Bornholm Revisited

After Wladyslawowo, Allinge on Bornholm to the northwest made sense as our next destination, due to the weather forecasts and wind direction.  It is also far more attractive than the marinas we had visited on the Polish coast on our way east to Gdynia.  It was an overnight passage involving a distance of 150nm.  We were lucky to arrive at lunchtime the next day, as the harbour and marina was jam packed with boats 8 deep, and in the small marina you could almost cross from one side to the other from boat to boat.  We lay alongside another yacht in the harbour entrance.  So very different from last year.  But this was July and high season, and in 2018 we were there in August after the summer holidays (see blog post Bornholm via Hanö and Simrishamn – August 2018).

Boats, boats, boats

Where’s Pipistrelle?

On the passage to Allinge we had to motor through thick green algae, considerably worse than we had seen last year, and this resulted in cleaning the main engine filter on arrival.

Yuck!

Yuck!

Our original plan was to sail on to Ystad (Sweden) and Klintholm (Denmark again), but the weather thought otherwise, and we took the opportunity to sail direct to Heiligenhafen, to the east of Fehmarn in Germany, another overnight passage of 160nm.  Yacht Technik were waiting to reinstall the radar scanner, which had been serviced by Raymarine in the UK.  This downtime also provided the chance to visit the massive main marina by dinghy, view some of the local sights and witness yet another glorious sunset.

Main Heiligenhafen marina

Stunning sunset 1

Stunning sunset 2

Poland Again

On returning to Gdynia on 12^th July after a busy time at home with Elaine visiting family and friends, Bob found Pipistrelle safe and sound in Marina Yacht Park, having been closely guarded for two weeks by this old salt!

Bob had only a few hours to prepare for the arrival of Janet Foster and Martin Goodchild who would sail with him for a  few weeks. Both had sailed with us previously, Janet from the Galapagos to the Marquesas in the Pacific in 2011 (see The Galapagos – San Cristobal and subsequent blog posts), and Martin with Bob from the Azores to Ireland in 2017 (see The Last Ocean Leg).

All went well though, and having got their belongings stowed, they reprovisioned, had a wander around the surrounding area taking in the museum ships on the promenade (see previous blog) before enjoying a meal ashore.

Bob takes up the story …

The next day we slipped our lines and headed a relatively short distance across the bay to Gdansk, the principal shipping port for Poland.  We had a very interesting passage up the river to the city centre, involving Janet dipping our Red Ensign as we passed the war memorial.  We passed many different types of ships en route, and timed our arrival almost perfectly for the lifting bridge, providing access to the city marina.

Approaching the shipyard

Ships undergoing maintenance

Narrow approach

Pipistrelle alongside in City Marina

Gdansk is a fascinating city with a complex history, having had periods of Polish, Prussian or German rule, and also periods of self rule or a free city.  In the 14^th and 15^th centuries it was a member of the Hanseatic League.  In the second World War it was invaded by Germans and led to the flight and expulsion of Polish people.  In the 1980’s it would become the birthplace of Lech Walensa’s Solidarity movement, which played a major role in bringing an end to Communist rule in Poland and helped hasten the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

We visited the Museum of the 2^nd World War, a sobering reminder of how Poland and Gdansk suffered during this time, but we also enjoyed the many sights in the city centre, which comes alive in the evening.

Red brick Gothic

Janet and Martin enjoying the sights

Typical medieval buildings

Museum on waterfront

Waterfront

City Marina

From Gdansk we sailed across to Hel again for a brief stop, and from there to Wladyslawowo, a fishing harbour just short of the north end of the peninsula, which has been developed as a holiday destination.  Nothing to write home about, but a convenient place to stop prior to heading west (or in Pipistrelle’s case northwest)!  Here we met Marcin Palacz, the Cruising Association’s HLR (Honorary Local Representative) for the area, who was also sailing west along the Polish coast.

