Kiel Canal and Helgoland, Germany

We are trapped at Helgoland, Germany! Of and on, the rain pours down--plunk and splatter--on the deck. In the last six hours, 1 inch has fallen. We stayed down below this morning, and I am still here. When the the volume of precipitation decreased recently, Peter and Rob left the boat separately, Rob to explore and Peter to find a hardware store. A bit of rain is predicted tomorrow, but it is not rain that keeps us from sailing on, with only 4 days, including today, left on our visas. The wind is 20 knots from the west right now, our direction of travel. By 6:00 p.m. the sustained wind is predicted for 30, with gusts to 45 knots, continuing for the 24 hour period the next day. In the early hours of Sunday, September 6, it will begin to decrease steadily and be blowing from the northwest, finally allowing us to continue our journey toward England. By then, the wind will be lighter and backing throughout the day from NW to south. We probably need to make a run for it then, as the trip across the North Sea is more than two days (Yes, I am dreading it!) and the wind is expected to increase again after Tuesday. Fortunately, the wind seems to be more benign the closer we get to the east coast of England during this time frame, so perhaps our anxiety about the weather will prove to be unwarranted. 

Our transit through the Kiel Canal on Wednesday, September 2, was uneventful. We cast off the dock in Holtenau at 7 a.m. and were through the lock, along with several other sail boats and one container ship, by 7:30. Eight and a half hours later, at 4 p.m., we rafted up by a Dutch sail boat in the holding area for the Brunsbüttel Lock. We were in the lock at 5:20 with other sailboats and one tug. The water level rose 1.6 meters, the seaward gate opened and we were in the large mouth of the Elbe River. 

The 61-mile trip through the Kiel Canal was uneventful. Since autopilot is not allowed, someone had to be at the wheel at all times, so we took one and a half hour shifts. Passing through the flat Schleswig-Holstein region of northern Germany at close to 6 knots, we swept pass wooded areas, silos, various industrial sites and a few villages and cities with port facilities. Occasionally, we saw bevies of a dozen our more mute swans. An average of 90 cargo ships per day use the Kiel Canal. Several passed on in either direction, towering over us. The smallest load I counted was 250 containers. 

Our boat by the container ship in the Holtenau lock of the Kiel Canal

A bevy of mute swans

Container ship in the canal

It was calm in the canal, of course, but the waves and wind picked up as we motored down the Elbe and into the North Sea. We knew that adverse weather was coming and had to make a decision for a port to hole up for three days. Peter did not want to deal with currents when we start our next leg, so we chose the island of Helgoland, which the two of us visited in June. We recalled that after a two day stay, we had agreed that we had seen all there was to see there, so this destination did not really offer new areas of exploration for us.

In high wind, rain and rough seas, we sailed across the Bight of Germany to the island, avoiding shoals and navigating in the dark to the harbor, which was tricky to enter. I stayed below until we reached the outer harbor. The repeated ka-thump of the bow dropping back into the water after every wave raised her up did not facilitate sleep nor even rest, but I least I was warm and dry down below during the crossing. (We are so lucky to have Rob on board!) On this dark and stormy night, with 20 knots of wind from the southwest, we managed to find a spot at the head of the long dock on the southeast side of Helgoland. Rob and Peter had a cup of tea with biscuits, but I went directly to bed.

We all slept in the next morning and then found ways to amuse ourselves, including a game of Take 5. When the rain stopped in mid-afternoon, we left Mantra to walk around the island. In the heart of Untedland, we briefly visited a quite small natural history museum packed with specimens of sea birds and their eggs as well as marine life. All the information was is German, so we had to draw our own conclusions. (There is no signage and no menus in any language other than German anywhere on the island since, as far as we can tell, only Germans come here on holiday.) Then we stopped at a bagel shop just before 4 p.m. (closing time) and enjoyed sandwiches on fresh bagels. Then we set off for Uberland and the cliffs on the west side of the island. The town of 1,200 year-round residents is divided by a near-vertical 50 meter (164 foot) cliff between the area at sea level and the plateau of the higher ground. The plateau is reached either by elevator (at a small price) or flights of steps. We chose to walk as it is not a great difference in elevation and the stairways zig-zag up the slope. When we reached Uberland, we came across a small male singing group performing in front of a couple dozen people seated in front of a duty-free shop where they were enjoying the music and flights of whisky for 40 euros each.

