Guide to Sailing in St. Petersburg. Can you get there by boat?

Area near Kronstadt with Fort Alexander I in the background

Navigation in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland. General information

The navigation season in the Gulf of Finland generally lasts from May until October with most recreational boats sailing from end of May until mid-September. As the Gulf of Finland is shallow, especially closer to the shores, the upper layers of water in it get warm relatively quickly. Gales and fogs are not rare during the navigation season, and the sailors should be prepared to that.

Normally the western winds prevail throughout the Gulf of Finland in the summertime, but recently, probably due to the changes in climate, eastern winds have started to blow more often, which may result in unexpected sand shoals in shallow areas or along the shipping channels around St. Petersburg. Therefore, I advise you to beware of continuous eastern winds.

As the Gulf of Finland is very shallow, many guest harbours have depths of no more than 2.5–3 metres, which you need to keep in mind when choosing the right place for anchoring or mooring. On the other hand, tidal variations in the Baltic Sea in general and particularly in the Gulf of Finland are insignificant and can be neglected.

Another important issue is safe sailing when approaching the main ports along the Gulf of Finland, as there is lot of commercial traffic in these zones. The zones that require particular attention are the areas prohibited for the navigation near islands Moshchny and Seskar (mapped on charts), the only passage through the St. Petersburg dam's and the navigation channels from Kronstadt to St. Petersburg.

Navigation passage in St. Petersburg Dam

In addition to that, foreign vessels cannot anchor near Russian islands along the way, as most of them are included in the military control zone and they cannot be accessed without a special permission from the FSB (Russian Federal Security Service). FSB does not grant permissions easily and it is a lengthy bureaucratic process, that takes from several weeks to one month. The largest of these islands are Gogland (Hogland, Suurssaari) not far from the Finnish port Kotka, Boshoy Tyuters (Tyterskär, Tytärsaari), Seskar (Seiskari) and Moshchny (Lövskär, Lavansaari).

How to approach St. Petersburg from Finland and Estonia

At the moment, the only available Russian Customs Clearance Checkpoint in the Gulf of Finland is situated at Fort Konstantin of the Kronstadt Fortress 15 NM away from St. Petersburg. Customs points at Vyborg and Saimaa Channel are currently officially shut down for the customs clearance of small vessels. Therefore, the foreign yachts that are heading to St. Petersburg will need to sail almost all the way to the city from the moment they have crossed the territorial waters of Russia without making any stops. It might be easier to try to plan your arrival time in such a way that you reach the customs clearance at a day time, when there are English-speaking people on duty.

One of the lighthouses near Kronstadt

The distance between Helsinki and St. Petersburg is 175 NM, between Tallinn and St. Petersburg – 185 NM. If you decide to sail from Helsinki and Tallinn directly to St. Petersburg, you can clear out with the EU Customs and Immigration at the local port authority offices in Helsinki and Tallinn, getting in touch with them prior to your departure in advance.

Finnish border control points on islands Haapasaari and Santio are the closest to the Russian Border. Alternatively, you can clear out with the EU Customs and Immigration there. The distance from Haapasaari to St. Petersburg is 95 NM, from Santio - 85 NM. If you decide to use these control points, it is better to contact them a day in advance and check with them that they would be open at the time of your arrival. The boarder control and boat inspection usually takes around an hour.

If you head to St. Petersburg from Estonia, you will still need to enter the shipping lane south east of Gogland Island, therefore it makes no sense to go further to the east than the Estonian port of Vergi (115 NM to Kronstadt, 130 NM to St. Petersburg). For instance, if you use the harbour of Narva Jõesuu on the border with Russia for the EU Customs Clearance, you will still have to turn west and head back north to enter this shipping division lane, which will eventually double your distance to Fort Konstantin in Kronstadt. For this reason, most vessels sailing from Estonia clear out in Tallinn or Vergi.

Map of the eastern part of the gulf of Finland with restricted areas

You can find the charts, distances and the general information about sailing to St. Petersburg in the pilot book Baltic Sea and Approaches, Edition of 2017, available for sale and in Google Books.

This book, created by the Royal Cruising Club, is really useful and by far it is the only sailing pilot book for the Gulf of Finland, but please keep in mind that currently there have been some major changes in the border control procedures and now the Russian customs clearance in Vyborg or Saimaa Channel is NOT permitted.

It means that once you enter the Russian territorial waters, you will need to sail all the way to Fort Konstantin in Kronstadt for border control and therefore you are not allowed to make use of the marinas on the coast between Vyborg and St. Petersburg, described in this book.

Approach to Fort Konstantin with Danger and Resticted Areas

You will then sail along the big ship channel marked on maps (beware of restricted areas) and once you approach Kronstadt, you will need to contact the traffic controller at VHF Channels 9 or 16 stating the name of your vessel and the destination – Fort Konstantin for customs clearance and border control.

