Germany

This evening Bonita is back in German waters. We sadly said goodbye to Dave and Julie at Gedser and borrowed Ellen from Calismarde. We  set out on a hot sunny day with light fair winds which died away so we motored much of the way. We did however get a moderate easterly wind in the late afternoon.

The first picture shows the eastern end of Fehmarn island off the German coast. We sailed between the island and the mainland and were surprised to find we had about a knot of fair current.

Heiligenhafen is a town on the mainland opposite the island. There is a huge marina here with about a thousand berths. This week is also festival week in Heiligenhafen, with plenty of entertainments ashore. One of the fishing docks, usually banned to sailing yachts,is given over to the festival. There were historic boats moored up and people were sailing yachts in and out at great speed in a confined space.

German crowds and towns do feel different from Danish or Swedish ones although it is difficult to pinpoint quite why this. The Germans certainly seem to smoke more in public however.

We are hoping the easterly winds might continue for at least a few more days.

Gedser

We left Klintholm after buying some genuine Danish pastries for breakfast. Today we had light westerly winds but were able to sail close hauled to Gedser. This is a town at the most southerly point of Denmark, on the island of Falster. There are ferries running from here to Germany. The yacht harbour is a mile or so from the ferry port, and is separated from the port by a nature reserve which apparently is the home to a rare breed of toad. We visited the reserve but saw no toads.

Having an excellent crew of three we decided, when we came into the harbour, to attempt to get Bonita into a box berth, looping long ropes over posts as we headed towards the pontoon. It all went reasonably well which may be because we are getting better at this sort of thing, or maybe perhaps because there was very little crosswind to upset the manoeuvre.

We thought the prices in the local restaurant seemed a bit steep with the pound in its weakened state,  so Julie cooked a fine supper with both crews (8 people) on board Bonita to the amusement of people on nearby, but less crowded, boats.

Bonita and Calismarde successfully in the box berths. Calismarde's crew are (L-R)  Ellen, Megan, Martha and Geoff

Sadly Dave and Julie have to leave tomorrow- we came here partly because we thought a ferry port would have good rail links for them, but then discovered that the train service had been discontinued in 2009. However they should be able to get to Copenhagen somehow from here tomorrow.

Klintholm Havn

After a month in Swedish waters we left this morning. The wind was still westerly, but a SW course took us to Klintholm on the Danish island of Møn. The harbour is much busier than it was when we last came but eventually we squeezed into a corner in the inner harbour. With D, Dave and Julie as crew there are plenty of hands to put out fenders and tie up mooring lines which is a good thing.

I actually spent very little time sailing the boat today; more important was mending the gas stove which disintegrated in a pile of rust while cooking breakfast.  It probably needs replacement but it is easier to mend it than manage without for maybe another month till we get back.

We still have a long way to go home but feel that with the Danish flag in the rigging we are beginning to make progress.

Crew change in Wallander country

On Calismarde Jane left this morning, and Megan and Ellen arrived this evening. On Bonita our crew has been strengthened by Dee arriving this evening.

Southern Sweden is Wallander country, featured in the well known detective stories by Henning Mankell. Kurt Wallander was based at Ystad a short distance from here. I sadly have never read or seen any of these stories but Dave, Julie and Martha are all enthusiasts and took the bus to Ystad to appreciate the Wallander experience. 

Martha with Wallander memorabilia

Geoff and I stayed on the boats in Gislövs läge tidying up and preparing for the new arrivals.

The wind is still in the west but a bit calmer than the last few days so we hope to be on our way tomorrow with our reinforced crew.

Gislövs läge

Several of the harbours in southern Sweden are affected by a fragrance said to be due to rotting seaweed. No doubt the absence of tidal flow is part of the cause, but we did not notice the same unfortunate problem in the archipelago. Maybe it's a different type of seaweed. Abbakas, for all its reputation as the home of a wide variety of roses, does seem to be particularly affected by this.

We left this morning on a brisk SW wind and after a few hours tacking to windward we arrived at Gislövs läge. This is a small yachting harbour a couple of miles from Trelleborg which is a major ferry port. This was our furthest East point in my 1973 trip in the 15ft Asphodel. The local paper at that time interviewed us and ran an article asking if this was the smallest boat ever to come from England.

The harbour seemed much more crowded than I remember it then. Indeed it was virtually full today and as we came in with a strong wind behind us it was difficult to see somewhere suitable to stop. As the picture shows, we tied up fairly unceremoniously at the fishing boat quay and no one has told us we can't stay here.

This used to be an old fishing port and there is a floating museum of the traditional inshore fishing boats known as snipa boats. The oldest dates from 1915. These are all kept afloat and in working condition which is the best way to preserve old wooden boats.

We are here for a crew change for both boats so tomorrow will probably be spent tidying up.