Musical entertainment for whisky loving tourists

As soon as we arrived on the open cliff tops, we were literally almost blown away by the strong wind which sometime pushed us backwards or sideways. However, despite the breeze, it was warm. Admiring the steep red sandstone cliffs at the base of which are sea walls all along the coast, we made it to the northwest part of the small island where seabirds nest, the 2.7 acre nature reserve Lummenfelsen. Over 400 bird species have been recorded on this isolated island. Peter and I had been here on these cliffs three months ago, on June 5, and observed the guillemots and northern gannets (the largest sea birds in the North Atlantic) clinging to the sides of the cliffs and nesting on the exposed tops. By early June, the guillemots, which arrive in mid-April and nest on the cliff faces, have produced their young and by the middle of the month all of the hatchlings, not yet able to fly, leap off the cliffs into the sea, where their parents wait for them. Now, the guillemots are gone. However, to our elation, the adult northern gannets are till present--along with their young.

The gannets have a longer breeding season, and the young are practically the size of the adults before they can soar and fly. When we were here in June, the parents--over 700 breeding pairs--were sitting on the closely placed mound nests, having started the nesting process in late March or April using seaweed, plants, earth and debris from the sea, largely collected by the males. Only one egg per pair is laid, although a replacement egg may be produced if one is lost. Now, the eggs have hatched, having been incubated for 42 to 46 days. 

The adults are stunning in form and color. They have white plumage with black to dark-brown wingtips. The head and neck are tinged buff-yellow, a hue which becomes more pronounced in breeding season. Fine black lines separate the parts of the head, including the mandible, forehead and throat. The beaks are a very light shade of blue. The fascinating eyes are surrounded by black bare skin and have a cobalt outer ring and a light gray-blue iris. The four toes of the feet are joined by a dark gray to dark brown. Distinct lines that are greenish-yellow in males and blue in females run along the tops of the toes. The wings of the northern gannet are long and narrow and are positioned towards the front of the body, allowing efficient use of air currents. 

Adult caring for its baby who is still losing its down

Details of a northern gannet's head

Throat view

Male adult with is baby

Soaring northern gannets

Closely spaced nests

In contrast to the sleek whiteness of the adults, the plumage of the young is dark-brown to slate-gray with fluffy tufts of down; their beaks are black and their feet are a muddy brown color. Born featherless, they grow a thick, wooly layer of white down within the first two weeks. This is gradually replaced by darker plumage flecked with triangular-shaped spots, one at the end of each feather. When we saw them yesterday, the juveniles were in various stages of losing their fluffy feathers. The adults feed the young until they are ready to launch into flight and go to the sea, 84 to 97 days after hatching. 

It was a thrill to watch the adults hanging almost motionless close to the cliff, almost effortlessly, it seemed, holding their place in the high winds. As in June, it was with reluctance that I left the cliffs to continue on our walk. We passed over to the lee side of the island and walked down a long stairway to North Beach, where the sand is dotted with red rocks and bricks and seaweed lines the shoreline where sandpipers hunt for food until disturbed by our presence, taking to the air in undulating flight low over the water. We walked along the east side of the island to return to the dock. Along the way, our sense of smell was entranced by the sweet fragrance of wildflowers, including common tansy and rock samphire.

Guillemot at North Beach

North Beach on Helgoland

Common tansy by the waterfront

Rock samphire 

Yesterday evening, we had dinner at a restaurant called Pizza or Pasta Brun, which was quite good. Peter and Rob enjoyed large bottles of German beer. On the way back to our boat, we made a slight detour in the harbor area to see His Danish Majesty's Yacht, the Dannebrog. We had seen her anchored in Copenhagen. Talking to a couple crew members on watch, we learned that she was on her way to Belgium when a detour was necessitated by the funeral of King Harald of Norway in Oslo, scheduled to take place on September 9. She is a gorgeous vessel, painted cream white and golden-yellow with a clipper bow and an elliptical stern. She was commissioned in 1932 by Queen Alexandrine.

The Dannebrog

A few hours have passed since I began this post. Rob and Peter returned and we had a healthy lunch of salad. Now the wind is howling at 30 mph from the west with gusts to 37, and the rain continues. The boat is swaying with the choppy waves in the harbor and the force of the wind, the fenders creaking against the dock.

The Mad Race to Get out of the Schengen area

Note:  This was yesterday's post that somehow did not get published.

