Serendib in the Baltic

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=75 BGCOLOR="#99CCFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000CC" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>   |   </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000CC" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" "><U>home</U></A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="cruising_log.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cruising Log"><U><B><IMG SRC="0430e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="up" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  </B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="14"><B>     </B><A HREF="id238.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SO43DS Tunisia to Sicily"><U><B><IMG SRC="0440e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="previous" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  </B><A HREF="id298.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nimrod SO32 Harwich to Den Helder"><U><B><IMG SRC="0450e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="next" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=405 BGCOLOR="#99CCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="91940403.png"> <div> Serendib in the Baltic</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Serendib Baltic Cruise 2002</B></div> <bR> <div> Malcolm and crew were to deliver Serendib to the northern end of the Kiel canal ready for our holiday among the islands of the southern Baltic. I had provisioned our Sun Odyssey 34.2 with a weeks meals ready to just heat and add pasta or rice. The passage trip had been, successful, the journey across the North Sea from the Deben in Suffolk to Den Helder mostly under engine with very little wind. Then in hops to Vlieland, Nordeney, Brunsbuttle, then through the canal where the crew changed, I flying into Lubeck, and Rob the crew catching the same plane back to Stansted.</div> <bR> <div> We decided to take advantage of the late afternoon force 3 Westerly from Kiel to the Danish Island of Aero, the day which had started cloudy and dull eventually brightened up to be very hot, and we rafted up in Marstal harbour alongside a jolly Swedish couple and toasted ourselves with a glass of Cava.</div> <bR> <div> Having arrived on our first Danish Island we set off to explore it on our bikes, new Di Blasi's bought as late Christmas presents at Earls Court, mine was a tricycle as I have trouble with balance due to back and knee operations. Aero was ideal for cycling, with only minimal hills, but unlike Dutch islands, a lack of cafes and ice cream kiosks except for the towns. We visited Aeroskobing which has a streetplan dating back to the middle ages and most of the houses are 17th Century, it is a charming town to wander about on the cobbles and have lunch at one of the cafe's.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B> Aeroskobing, shame about the rain........</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>                                           <IMG SRC="88beb390.jpg" border=0 width="235" height="313" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">                                  </B></I><I><B><IMG SRC="88d24860.jpg" border=0 width="292" height="390" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> <bR> <div> The winds became strong westerlies for the whole of the first week, nothing below a six, but in the sheltered waters of the Danish archepeligo the seas were very small, and running downwind as we were, meant we could still cruise the islands and small towns and villages in relative comfort. Leaving Marstal proved trickier than planned however as a Dane had moored across the top of  our pen and although the Baltic tides are minimal, he had gone aground and so the leaving of Marstal involved a lot of pushing past, fending off and of course shouting!!! With a lot of advice coming from adjacent boats!  However once out we enjoyed a pleasant downwind sail to Nyborg.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="88f0c890.jpg" border=0 width="524" height="393" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <I><B>Nyborg Castle</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Nyborg  has a small visitors marina at the top of the harbour, and as I hung the washing out in the presence of the Danish Royal yacht which was also moored there, the sun came out and glinted on the gold  figure head . As the sun went down the whistles blew on the Daneborg and the colours were lowered to the sound of a lone bugler. </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="891cc590.jpg" border=0 width="460" height="345" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><I><B> Royal Danish Yacht "Daneborg"</B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> We had prepared for the Baltic cruise by  tying a large rope fender all around the topsides, and each harbour we entered we were ready to go into a pen, with posts at the end of the pen and  moor bows on to the quay, however most harbours were so  full that we mainly just moored alongside other boats. As in Holland, if you want to have a pen you need to stay more than one night, and get one when the crowds leave in the morning. We had a rendevous in Malmo so the first week we spent working our way up the Island of Sjaelland on which Copenhagen is situated. Vordingborg  in the south was a very popular stop for Dutch boats, and is an attractive small town, the harbour is overlooked by the ruins of an old castle of which only the curtain walls and the “Goose Tower" still remain. a short walk across the castle hill gets you to the town centre, with all amenities. There is also a small restaurant near the harbour and the harbour master will take your order for fresh bread, ready for you to pick up in the morning.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> The buoyage in the Southern baltic is mostly unlit and the topmarks are invariably made from broom material, in this case black for a north cardinal, they are often difficult to pick up against a background of scenery and we found that we had to use binoculars to find most of them.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="89360080.jpg" border=0 width="352" height="264" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Deciding we would like to anchor for a change, we moved to Praesto Fjord, a passage of about 6 hours with a following force 6. Having arrived and following the buoys we went aground and decided that once we got off we would go into the marina as the anchoring idea had dulled. Tied up just as it started to rain, but it least it had stopped blowing so hard. We gazed out of the window at a fleet of very enthusiastic optimist sailors who were making the most of it, at least it was sheltered.