Beyond Hel …

…to Gdynia

Having spent a relaxing evening in Hel, we had a leisurely start the following morning to sail the short distance from the peninsula across to Gdynia, a mere 10 nm away.

Optimist sails glinting in the sun against Gdansk backdrop

Our berth was booked at the new Marina Yacht Park to the north of Marina Gdynia, built in what was previously the President’s Basin.   The marina only opened in May this year and we chose it for its security and safety, of paramount importance when leaving Pipistrelle unattended for any length of time.  We would be flying home and be away for two weeks.

Pipistrelle alongside at Marina Yacht Park

View over marina from office

So much space!

Marina Yacht Park is a huge development with waterfront apartments, offices and a hotel.  Berthing rates we found to be very reasonable for a two week stay, though more expensive than the other, much smaller and crowded marina.  We were astounded at how much space was available and all in all can thoroughly recommend it to other cruisers.  In fact, two yachts we know subsequently spent some time there on our say-so.

As we were escorted in by a rib which came out to meet us, a military parade was underway on the promenade Nabrzeże Pomorskie and the brass band was playing ‘When The Saints Come Marching In’.  It was as if the band were heralding our arrival!

Another submarine … not the same one

Dar Pomorza square rigger

The Polish warship built in Cowes …

The british built Błyskawica

Its history

Then, with just two days to go till we departed for our flight, it was a busy time preparing Pipistrelle for her ‘holiday’.  Apart from maintenance and cleaning, this unfortunately involved lugging laundry to the nearest laundrette in town about 1km away because the marina facilities were not yet up and running.  Though time consuming, we did have a good lunch while the machines were running!

Fridge and freezer defrosted, bags packed and shore power switched off (our solar panels being powerful enough to keep the batteries topped up), we locked up and headed out of the marina to the awaiting taxi to take us to Gdansk airport and the Wizz Air flight home.

For various reasons, Elaine would spend six weeks in landlubbing mode at home, while Bob would return to Pipistrelle after two weeks to start the passages westwards with friends.

Impressive sail sculpture – Gdynia

Pontoon reflections – Gdynia

To Hel and …

… sailing to a deadline.

Swinoujscie at dawn

An early start was called for in order to progress eastwards to our first stop along the Polish coast.  Consequently we left Swinoujscie at 05.30 for our next stop Kolobrzeg, some 50nm away.

Windmill or Green Light?

Artistic ferry bow!

We had allowed ourselves five days, and a maximum of six to reach Gdynia, just north of Gdansk.  An achievable target without much of a buffer, provided everything went in our favour, but sailing to a deadline and risking not getting the flight we had just booked is stressful.  So would we go to Hel?!

To sail this particular coast in any northerly winds in excess of F5 is not recommended, because the few safe harbours have shallow entrances with breaking seas and can be impossible to access.  Fortunately for us, for this first leg we had fine weather and a gentle SSW breeze, which petered out altogether in the afternoon.  Having motored down the long channel entrance, we berthed alongside the fishing harbour wall.  Similarly to Kröslin, positioning Pipistrelle to be able to get on and off easily proved challenging!

Medieval warehouses

Alongside

Fancy footwork getting on and off!

Main marina complex

Fishing harbour astern

Part of large fishing fleet

Signs that Kolobrzeg was part of the Hanseatic League still exist with typical red brick Gothic buildings in the busy city centre.  Otherwise its sandy beaches and long pier make it a popular tourist destination.

St Mary’s basilica

Town Hall

Fuse Tower

Taking advantage of the good conditions, we decided to press on and finished up with another very early start to sail just over 80nm to Łeba.  The passage was uneventful with various wind shifts, sailing combined with motoring, some swell but with the unusual sight of a Polish submarine off to port heading in the opposite direction.  Łeba marina is accessed through a narrow channel.  The entrance is tight and the facilities slightly run down, so apart from being a handy stopover, for us it had little more to commend it as we didn’t have time to go to the beach.  But Łeba is at the eastern end of the Słowiński National Park with its big lakes and towering sand dunes which we did catch a glimpse of while underway.

