Late May/Early June 2017 – Laboe, Germany to Rodvig, Denmark

21st May – Sunday

We arrived in Laboe, choosing it as the next stop, as it was just a few miles from the exit from the Kiel Canal, on the East bank of the Kieler Fjorde and we had reports that it was a good place to rest up.

The town is a short walk from the marina.

The older fishing harbour had a grand display of larger yachts and wooden fishing vessels, which added to the charm.  The promenade had many hotels, restaurants and guest houses, and the usual seaside shops.  Ice creams are a reasonable 1 euro for one ball, but slightly more on the sea front.  Laboe is a small town, but a great place to ‘set a spell’, as the Beverley Hills Billy’s used to say.

The first thing you see when looking up the Fjorde to Laboe is the U-Boat memorial.

There is a U-boat and U-boat museum.

23rd May – Tuesday

News of the Manchester attack the previous night left us numb.  We have stood in the foyer of the Arena many times, as eager concert goers and anxious parents collecting Laura and her friends.

The next few days went in a blur, pottering round, trying to make sense of the senseless.

Sailors Info:

Laboe’s relatively new marina is a good, well run facility, with free showers.  22 Euros per night.  10 Euros returnable deposit for electronic swipe card to access the showers.  There is a Chandlers on site, on the water front (easy to miss).  A restaurant on site and many in the town a 10 minute walk away.  Good wifi, even though we were at the end of a pontoon.  ‘Sky’ supermarket in town, up from the main shopping square.  Continue up the hill for approx 20-25 minutes for Aldi and Edeka supermarkets.  Shops close on religious holiday.

26th May – Friday – To Heiligenhafen, Germany

A 9 to 5 day took us the 38 miles to Heiligenhafen, which had been recommended by Mike and Cate, as a preferred location, and they were spot on.  We went around the firing range indicated on the charts, so our journey was a little longer.  Radio broadcasts indicate firing days and a conscientious radio operator makes short shift of telling people if they venture into the demarcation zone.  We didn’t, but we heard others who did.  The sea was calm but wallowy and the sun was out.

We took the sharp right turn into the channel along the sandy spit.

With a convoy of other boats.  Another Bank holiday weekend meant everyone had the same thought, or so it felt.

In the busy channel into town, this guy was pootling around oblivious to the oncoming traffic, and was no help when asked about the visitor moorings.  Again they were boxes with an even smaller red or green sign to signify a vacancy.  A kind German man took our ropes.

We had a short walk to pay the harbourmaster and found a modern purpose built holiday resort.

A lovely row of modern and perfectly presented shops, lead to the beach.

The evening was dead calm and the reflections off the water were deep and beautiful, reflecting the pink of the setting sun.

27th May – Saturday

Walked into town to see the market and have a stock up.  There is a good choice of shops in all price brackets.

Becky and Trevor arrive at 2:00pm.  They live on their boat ‘Dignity II of Edinburgh’ and have spent the last year in Ystad, Sweden.  We first met 3 years ago in Padstow, and again the year after in Ipswich, where we spent a great New Years eve with them on Jeremy and Patricia’s boat Tudora with Mike and Cate (mentioned earlier).  We had dinner on Fleur and they brought the most amazing cakes from the marina patisserie.  It is really great to speak English, to a New Zealander and a Scot’s man after a month or so away.  We had a few brews during the following few days recalling our adventures and cautionary tales.

28th May – Sunday

We had a walk around the beach front and along the pier.

Pier

Glassed in pavilion on the end of the pier with comfy seats.  How long would this last in England?

Play area for the terminally curious.

We walked along the seaside to the Wetland area and bird sanctuary on the sand spit.

These delightful houses line the route.  Bet they don’t have flood insurance.

29th May – Monday

We walked around the man made lake.

This is Njord (Norse God of Wind) made out of recycled bits and bobs, he looks very happy about it all, sat on the edge of the lake.

These flats dominate the skyline at this end of the lake and they appear to be retirement flats, complete with Cinema, shops and restaurants.  We thought it was a hospital.

The next 2 days were very windy, up to 35 knots, so we had a stock up prior to our trip to Denmark.

Our first Curry-worst from the old fashioned cabin on wheels near the town square.  The man prepared it with such care and we went for the Hot sauce, European Hot the man called it.  The sausages are cut up and put on a tray with the curry-sauce and the chips were a necessity. Euro 8.40 bargain for 2 inc. chips.