This morning it was another early start, at 7:25. Since I was not keeping the log book today, and other people do not bother to record it, our speed unknown by me. We did sail more than we motored with westerly winds from 10-14 knots. Whether we were on a port or starboard tack or on what point of sail would also be unknown except the heeling of the boat clearly indicated we were sailing close-hauled, the most uncomfortable point of sail even on smooth water. But we were sailing into waves, so it was worse. Seasickness is not the issue. However, standing up generally requires pulling oneself with handholds out of a seated position, and walking is unbalanced. Sitting on the lee side of the boat, the upper body is pressed against the seat or window. On the high side, small muscles not generally used have to keep the torso from falling forward. Lying down is more comfortable than sitting, so I take breaks to do that. 

The gimbaled stove and a pull for the galley sump pump showing the angle

View from the lee side in the saloon

For the last three days, I have been up in the pilot house when the sun is out and it is warmer. Most of my time is spent down below. I manage to prepare meals and to read, but there is not much else to occupy the time. Twelve hours of sailing is a long time, particularly at a 12-15 degree tilt. We have made it to the entrance to the Kiel Canal and, unlike the previous two nights, we are on a dock in a nice area with mansions on the waterfront in Holtenau. We walked to the point and had scrumptious sandwiches at a cafe and the guys had local beers.

Rob and Peter at the Schiffercafe

Tomorrow we get up early again to transit through the 61-mile (98-kilometer) Kiel Canal, the world's busiest manmade seagoing waterway, which can only be used by pleasure craft during daylight hours. It is generally done in two days, but we are not stopping to enjoy anything on shore. We have passed by forests and islands and villages for the last three days, and even the impressively large Kronborg Slot in Helsingør, but we have had to satisfy ourselves with passing views.

Kronborg Slot, Helsingør

Tomorrow we will be exiting the Baltic Sea, having seen so little of it, and coming out at the end of the day in the North Sea. The Kiel Canal, formerly the Kaiser Wilhelm Kanal, was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by 9,000 workers and widened between 1907 and 1914. The motivation was military; Emperor Wilhelm I and Chancellor Otto von Bismarck called for its construction so that the imperial navy could move quickly between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea without entering foreign of Danish waters. 

So, now it's off to bed to get a good night's sleep before an early awakening.

Copenhagen with Friends and Onward around Denmark

On the evening Rob arrived (Friday, August 28), shortly after coming on board, the skies began to dump rain, as they had from time to time throughout the day. After 15 minutes, the downpour stopped, and we went ashore and had a great dinner at a restaurant right by our mooring.

The next morning, the three of us left the boat and walked to the Royal Danish Library, nicknamed the Black Diamond due to its architecture, arriving before 9 a.m. as the first swimmers in the TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim were getting ready to start. Having skipped breakfast, we went into the library's cafe when it opened and had a quick morning meal. Then we went back to the pier to look for John and Phoebe Hartz and see them start their 2,000 meter race. While they were getting ready to plunge into the water, we joined up with Catherine (John's wife), William (one of their sons), his girlfriend Feerla, Phoebe's boyfriend Jesse and John's sister Lilly to cheer them on. We got our exercise, quickly walking and sometimes running to see both of them. John surged ahead, but in the end Phoebe was not far behind him, even though she posed with her flashing smile for photos at the bridges. John and Phoebe swam hard and had a good time, and we were delighted to watch them compete.

Phoebe standing on the pontoon talking to John in the water

John (center) off to a strong start

Phoebe pausing to acknowledge her supporters on one of the bridges

Phoebe exhibiting good form

John nearing the finish

Phoebe and Jesse

Catherine congratulating John while avoiding getting wet

Phoebe and John on the podium

After their swim, we all hung around the finish line for a while. John and Phoebe (with Jesse) went to take showers and the rest of us walked through the streets of Copenhagen to the old meatpacking district, where the Festivalpladsen in Kødbyen was taking place. Along the walk we passed a large sculptural piece entitled "Dante in Dialogue with the 21st Century or  Fuck Q-Park's parking basement. It's a provocative protest art installation located at Dantes Plads in central Copenhagen. Danish sculptor Jens Galschiøt created the installation to mark the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri’s death. Local residents, businesses, and associations commissioned or supported the piece to fight plans by Q-Park and the City of Copenhagen to build an underground parking garage beneath the green square. Locals argued the project would destroy old trees, damage historic buildings, ruin a playground, and increase traffic pollution. It features four red/copper shouting busts of Dante on a central pillar, surrounded by four “pig-men” statues (representing “the inner beast/basest urges like hate and intolerance”).  A prominent forearm rises from the center giving a giant middle finger directly toward the proposed parking development area. 

Dante in Dialogue with the 21st Century

The open-air food festival featured amazingly delicious food, and the venders were able to make the dishes for me without the base of rye bread. It's a staple here--but I hate it. We enjoyed a lot of great conversation and were joined by friends of the Hartz's, some of whom also competed.

