Santa Claus started ealy this year. Before like in the last winter the open Baltic Sea was frozen up; Santa Claus and Rudolf were sighted near the German coast.

So that all children by Christmas Eve will be happy; the winner of the Autum Race 2010
Christoph Lorenz did take over the urgent service.

Rudolf rests meantime in the foreship. Tomorrow at sunrise he goes on shore in Breege at the Rügen Island and takes over the sleigh.

Merry Christmas for all!

A sailor, who wants to explore the Mediterranean or Baltic Sea or want to live live in retirement for the hole summer at a boat will buy a boat. He knows all about his boat and equips it as he loves it.

But sailors who only want to sail 2 or 3 weeks during the year, could charter a boat as well. Charter boats are cheap and convenient. The boat it maintained and cleaned when they enter it. And they save a lot of time.

You can without any effort in alternate sailing areas - Rügen Mallorca, Elba, Croatia, Caribean. Wintercamp? Antifouling? New sails? Oil change? You don´t need it.

Even in the inland are numberous possibilities for boat charter.

Our most touching story was the story of the marriage proposal. A lady ordered an exclusive sailing cruise for 2 and had some special wishes. On the vessel at sea in front of Warnemünde she wanted to propose marriage to her darling. The couple was living together for years. Until now the man did bristle against a marriage and she experienced that he loves her but he would never ask her. If she wants to marry she would have to ask him. She considered for a long time how to propose marriage in a romantic style and decided for a letter in a bottle. The date was arranged. The skipper was inaugurated. They would sail on the sea and find a massage in a bottle.

But that day the sea was moved. It wasn't long before the lady got seasick. But sailing was really well for her lover. He had a fantastic sailing day.

The mission was not easy. The skipper comforted the lady from time to time. But with collywobbles and the bailer in her hand she did not have the gunts for the crucial question. Finally when the boat soon had to return to the harbour and the skipper motioned to her she took her courage in both hands. The skipper gave the bottle undetected to the sea. The bridegroom-to-be found the bottle post, opened the bottle, read the message and was deeply touched. He agreed to the marriage proposal and kissed her for a long time.

In the harbour a happy couple went on shore.

The look foreward to celebrate their annversary on bord next summer.

We float nearly silently, propelled only by the sun, zero-emission over the water through the City of Berlin. At the buffet allures delicious food. The vegetable shines in intense colours. From the bar beezes the smell of fresh coffee. Lounge atmosphere invites for relaxing with bright colours. It´s silent. A bird sings it´s song at the waterfront. The nature smells of freshness and water. Quietly get out the noises of the city. Ahead springs the Berlin TV tower. On the left waits the bath vessel at the river Spree for it´s guests and on the right springs the storage buildings of the east harbour with the Universal building and the new fashion Center. In front of us goes a yellow subway train over the beautiful bridge Oberbaumbrücke with it´s red brick architecture.

For that scenario we do not have to wait any longer. For experience technologies, architecture and design of tomorrow you do not have to travel to Silicon Valley. From June you can experience Solon - a solar catamaran at sundays either from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with Jazz Brunch or from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. with Spree Lounge at the vessel. Carbon footprint per kilometer: zero grams. Fuel consumption per hour: zero grams. Of course you can charter the Solon exclusively, too. Start: Pier Radialsystem (near East Side Gallery and Ostbahnhof).

The brunch will be accompanied by excellent musicians like Boris Rosenthal, who´s music for soul of Classics, Jazz and Klezmer sounds regularly in the Berlin philharmonic hall.

By now Berlin is not only a capital of arts, music, film and fashion but rather a center of development for high-technology of tomorrow.

For a sailing boat with a auxillary motor over 5 HP you need a certificate for skippers on pleasure crafts with motor on internal waters. If you want to sail in Berlin, too, you have to get a certificate for boat drivers on pleasure crafts with motor and under sails for internal waters (SBS Binnen)

For SBS Binnen schedule a free weekend and 2 til 3 further evenings for theoretical training, about 5 free forenoons at weekends for practical sailing training, some time for learning theories by yourself, a friday afternoon and a saturday forenoon for the theoretical and practical examination and a budget of about 400 €.

But perhaps the lake gets too small for you. You want to explore the sea.

To sail with a opti near the coast you don´t need any driving licence. But we assume that you want to charter a yacht at the Baltc or the Mediterranian Sea. For that you need at first a certificate for boat drivers on pleasure crafts at sea (SBS See)

Schedule for that 2 further 2 weekends, 2 til 3 further evenings for theoretical training, 2 til 3 hours for practical training, time for learing theories by yourself, a friday afternoon and a saturday forenoon for the examination and a budget of about 300 €.

Now you may not use the radio equipment aboard yet.

The difference is that at sea you can not drive to the shoulder when you do not even know what to do. You do not even have a brake. Even if you are spared a storm you have to overcome some challenges. On waters often you can not see your road, but if you miss it your boat will break a leak and sink. The trucks you meet on the road are at sea huge freighters with the multiple speed of a sailing boat. They indeed have to avoid your sailing boat by law but they are so heavy and idle that in case of doubt your right will be of no use. Often the most difficult part of a sailing trip is docking at a narrow port. There the wind can be your friend or your enemy and it can develop enormous forces with a yacht of 4 until 16 tons even with taken in sails.

