Germany and Denmark pilot guide: book review

Germany and Denmark is one of the best new pilot guides for this area of the Baltic, and should be essential reading for anyone choosing to cruise there, says Julia Jones

Germany and Denmark pilot guide book jacket
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Germany and Denmark
Nicholas Hill 
RCCPF/Imray, £37.50

This the first edition of a new pilot guide developed from the work of the late Brian Navin. 

Instead of being organised around routes, it is arranged geographically.

A glance at the 11 sections running from the tricky lee shores of the German coast from the Ems to the Elbe, including the East Frisian Islands, to the rocky island of Bornholm which lies between Sweden and Poland, reveals a multiplicity of delightful and varied cruising grounds. 

These include the sheltered fjords of Schleswig-Holstein on the coast running north from Kiel to the tip of Jutland, intricate archipelagos within the Limfjord or around the Danish islands of Fyn, Lolland and Sjaelland.

There are historic Hanseatic ports along the German Baltic coast from Kiel to Rostock with exploration of the ‘bodden’, shallow, saltwater lakes clustered around the southern sides of the island of Rugen.

Continues below…

Nicholas Hill describes this area as ‘possibly the best cruising ground in the whole of Germany’. 

Sailing is extremely popular in both Denmark and Germany. This means that there are hundreds of harbours and mooring opportunities.

For the purposes of this guide Hill has chosen to cover those which are places of interest or useful passage harbours and included additional links to more detailed local gazetteers and charts as well as more recently established apps such as the Danish Harba.

He writes with sensitivity and appreciation skilfully conveying a feeling for the essential characteristics and individualities of this area.

The choice of photographs and their captioning is outstandingly good. Nothing is there for purely scenic appeal.

These are working photos giving clear visitor guidance, just as they should in a pilot book. 

Nicholas Hill was a member of the Baltic section of the Cruising Association and much of this good work comes from his fellow members.

The importance of working in association became painfully clear in the later stages of the project as Hill died before the proofing stage was complete.

What better memorial than this admirable volume which should facilitate the pleasure and safety of cruising yachtsmen for many years to come. 

Buy Germany and Denmark at Waterstones (UK)

Buy Germany and Denmark at Foyles (UK)

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