Peter, William, Anna, Phoebe on left and Jesse, Lilly, John and Rob on right

Catherine, William, Phoebe and Jesse came to visit Mantra and stayed on board for an hour so. Peter was thrilled to show William and Jesse the electronics, navigation systems and the engine room while the rest of us relaxed in the saloon.

Shortly after they left, as arranged, Alan Christopherson arrived. He is a friend of the Brown boys whom they last saw around 1970 on the farms where they lived as children on Mt. Kilimanjaro. Not knowing what each other had been doing for the last 55 years, Peter, Rob and Alan quickly updated each other about their lives since their adolescent years. We were pleased to learn the Alan, a son of a sometime irascible Danish father and a mother with a Greek background, who had moved in his late teens to Denmark on his own, not speaking the language, and through a series of apprenticeships and hard work and ambition, had achieved great success and set up his own business. He also married a delightful Danish woman, Rita Juul, who creates astounding works of art. We saw these when we went to their town home a few miles away, where many are displayed. They live in a half-timbered house from the mid-1800's which has been updated but kept its architectural charm. The five of us had a delightful evening together.

Peter, Alan and Rob on the quay

The next morning, Rob, Peter and I walked a few blocks to a small supermarket where we bought provisions for the next part of our journey. Just before 11 a.m., we cast off and went under the Trangravsbroen, a three-way butterfly bridge that opens on the hour. The last two days we have been sailing when we can and motoring when we can't, en route to the Kiel Canal. The weather alternates many times a day, sunny then cloudy then rainy and repeat. Last night we anchored in a bay near the town of Rørvig near the entrance to Isefjord, having traveled more than nine and half hours for 60 miles. Today, weighing anchor at 7:15, we traveled for 70 miles in 12 hours, and are now anchored by a little sandy island called Musholm. Tomorrow we plan to make it to the western entrance of the Kiel Canal.

Copenhagen

After I prepared another of dishes to put in the refrigerator for later, took a shower and wrote an earlier post today, I left the boat to explore Copenhagen. Peter had left after lunch to find a chandlery and get some parts and supplies.

I crossed the bridge from the island of Amager to the island of Zealand, which is the main island where Copenhagen is situated. From the bridge, I could observe some of the swimmers participating in the two-day TrygFonden Copenhagen Swim (also know as the Christiansborg Rundt since the course circles around the the islet of Slotsholmen where the enormous Christianborg Palace is. This weekend there will be over 5,800 participants. This afternoon and evening includes a 4 x 500 meter relay and a 10,000 ultra distance swim and later a 2,000 meter night swim with glowing buoys. Tomorrow throughout the day there are 1,000 and 2,000 meter races. Our British friend John and his daughter Phoebe are participating in one of these.

Swimmers in the event

Christiansborg Palace

More swimmers

As I walked through the palace grounds and to the other side of Slotshomen, I stopped again to watch the swimmers while admiring the architecture and ambiance of downtown Copenhagen. I walked passed Tivoli Gardens to get to the tourist information center where I picked up a helpful map and some hints of things to see in a short time.

Strolling along pedestrian streets, I peeked into shops and looked at architectural details high up on buildings. I stopped into the Lutheran Church of Sankt Petri for a Baroque concert featuring viola de gamba, violin, cembalo and organ. The acoustics and the music itself were amazing. Inside and out it is a simple building, with the nave dating back to 1450, making it the oldest church still functioning as a church in central Copenhagen. The church was enlarged in 1557. In 1585, Frederick II presented the church to his German-speaking subjects, and it has been the parish church for the German-speaking Lutheran community in Copenhagen since then.

Buildings along Nybrogade

Copenhagen City Hall

Church of Sankt Petri

The concert in Church of Sankt Petri

Walking back to the boat, I passed more brick facades with traditional gables, enjoyed the ambiance in Højbro Plads and watched the beginning of one of the relay races by Nybrogade.

Jorcks Passage

Amagertory Square

Statue of Bishop Absalon on Højbro Plads in Copenhagen
with the green copper spire of St. Nikolaj Church in the background

I returned to Mantra by way of interesting streets in Christianshavn, passing many enticing restaurants. Peter's brother Rob is arriving soon to join us for our trip to and through the Kiel Canal and perhaps for the North Sea crossing. Whether we go out to eat or dine on board depends on the rainfall.

