at Niendorf as part of the alternative programme. Grömitz calls itself the "Spa of the sunny shore" and offers 8km of the finest sandy beaches as well as a safe yacht harbour with 800 moorings. There is almost 4 km of promenade to walk down and on which to relax and amuse one.

700 year old Neustadt
Pelzerhaken can be recommended for charter sailors as a day anchoring spot because of its open position. The long pier has enough water but the rear of this is only usable during offshore winds. You anchor in the sand and there is really excellent swimming to be had. Neustadt (founded in 1226) offers more long-term distractions. There is a host of different moorings with fine connections to the central old harbour at the Neustädter sailing club with further places along to the town centre. Neustadt offers a pedestrianised area, fine historical architecture as well as abundant fish eateries along the harbour front.

Long pier at Scharbeutz

The number 1 marina in the Baltic
The "ancora" marina is the first ADAC accredited marina in the whole Baltic to be awarded the Lloyd's Gold Marina badge as well as having had the blue flag accreditation for over 4 years. If you sail up to Travemünde a whole host of beautiful places line up like pearls on a necklace - Sierksdorf, Haffkrug, Scharbeutz, Timmendorf... great beaches, each with their own reason to stop and stay a while. The long piers are usually frequented by the day trippers, but an overnight stop is forbidden for safety reasons. Overnight mooring is available in a small bight before Niendorf.

Europe's highest lighthouse
Hotel Maritim in Travemünde

Travemünde
The identifiable sign of Travemünde - the Hotel Maritim - is the highest lighthouse in Europe at 117 meters, and leads the way to Travemünde with an official spa accreditation dating back to 1802. Despite the established sailing events such as the Travemünder Woche the actual set up for moorings is not exactly optimal. Naturally there is place in the "Passat" harbour but the town side is always more difficult. What there is in the navigable centre is taken over by the large ferries and container vessels, proof of its status as one of the biggest terminals in Europe. Böbs yard at the rear of the harbour and Baltica marina, are equipped with most of the local moorings. There is more hope of finding space in the fishing port where there are water and electricity hook ups offered by the local council. The Rosenhof is also a good alternative. In order to travel into the town centre you usually have to rely on the ferries but it is also reachable from the Rosenhof.

Day trips from Tavemünde
Sailors really ought not to forgo the pleasures of the "Passat" and climb the renovated steps of one of Germany's oldest lighthouses as well as taking a boat trip from the Skandinavienkai to see the Dassow Lake. Take the crew further up the Trave and you will see large "Pötenitzer Wiek" behind the Skandinavienkai. This is a beautiful deep sailing area that was hardly ever used in the GDR times because of the border. That's all different nowadays with first the Dassow lake having been made into a protected area and taboo to all sailors. Up to the only fishing port of Schlutup the Trave wends its way through beautiful landscape. Inviting bays such as Silk, and upper and lower Holzwiek offer lovely stop overs near thick pine forests. It makes for an unusual but unproblematic sailing experience on a well-used stretch of water. Both banks offer a host of clubs and facilities to the sailor.

The last stretch of the Trave
The last stretch is to the Lübeck city harbour past the idyllic Gothmund, the island of Teerhof and the container areas of the Nordland quay best sailed in favourable winds. After the last meander in the Trave the crew is met with the striking silhouette of the former "Queen of the Hanseatic League". Almost all of Lübeck's 7 towers greet the sailor as he finds his way into the Hanse port preferably to the quiet side in front of the media complex.

The Hanseatic port of Lübeck
The visitor to this city of 210,000 people is in the traditional old town in a matter of minutes. There is a wide variety of all types of restaurants and pubs to savour the delights of the region. Make sure you do the water tour around the city as it affords unique views of the city. This can be especially beautiful at night.