We advise you first contact them by VHF channel 9 or by mobile around 4-10 hours prior to your arrival. You do not need to ask for a pilot to guide your boat through the passage in the dam as you are allowed to enter Fort Konstantin on your own, but keep in mind that this passage is also used by big cruise ships and commercial vessels, most of them tend to cross it either in the morning or after 5 pm in the evening.

Get in contact with the Fort Konstantin staff directly to request up-to-date harbour plans and copies of documents that need to be filled in for the customs clearance.

During the border control the local customs officers will enter you boat and film it on camera, and you will fill in the declaration later.

What You Can Bring To Russia On Your Boat Without Paying Extra Tax (2023):

10 000 euro or 10 000 dollars per adult person* or equivalent in other currencies

5 kilos of packed products (cheese, meat, fish, etc) per person

3 litres of any alcohol per adult person

200 cigarettes/50 cigars/ 250 grams of tobacco or 250 ml of liquid for electronic cigarettes/200 tobacco sticks per adult person

*Adults are those who are at least 18 years old


What You Cannot Take from Russia Without Extra Permission:

Cultural artefacts and works of art that are more than 50 years old. Not all old things fall into this category, but if you are going to buy something in local flea markets or antique shops, it is better to check with the seller if this item could be taken out of the country without the permission from the Ministry of Culture

More than 5 kilos of fish and more than 250 grams of black caviar

Aerial view of Central River Yacht Club

Central River Yacht Club on Petrovski Island and Yacht Clubs on Krestovski Island

At the moment, Krestovski Yacht Clubs and Central Yacht Club are either closed or working at the reduced capacity because of ongoing land disputes. They are situated on green islands, very close to the city centre, which makes them attractive to realtors and everyone who can earn from building posh apartment houses on them.

Therefore I recommend you to check what yacht clubs are working not long before your actual trip by writing to us.

Central River Yacht Club is situated on Petrovski Island around 15 NM to the south east from Kronstadt. For the approach instructions see The Baltic Sea and Approaches pilot book or contact the yacht club directly.

Beware of hydrofoils (fast speed boats travelling between St. Petesburg and Peterhof) and other motor vehicles on the way to and from St. Petersburg! The sea lane that they use will intersect with your lane marked with buoys as you approach St. Petersburg. They may travel fast, often violating the speed regulations, so it is better to keep track of them.

The Central River Yacht Club is situated on the bank of Malaya Nevka River, where the counter current is quite strong, so keep that in mind when mooring.

Krestovski Island is divided from Petrovski Island only by a river, so you can use the same instructions to approach Krestovski Island. At the moment, marinas on Krestovski Island do not have updated websites.

If you stay on these islands, you can reach the city centre by metro (there are two stations on Krestovsky Islands), trolleybus (stops near the Central Yacht Club) or taxi. It would be 10-15 minutes by taxi (depending on traffic).

Baltiets Yacht Club near Strelna and Peterhof

Baltiets is a very popular city marina where many people actually live in small boathouses, not only keep their boats.

It is pretty much the same distance from Kronstadt and Fort Konstantin, as to Petrovski and Krestovski Islands, but you will need to head South-East, sailing along the main fairway to the cargo port of St. Petersburg. Vessels are not allowed to enter the fairway, see the map below for recommended route, marked with thick red line.

Approach to Baltiets Marina is very shallow and when continuous Eastern winds blow, it may be hard to reach.

Baltiets is not suffering from any land disputes at the moment, but as the other marinas of the city are not functioning, the demand for a berth here is very high, so places are very limited and the usually run out of them by May.

You can reach Baltiets by taxi from the central part of the city easily, the nearest metro station is around a 20- minute drive (again, depending on traffic). Beautiful royal residences of Peterhof and Oranienbaum are nearby and the Palace of Congresses in Strelna, currently the official venue of the president of Russia where the G8 summit once took place, is only a few stone throws away from the marina. Close to the Palace of Congresses you will also find the old wooden Road Palace of Peter the Great, open for visitors.

Take a look at our tours ideas to get a better idea of what the city can offer you!

Can you sail through the Neva River and reach inland waterways of Russia?

Yes, you can, as travelling through the inland waterways of Russia was permitted in 2012, but in fact many local authorities still do not know how to deal with it.

If you decide to venture on this journey, we recommend you to read a book by J. Vallentine and M. Maters first, who crossed Russia all the way from the north to the south on their boat several years ago.

Link to Sailing Through Russia for Europe
Link to Sailing Through Russia for USA

You can cross the Neva River, the main river of St. Petersburg that connects Lake Ladoga (the largest in Europe) with the Gulf of Finland, either without a mast during the day time or with a mast at night.

For the night crossing you will have to use the service of a pilot who will guide you through the drawn bridges along the Neva River for a fee (around 25 000 RUB). For the day crossing you will need to get the permission from the local authorities and you won't have to hire a pilot, but taking a mast down in order to be able to sail under the bridges along the Neva River might not be the easiest option either. Besides, a Russian-speaking crew member is a must, as well as a Russian river radio station, a lot of patience and a keen interest in the Russian culture!

Below is the photo by A. Golovdinov taken on the Night of the Scarlet Sails.