Big brother on the water!

Słowiński National Park

Next up …. going to H E L.  

As mentioned, the first part of the coast is a stunning sand dune area.  The 60nm sail just under genoa in fine but cool weather proved lively with up to 25kn wind.    We gybed to continue in a south easterly direction along the Hel peninsula, then around the headland and into the well protected marina.  We had telephoned in advance, called up just before arrival, the harbour master was at our allotted berth to greet us, credit card machine in hand to take our money, and we could relax – in H E L.

fast sailing

with the current

Pipistrelle alongside in Hel

View of Hel marina

fascinating wood carving – one tree trunk

The Rügen Rally

Run by the Cruising Association Baltic Section, the Rügen Rally started in Stralsund on 18^th June and finished just over a week later on 25^th June in Swinoujscie, western Poland (formerly Swinemünde).  As well as being ‘dressed overall’ Pipistrelle flew burgees of the Cruising Association, of the Rügen Rally, of the Ocean Cruising Club, the Offshore Cruising Club, and last but not least, the small ships’ burgee celebrating 25 years since Durnkirk, given to Elaine by her father.

Stralsund – 2nd dot from top. Swinoujscie – last dot on right

Putting the sailing world to rights

Panama uniform??

Flags, flags

Burgees

Not since the ARC in 2008, that took us across the Atlantic, have we taken part in a rally, and cruising in close company with 16 other boats forming a flotilla was a new experience.  It was a great way to sail in a different area, albeit experiencing narrow, shallow channels which we probably would not have attempted had we been on our own.   Fortunately, several boats had detailed knowledge of these inshore waterways and were able to provide valuable guidance.  Even then we needed to focus carefully on navigation so we didn’t go aground.

From Stralsund the itinerary took us to Kröslin then Wolgast, Ueckermünde and finally across the border to Poland and Swinoujscie.  The route had been carefully planned by Nicholas Hill, the rally captain, and Fay and Graham Cattell were on hand ashore at every stop to direct each boat to its berth.

We headed off as a group through the lifted Ziegelgraben Bridge towards Kröslin.  Recognising the distinctive lines of a non-rally yacht called ‘Südwind’ we managed to get a couple of photos.  Yes, a Square Meter yacht, slightly bigger than Overlord at 150 sq.m.

Südwind showing counter and wheel

Südwind

Preparing to go through bridge

Out the other side

Kröslin was a two day visit, with a tour of the Hanse boat factory at Greifswald followed by lunch and a wander round the historic town – another of the medieval Hanseatic League sites.  For us, the factory tour was an eye opener – the first time we had seen mass production boat building.  Among others, the Hanse owns Moody, Dehler, Privilege catamarans and Sealine motor boats.  We also came across what for many would be an insignificant ‘Rolly Tasker’ sail loft near the factory.  But it was significant for us because we had visited and had work done at their sail loft in Phuket, Thailand (see Refit at Yacht Haven Phuket  – Phase 2).

Hulls in a row

Putting the lid on!

Dropping the prefabricated bulkheads

Says “must be finished end June” (photo taken 19th!)

Rolly Tasker sail loft

Greifswald

Market square

Unrestored warehouse building

After a communal BBQ at the marina, extolling the virtues and ease of use of the laundry facilities (as a connoisseur of laundries around the world, that takes some doing) we were ready to leave.  Kröslin may be out of the way, but for German weekend sailors it is within fairly easy reach of Berlin by road.  The marina is large, well equipped, has a travel lift as well as sheds for winter storage.  Both marina and yard are extremely professionally run.

Kröslin from a distance

Winter storage sheds

Laundry block

Banks of machines and dryers

BBQ area

Obstacle course getting on and off!