</div> <bR> <div> We made our first Swedish landfall at Limhamn West Yacht Harbour, which is the opposite side of the Oresund Bridge, which links Denmark and Sweden. It was the first day since joining the boat a week before that the sun shone all day, and there was very little wind. We were picking up 18 year old daughter and friend from Malmo airport and the harbour office were extremely helpful in helping us get a really cheap hire car for 24 hours. The plan being to stay in the area of Malmo and Copenhagen for the next week in order to drop them off again at the airport for the flight home a week later.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="8950c890.jpg" border=0 width="524" height="393" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <I><B>Limhamn West Yacht Harbour</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>                                                                                                                                                                             - it is much nicer than this photo suggests, </B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> We motored to the Swedish holiday island of Ven on a cloudless, windless hot sunny morning motoring North up the Sound with Denmark to port and Sweden to starboard. arriving at Ven just after lunch is a good idea as it gets extremely crowded and is best avoided at weekends. If you can get a berth alongside or bows in to  the quay you will be able to get power but water needs to be carried in cans from the tap on the quayside. There are toilets and showers also on the quayside. Bikes can be hired at minimal cost, and it is an excellent island to explore being a plateau, with just climbs up from the three  harbours. There are some cars on the island but all visitors come on foot and hire bikes on arrival or bring their own.</div> <bR> <div> <I><IMG SRC="897f9bb0.jpg" border=0 width="249" height="187" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></div> <div> <I><B>Kyrkbacken harbour on Ven is the biggest, </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>it has a kiosk selling ice cream, bread, milk, postcards etc. there is also a restaurant.</B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="899a63c0.jpg" border=0 width="422" height="316" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <I><B>In most Scandanavian harbours you have to  moor bows to the pontoon, occasionally  like here at  Kyrbacken you also need to drop a kedge anchor astern as you enter the berth.</B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Crossing back into Denmark to the lovely old town of Helsingor, you pass the Castle of Kronburg which has dominated the Oresund (the stretch of water separating Sweden from Denmark) for over 400 years. It was built in 1588 by Frederick II with the proceeds he made from charging a tax on ships to pass through the Sound. If ships refused to pay, cannons were fired, first behind the stern then in front of the bow, this usually did the trick. It is most famous as the setting for Shakespeares play “Hamlet”, and there is an annual production of the play in the courtyard every August.</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Kronburg Castle at Helsinborg where Shakespeare set his play “Hamlet Prince of Denmark”</B></I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><IMG SRC="89bc0500.jpg" border=0 width="448" height="336" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Views of Kronborg castle</B></I></div> <div> <I><IMG SRC="89df94c0.jpg" border=0 width="249" height="332" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">   <IMG SRC="89f53f90.jpg" border=0 width="339" height="249" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> The marina at Helsingor is in the shadow of the castle. We were pleasantly surprised at the cost of overnight berths at all the marinas we stopped at in Denmark and Sweden, most were under £10 including electricity. Although some were very crowded and we had to raft up alongside other boats we were often able to get a pen, just look out for the green vacant signs in the berth. Also fuel is often sold from automatic pumps, so it can be obtained out of hours and on Sundays.</div> <bR> <div> Alcohol  is more expensive in  Sweden and the ferry harbour at Helsingor was awash with Swedes filling up with colossal amounts of beer, for the short ferry crossing back to Sweden. One slight hitch we experienced in Sweden  was that we were unable to get Camping Gaz but it is easily obtainable in Denmark.</div> <bR> <div> We managed to get a great pen berth in one of the picturesque canals in Copenhagen. It was a short cycle ride to the city centre and there were toilets, power and water on the quayside, and cafes nearby. All the tour boats go up and down the canals but the wash is never very great. </div> <bR> <div> <I><B>The Little Mermaid, Copenhagen.</B></I></div> <div> <IMG SRC="8a1d99e0.jpg" border=0 width="217" height="158" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> When the girls left we had planned to move on  but the wind was yet again unpleasantly strong. The next day sailed under the 8 mile long Oresund Sound bridge and saw a fantastic Norwegian square rigger going up to Elsinore for the Baltic sail event. Anchored south of Langoe island for a comfortable night in a sheltered spot, before an early start to pass through Storstrom bridge sailing wing and wing with spinnaker right up to the safe water buoy, at Vejro island, before tied up at quay in Nakskov after long motor into the town. The town had many half timbered warehouses near the quay. </div> <bR> <div> Next morning went to supermarket, then left the marina in poor visibility across to Kiel, with radar on. Tied up with the waiting boats at the waiting pontoon for the canal ready to go through in the morning. In morning locked into Holteneau and motored through to Regensburg to fill up with diesel as the diesel barge was out at Kiel. Very hot in the canal lots of people enjoying the day on the wooded canal sides. Entered Brunsbuttle lock at 6pm alongside a small ship. Out of the Elbe the strong tide gave us 10 knots of speed over ground! so took advantage and continued to Cuxhaven, a temporary summer marina, tricky entrance due to the speed of the tide and falling light. </div> <bR> <div> After leaving Cuxhaven and taking the strong ebb tide past at the Scharhornriff poor visibility, plus needing to change course to avoid anchored ships in the Weser and the Jade rivers we pased the the Fresian islands entrance channels of Otzumer Balje and Acumer Ee, Ooster ems, then cut across the Borkum Riff (depth down to 9 feet!) and tied up at 2130 in Borkum after a great passge.</div> <bR> <div> Back in our "home waters" we sailed through Northern Holland, viathe Isselmere to Ijmuiden, before a quick blast across the North Sea to Felixstowe and the end of a great six week cruise. We will definitely be going back to the Baltic!</div> <bR> <div> <B>Eileen Perrins SO34.2 "Serendib"</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>