All driving licences for pleasure crafts includes a theoretical training an maritime law (ducking rules and nautical signs), seamanship (safety and handling a vessel), meteorology and navigation as well as a more or less intensive practical training of maneuvres for docking and taking off, man-over-board and driving a bearing.

If you understand the forces of nature it´s a great pleasure to control and to use them. And what could be more pretty than sailing alongside a coast only with the noise of sea and wind or to conquer faraway counties and harbours behind the horizon?

Certainly common to all sailors and mariners is the phenomenon as longer they had been sailing as more carefully and suppliantly to nature they are.

Photographer: Stefan Hein

Do you first want to try how it feels holding the steer of a yacht in your hands? You can enjoy that experience at different sites at the Baltic Sea and in Potsdam with a skipper. As well you can join a longer sailing cruise.

When you have decided learning to sail yourself at first you dont need a big yacht. Best you can learn sailing with a small boat at a lake. The lake has not to be big. With the course of a small triangel you can easily train all maneuvers. The forces there are not so strong as at sea. You can hold the sheet in your hand, sence the force of the wind and feel how the boat reacts.

Look for a good sailing school. As more intensivly you can learn in a small group as more quickly you will understand the boat. A sailing teacher with one or two students brings quicker success than a teacher that has to move back and forth between 6 jolles or 8 jolles and can give you a word advice from a distance.

To understand how a boat reacts it doesn´t matter to get your teeth into some theoretical aspects of sailing. Which forces operate in a sail? Why the wind that comes diagonal at the front can drive a boat?

The sailing cruise to Sicily was planned at the last minute . Nevertheless I was looking forward to it. It was not a ordinary vessel but a luxury sail yacht of 38 meters with less than 20 guests. A huge wooden deck with a lot of space for everybody aboard, polished brass and rigging promised a great sailing experience. The ship´s cook would deliver magic meals with Italian ingredients every day.

The sun would start appearing from behind the deep blue wake beside the white hat of Mount Etna with the always present column of smoke. Soon the sun would rise out of the sea near the black cone of Mount Stromboli. - So it should be. But it happened another way. A volcano at the other end of the world spouted ash.

Indeed sailors are used to playing a role subordinate to Nature - but that is only true at sea. Ashore everything had to be perfect. It took me a long time to accepted that the plan would not work. Meanwhile I have found that the Deutsche Bahn hot line resisted bravely to the overuse. With abundance of patience it was possible to book an exotic trip of 30 hours by rail from Berlin to Sicily. Berlin - Basel - Milan - Roma - Catania - a 100 years ago that would have been a trip of a few months. I resolved myself to spare the effort for the few days at the Mediterranean Sea and I stayed at home...

The German sailing legend Jochen Schümann learned to sail at the Müggelsse. At the Berlin river Havel we can sail at a long distance without any bridges. The Wannsee exits because of the big number of unique and beautiful sailing boats. At the lakes around Potsdam and Werder we find less boat traffic but beautiful landscape.

Alongside of Müggelsee, Havel, Wannsee and the lakes of Potsdam one can find many sailing clubs: Berlin and Brandenburg, with the fitting concept - popular, sportive or noble. As member of a sailing club you usually have the privilege to sail the club’s boats. If you have particular preferences there are sailing clubs for classics, blue water sailors and racing sailors. In a club are often organized races in a spirit of conviviality and mutual help. As every club, the sailing club lives by the collaboration it’s members.

Sailors who appreciate independence lots of Marinas marinas are offering moorings and services for owners. Sailors should take care of the bridge limitations in their area.

If you appreciate taking the time for other pleasures related to sailing, you can rent a sailboat. Around Potsdam you can find boats for rent in different places: in Potsdam at Templiner See, in Caputh and in Kähnsdorf at Seddiner See. Make sure you have a reservation, especially on sunny days.

If your interest is concretely on sailing, there are several options in Potsdam: an eveing with baguette, cheese and wine only sail with a skipper with a open sea yacht at Templiner See. In nights of a full moon it`s particularly romantic.

Finally spring did conquer winter. Who was not longing for this for weeks?

Did we yet forget what really winter means? Just before Christmas some very cold nights covered bays and harbors into ice. The yacht that layed for the New Years Eve in the harbor did freeze on. Therefor the New Years Eve Sailing could not take place. But this could not really peevish us. During New Years Eve the full moon was shining over the bay and after dancing until 4 a.m. we welcomed the new year in the first morning at the beach of Cape Arkona. After the New Years Day the land engulfed under a huge snow cover. Winter destined for the next 3 month over land, sea and people. Some of my friends got snowed in and could leave their home at the island of Rügen only after some days with the help of heavy machines. Hiddensee and other islands got concluded by ice and many vacationers had to prolong their stay their island involuntarily. The south of Sweden got invested by heavy snow storms in march and for some days highways and railways had to be closed. In the beginning of march about 50 vessels got pinned in the Baltic Sea in ice. Some huge ferry boats could be delivered after days.