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.