ADVENTURE SAILING EAST BEYOND THE BERLIN WALL

The coast of former East Germany offers Karen Eriksen and family tranquility and history in equal measure

Shortly after the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, I moved abroad from Germany. On the occasions I did return I rarely ventured further than Hamburg where my family lived. Yet now, here we were, sailing to a completely unknown country - the former East Germany. Our family, now based in Sydney, planned an exploratory cruise along the coast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - a state in the north-east of Germany.

The Baltic is renowned as a soft cruising ground without tide or major swells and is perfect for sailing between the months of June and August. Every few miles there is a marina with all the facilities to welcome sailors at a reasonable cost. Navigation in these more southern reaches of the Baltic is also quite easy.

EXPLORING UNKNOWN TERRITORY

Looking at the innocent sandy coast, I felt deeply for the many Germans who had been living in a communist state next door. More than 40 years ago, I had raced in a dinghy regatta nearby and recall trying to pinpoint the invisible East-West marine border. Our biggest fear then was to be swept across the Iron Curtain, arrested by hostile patrol boats, never to return home. More than 5,600 East Germans tried to flee the GDR across the Baltic from 1961 to 1989. They used surfboards, kayaks and lilos, but only around 1,000 people made it and many died.

I was joined on the cruise by my husband, John, and my teenage daughter, Lizzie. We set sail from Lemkenhafen on the island of Fehmarn where our classic Hornet 32 Dania had been stored during the pandemic years. A sail through the shallow Mecklenburg fairways would lead us to the natural beauty of the Bodden waters - small lagoons, many of them protected. Further on through the Stettiner Haff (also known as the Szczecin Lagoon) we would hopefully reach the Polish port city of Swinoujście and the surrounding area, which is steeped in ancient and modern history and said to be a stunning cruising ground.