Germany - Facts

Germany Facts for Sailors

• Germany (officially the Federal Republic of Germany) occupies a central position in Europe with coasts on both the North and Baltic Seas. Berlin is the capital and largest city in the country.
• The most important navigable rivers in continental Europe, the Rhine and the Danube, also flow through German territory.
• It has a population of 83 million people and the official language is German.
• Germany is a member of the European Union and part of the Schengen area and the official currency is Euro.
• Central European Time (CET) is used as standard time, while Central European Summer Time (CEST) is observed when Daylight Saving Time (DST) is in force.
• Germany has four seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter). See Weather for more.
• Although one of the most active sailing nations in Europe, Germany is not generally regarded as a cruising destination and most German sailors prefer to do their cruising away from home.
• Cruising opportunities on the North Sea coast are rather limited and the restrictions imposed on cruising in some of the German Frisian Islands have reduced the destinations ever further, but the eastern part of Germany offers many more Baltic ports to the German cruising portfolio. There are several attractive historic towns to visit here, as well as the island of Rügen and the surrounding area.
• The only contact many visiting yachts have with Germany is the Kiel Canal, the convenient shortcut from the North Sea to the Baltic. Those with more time on hand may be tempted to sail up the narrow estuaries to the old Hanseatic ports of Hamburg, Bremen or Lübeck.
• The most extensive repair facilities are concentrated around the main sailing centers at Hamburg, Kiel and Bremen. Here also there is a comprehensive range of marine supplies. Marinas and small boatyards, however, are spread around the entire coastline and also in the rivers and estuaries. Find out more at Yachting Essentials.
• Cuxhaven Marina, at the mouth of the Elbe, is an excellent place to prepare for the transit of the Kiel Canal towards the Baltic. Kiel is the place to stop for boats transiting the canal in the opposite direction.