Sunset from our pontoon

Our departure from Kröslin was calculated to tie in with the opening times of the ‘Blaues Wunder’ (Blue Wonder) bascule bridge, just before Wolgast, a short distance of about five miles away.  The fleet rafted on both sides of the quay.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to look around the old castle as we left the following morning for a daysail to Ueckermünde, our last port of call in Germany.  We even managed to give the sails an airing for part of the time!  Otherwise we were concentrating on the whereabouts of other participants, and taking in the scenery, notably going past the remains of the Karnin Railway Bridge in the middle of the River Peene.  Constructed in 1933, the bridge itself was destroyed in 1945, only the lifting segment still standing.

The entrance to Ueckermünde is narrow and follows a channel to the quay where we tied up to the port side along with the rest of the fleet.  Here we had a couple of days to explore the pretty little town on foot and relax in warm sunshine.

Canal entrance to Ueckermünde

Pipistrelle alongside

Rally boats on right

The church

Market square

Old tower, new stairway

Castle tower

From Ueckermünde it is a relatively short sail across the Szczecin Lagoon to Swinoujscie just over the border in Poland.  Trying to stay in convoy and single file, as requested for a photo call, with the smallest boats at the front and the largest at the rear (Pipistrelle) was easier said than done.  Fortunately the weather was benign and we motored the whole way, preserving some semblance of order.  Herding the fleet into berths in the rather small and tight marina at the north end of the long approach channel was another challenge for the organisers.  All was well and the rally ended with a meal ashore at a bistro in the marina and then an impromptu BBQ with a few friends under the trees close to the pontoons on our last evening.

After saying our goodbyes to old and new acquaintances, the following morning we were up at dawn to continue eastwards in stages towards Gdynia.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Boats, boats, boats and assorted scenes!

 

Stralsund in June

We approached Rügen from Klintholm (see Klintholm Scenes) late afternoon and navigated through the narrow winding channel separating it from the neighbouring island of Hiddensee.  It became obvious that with Pipistrelle’s draft, the small, shallow marinas at Vitte (Hiddensee) and Wiek (Rügen) were not suitable for us, despite offering shelter and picturesque settings.

Sandbanks closeby

Entrance to Vitte – crowded!

Narrow winding channel

So we anchored in relative protection off Schaprode bay instead, and waited for the rain and wind forecast for the following couple of days.  It came.  We battened down the hatches and went nowhere.

The Island of Rügen

Observing anchoring rules!

Put into perspective, Rügen is Germany’s largest island by area, located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.  With its sandy beaches and varied landscapes, it is a very popular tourist destination, day trippers using frequent ferry services to and from nearby Stralsund.

As it looked as though the weather was going to remain unsettled with increasingly strong winds, we decided to take advantage of a gentle northerly to get us to the safety of Stralsund City Marina – about a three hour sail.  Of course, the wind piped up, making getting alongside challenging but with helping hands to take our lines, all was well.  Next to the marina lies the old harbour with its ‘Lotsenhaus’ or pilot house, the modern Oceanarium as well as the former Reichsmarine naval training ship, the Gorch Fock.

Off Stralsund marina – impressive skyline

The Pilot House

New Oceanarium (left) and Gorch Fock (right)

Being ahead of most other yachts gathering in Stralsund for the start of the Cruising Association ‘Rügen Rally’, gave us the chance to get our bearings and do some exploration of our own.  We treated ourselves to dinner ashore on our first evening and quite by chance stumbled upon ‘Zum Scheele’ which must be the best restaurant in town – very enjoyable on a balmy summer’s eve.  Wednesday evenings see competitive racing from the marina which draws the crowds.

Zum Scheele courtyard

Racing round the cans

We knew Stralsund had been part of the old Hanseatic League from 13^th century (see Lübeck post) and would therefore boast an abundance of historical buildings in the red brick Gothic style.  Sadly, many had fallen into disrepair as part of East Germany (the GDR) from 1949 to 1990.  Then, more emphasis was put on constructing prefabricated ‘modern’ apartment blocks when the main industry was shipbuilding for the Soviet Union.  After reunification in 1990, the old town was restored, the apartment blocks were renovated and upgraded.  In 2002 Stralsund was declared a UNESCO world heritage site.

