Sailing Kaliningrad, Russia, in our American-flagged vessel. Canadian and American crew.
June 14, 2025 · 15 min · 838 views · Baltic Sea, off the coast of Lithuania
What this video covers
The crew of the American-flagged sailboat Northern Brees planned a 132-mile passage from Klaipėda, Lithuania, to Hel, Poland, to avoid potential geopolitical risks while transiting near the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.0:37 To mitigate the threat of detention or interference, the crew maintained a distance of at least 40 nautical miles from the Russian coast, keeping them well outside the 12-mile territorial sea and the 24-mile contiguous zone.3:15 They opted to keep their AIS transponder active to avoid appearing suspicious, while simultaneously plotting a backup course for manual navigation via magnetic compass in the event of GPS jamming.4:31 During the overnight transit, the vessel encountered 15 knots of wind on the nose, slowing progress to 4 knots and extending the trip to 30 hours.12:40 A cargo ship bound for St. Petersburg passed within two nautical miles of the boat during the night, but the crew maintained their course to avoid erratic maneuvers.9:57 The vessel arrived safely in Hel, Poland, on August 27th.13:18
Boats in this video
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