Building facade in Christianshavn

The Baltic Sea; Ystad, Sweden; Dragør, Denmark; and Copenhagen

After a great first day of sailing from Kuressaare, Estonia, averaging 8 to 9 knots under sail (95 nautical miles in less than 12 hours), the wind died on us, and we were forced to motor-sail the rest of the way west across the Baltic Sea. Two day, two and half hours after leaving Estonia, with Peter, constantly alert for strange sounds, changed the fuel filter, we docked at Ystad, Sweden, at 10:30 a.m on Wednedsay, August 26. We spent the rest of the day there before continuing toward Denmark.

Ready to get off the boat, we set off to explore the small city, the old part of which is right by the docks. Our first stop as we walked along the cobblestone streets was Sankta Maria Kyrka, which was first built in the 14th century. Originally constructed in the Romanesque style, it was expanded around 1275 in the Brick Gothic style, but a single mural-decorated vault is all that remains. During the 1300s and 1400s it was rebuilt and the current structure consists mostly of these reconstructions. 

The walls and vaulted ceilings of this Lutheran church are simple in design and decoration, but the main altar is Baroque, with numerous carvings, colors and gilt-covered surfaces. There is an intricately carved side altar which was built in Germany in the 15th century. Two medieval crucifixes are prominent features; the one hanging above the entrance to the high altar is adorned with real human hair.

High altar and crucifix with human hair

High altar, Sankta Maria Kyrka

Detail of German-carved side altar

Exterior of Sankta Maria Kyrka

The organ was being played while we were in the church, and we sat and enjoyed the rich sounds for a while. Afterwards, we went in search of a place for lunch. We continued to walk through the historic Old Town, admiring the medieval architecture and squares and the 16th and 17th century half-timbered houses. Groups of these buildings were built around shared central courtyards, and we found a great place for a meal at one of these. 

Main square

Half-timbered buildings from a courtyard

Peter at a restaurant in a courtyard

Sated, we took other streets back to the marina, viewing the 13th century Greyfriars Abbey and the more recently constructed lake and fountain across the street from it. The museum was closed for the day, so we continued on, finding other visually fascinating buildings of brick and timbers. One large building had particularly distinctive carvings above the windows. 

Garden and half-timbered houses

Greyfriars' Abbey

Lake and half-timbered house

Half-timbered building with Sankta Maria Kyrka in the distance

Details of half-timbered structure

The next morning (Thursday, August 27), we were awake before dawn and cast off from the dock before 7 a.m. It was calm in the harbor, but large and frequent swells made sailing uncomfortable in the open sea. Going downwind, sailing wing-and-wing, we averaged just under 6 knots of speed. Fortunately, the swells decreased some en route, and we tied up longside to the wall of the old harbor in Dragør, Denmark, at 3:45 p.m. As we were bringing gear below and settling in before taking off to explore, the police came by just to check our passports. They were quite friendly and welcoming.

Ystad marina just after sunrise

First we walked along the waterfront looking for the harbormaster's office. On the way, we passed an open building, a former shipbuilding shop, where artwork, mostly paintings, was on display and for sale. Local artists are allowed to us the leaky building for studio and exhibition space until the city determines another purpose for it. Nearby was the harbormaster's building, where we paid for the docking at an automated kiosk.

Local art for sale

The small city was lovely in the late afternoon light. We did not find any restaurants that appealed to us, so we walked back to the waterfront and had a very good meal at the sail club's restaurant.

Lovely golden houses

Town square

Cobblestone alley

We geared up in full foulies before casting off. Leaving the dock this morning was quite a challenge. A 20-knot south wind was driving us directly unto the wall. We tried pushing off with our feet at the beam unsuccessfully, then attempted to get the bow away from the wall pushing off with an extendable boat hook. but this also failed. Finally, Peter unlashed the ice pole from the port deck and he spent several minutes pushing with it. I was at the wheel. As soon as he had pushed as far as he could, it was full speed ahead and hard to starboard to the narrow opening of the harbor, where the current was flowing in. Casting off the stern line, Peter took the wheel while I held a walking fender, which we fortunately did not need. At 10 a.m., we were free, and we only lost one fender, which was ripped off against the dock.

Peter starting to push the bow away from the dock with the ice pole

The wind was not favorable for sailing, so we motored the 12 nautical miles to the Wilders Plads Marina in Copenhagen. This was also a new experience, moving slowly between docked boats on either side of the Wilders Canal and turning right angles before slipping in lengthwise to the wall between boats at noon. It started raining hard just after we got the lines fixed, so we have spent the last couple hours on board. I have prepared a lot of meals and taken a shower. Now it's time to see Copenhagen!

Wilders Canal