The Berta von Lassan is one of the older traditional sailing ships still sailing on the Baltic Sea and an impressive example of maritime craftsmanship. She was built in 1910 at the Junge shipyard in Wewelsfleth on the Elbe and was originally constructed as a cargo ship for shallow tidal waters. As a so-called Besanewer with a flat keel and a two-masted rig of the ketch type, she was perfectly suited for coastal navigation on the North and Baltic Seas. Remarkably, the Berta sailed without a motor for nearly half a century – a rarity even for that time.
With a ship length of 18.30 meters (24 meters including the jib boom), a width of 4.60 meters, and a sail area of approximately 147.50 square meters, she is among the larger ships in her class. Thanks to her shallow draft of only 1.10 meters, she can also navigate shallow waters—such as the Bodden area near Greifswald, the Barther Bodden, and the Achterwasser.
After years of neglect in the GDR, during which she lay ashore as a wreck and was about to be scrapped, a new chapter began in 1985: the Leipzig captain Jörg Friedrich bought the Berta and restored her over fourteen years with great dedication and expertise. In 1999, the Berta returned to the water – not as a cargo ship, but as a dignified traditional sailing vessel.
Today, the Berta von Lassan sails regularly on the Baltic Sea and participates in maritime events such as the Hanse Sail in Rostock and the Rum Regatta in Flensburg. Multi-day voyages are also regularly offered.
The Berta represents a way of sailing as it once was – calm, powerful, and crafted by hand. She connects a distant past with the present and shows that preserving maritime traditions doesn’t have to be a dusty affair, but can be lively and meaningful.
Learn more about the ship and book an adventurous and exciting journey aboard the Berta von Lassan.
