Sailing in Estonia

To sail in Estonian waters, you need good charts! Russian ones are of highest quality. Newly corrected Russian charts are sold in many countries. Recently Estonia have printed excellent charts.

In general, Estonian waters are very shallow. At most places it is wise to sail in the marked fairways. Sometimes you have to sail 5-6 NM from the nearest land. The shallow waters makes harbours rare. But there are small and charming fishing harbours! Some of them have excellent service for yachtsmen. Here you can often find a sauna, electricity and a bar. The ports are often manned both day and night.


The typical navigational situation is that you approach a port holding your way well out from the shore. You find the buoy (a safe water mark) marking the beginning of the fairway to the port. From that position, you only have to follow the buoyage towards the port. In the chart you find the course leading in. Coming closer, and with a little luck, you can also find the beacons marking the leading line.

Buoys and beacons  show up as expected. Leading lines were often hard to see, but with the help of buoys and harbour plans, you can managed anyhow. But beware of the lights! The lights are often out of order. Do not rely on the lighthouses either. Don't navigate in darkness! You can navigate without problem at daytime. In darkness - that's totally another story. Plan your visit to June and July, when the days are long!

When planning your sailing route, you have to consider what ports are "ports of entry". You have to visit a port with customs and passport control as your first and as your last port in every one of the Baltic States you visit. (But you don't have to use the same port for arrival and departure). You are also supposed to fill in a crew list form. It's often written in three copies and stamped in a highly official manner. Making crew lists becomes soon a part of the ships daily routine!