1st June – Thursday

We said our goodbyes to Trevor and Becky and took respective piccies with the boats, as we don’t get to do that often.

Trevor and Becky on D2

Us on Fleur.

We wish them safe onward passage and fair winds.  Thanks to the internet we are never too far away.

Sailors Info:

Heiligenhafen is a purpose built holiday resort with a new marina.  There is an old marina and fishing harbour in town.  The marina is only a 10 minute way from the town, although the pontoons are very long, we were on 90 of 106 on pontoon 12.  1000 boat capacity.  Market in the town on Saturday til 1300.  Sky supermarket just off the town square.  Good wifi. 16 Euros per night.

However, 1 euro for a shower, with communal changing room!!  Buy a token in the foyer of the facilities.  Get changed and stash your stuff (leave valuables on the boat), dash to put the token in the machine, press the button to activate your selected cubicle, dash back to cubicle and press the red button.  Hope the water is warm, waste time altering the temperature, then luxuriate in the 3 to 4 minutes you have left under the skin piercing water jets.  Repeat red button until water stops.  Should be an Olympic sport.

2nd June – Friday – To Gedser, Denmark

38 miles today from 0800 to 1600, sunny and calm with no wind.

We passed under the Fehmarnsund Bridge which links the mainland to the island of Fehmarn.

Holiday home delivery, with work still in progress, see man on roof.

Hoist our Danish courtesy flag.

We moored and bought diesel by credit card (no person) and then moored on the long jetty.

The harbourmaster office was a typical Danish structure and also housed the facilities.

Many of the harbours use card machines for payment.  They are pretty straightforward and issue pass cards for the facilities.  There is an English option so no worries so far.

We walked towards the town centre, which is marked by this church.  Gedser is the Danish version of Lands End and has a ferry port and a supermarket, but no cash machine.

The swan family came to visit, mum, dad and 6 signets.  They all went for a swim later too, with dad on guard.

Our German neighbour’s wife helped us with ropes the previous night, as there is a wooden plank running along the top of the jetty that you have to thread your rope through.  Our German neighbour introduced Michael to naturism on the pontoon the following morning as he aired himself and his dog.

Sailors Info:

Gedser is really a passing port, ourselves and a dozen or so German and Dutch boats spent the night.  180Kr per night (approx £21.60 at 0.12 pence per Krone).  The facilities are passable, and paid for on the pass card.  We didn’t.  There is a small well stocked supermarket in town 20 minutes walk away.  No wifi.

3rd June – Satruday – To Klintholm, Denmark

An early-ish start at 0750 for the 35 miles to Klintholm, arriving at 1500.  The day was very overcast, we had patches of heavy rain and the wind was bitterly cold, but we had the best sail yet as the wind direction was perfect with a constant 15 knots.  At least 7 hours of pure sailing.

Klintholm marina with holiday homes.

Gallery

Beautiful gallery interior.

Sailors Info:

Klintholm marina looks quite new and is being developed from a much older and long standing harbour.  Again a good passing place.  There is a small shop, cafe and a couple of restaurants.  No ATM. Poor wifi.  Once we had followed many pink arrowed signs to the harbourmaster office the machine was out of order.  The sign said come back at 8:00 to 9:00 the following day.  Kr 180 was paid at the machine the following morning with the harbourmaster present.  So we had no access to the facilities but the toilets were free access and were of a very high standard.  The boxes were easy to access and again the fleet of boats at Gedser arrived here too including our German friend. 

4th June – Sunday – To Rodvig, Denmark

Not again, news from London, we know Borough Market well as it was Laura’s base for a few years while studying.  So many good memories of nights out in this popular area slammed and shredded by mindless violence.

The forecast was for the winds to increase so we chose to move while we could.  More to see, good wifi and supermarket access also influenced the decision.

We left with heavy hearts at 09:15 for the 25 miles to Rodvig arriving at 14:00.  It was a very cold day with very heavy rain, which was forecast but we were willing to bear this in order to have a few days rest in a slightly larger town. 

We pass these white cliffs en route.

Rodvig harbour-side

The flint kiln.  The fishermen apparently realised there was more money to be made extracting flint from the local stone.

Rodvig fishing harbour

The houses are either old like this or red brick with tiled roofs or contemporary Scandinavian design.

Danish Water Taxi, looks like a bath time toy.

Staying here a few days for more forecasted winds to pass.  More from Rodvig if we find anything.