Having lived and worked in Mannheim (West Germany) for 14 years until 1988, Elaine had never before visited this part of the country, the GDR being out of bounds to West Germans, and cut off from Western Europe.  With today’s freedoms taken for granted, it was hard to remember the repression of just thirty years ago.

So back to Stralsund in 2019.  We explored on foot and were rewarded with fascinating sites and sights.  Before setting off on the Rally, we did a walking tour around the old city.  The photos are a collection taken over a few days.

Typical historical buildings

Dedicated to the patron saint of sailors, St Nicholas church is one of three Lutheran churches in Stralsund, located to one side of the old market place, very close to the City Hall.   The old city wall still exists with various watch towers.

Portal of St Nicholas church

Alleyway

City Hall with St Nicholas church behind

Market Square with church and City Hall

Kütertor – one of several watch towers in city wall

While Bob climbed to the top of the tower at St Mary’s with other courageous folk to be rewarded by a fantastic view of the city, marina and Rügen beyond, this was definitely not for the fainthearted or those with no head for heights!

St Mary’s Church

The Tower

Fellow climbers

View from the top

Consequently, Elaine stayed at ground level and took in the beautiful church interior while listening to wonderful organ music.

The portal

Ornate handle

Church interior

Organ

Trumpeting angel

Worth a special mention are two other ‘events’ that neither we nor the Rally organisers had any influence over.

The first was the, for us, surprising gathering of assorted naval vessels, helicopters and other hardware for what turned out to be the German Armed Forces Day.  Even the Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel was there on the podium giving a speech, relayed on a big screen.  This is after all part of her constituency.  Unfortunately, the weather was poor, but that did not prevent an army style air sea rescue demonstration taking place right in front of us.

One ….

Two ….

Three ….

The second was the absolutely astounding full moon which rose just behind the Rügen bridge.

Full moon

Rügen bridge by day with Ziegelgraben lifting bridge behind

Having dressed Pipistrelle overall to herald the start of the Rügen Rally and done much socialising with other participants, it was time to head off on our course towards Poland.

Dressed overall in Stralsund

England expects ….

Klintholm Scenes

Pipistrelle’s first two outings of the season took us 30 nm ENE from Fehmarn to Gedser in Denmark where we anchored in more or less the same spot as we did last September.  A leisurely day, we motored all the way in warm sunshine and had a quiet night before setting off early next morning in a fresh breeze.  The next destination was Klintholm on the Danish island of Møn which has now become something of a favourite, because we spent some time here on two occasions in 2018.

This 35nm run was mostly under sail, with the wind picking up nicely to a NE 18kn off Klintholm marina.  Main and genoa safely down and furled, warps and fenders at the ready, we found a berth alongside.   Judging by the weather forecast we would be in the marina until the following Tuesday, so five nights in total before we could head towards Rügen, our next destination.

Having paid our dues, we sought out the local well stocked but small supermarket we remembered from last year, only to discover the building had gone.  Apparently, a fire had destroyed it in late September and it wouldn’t be replaced.  Instead a minimarket has opened for buying essentials.

What – no supermarket?

Evening light on harbour master’s office

Inevitably after launch there was still a long ‘to-do’ list of tasks below decks, and the variety of lashing rain, cool temperatures and strong winds played in our favour.  Greenpeace ‘Beluga’ paid a long visit to the marina; fog was a feature after a fairly warm day, as was the appearance of a periscope and conning tower just off the entrance one evening!  Interest was high, cameras came out and the craft came into the marina, revealing itself as a small submarine escorted by ribs, part of the Greenpeace entourage.  A heron was standing by too!

Lashing rain

Damp and cool

Fog bank approaching

Fog drifting

Greenpeace

Submarine with outriders

Standing by on one leg!

Taking off

The public bus service from Klintholm is excellent.  This time, we decided to visit Stege, about 15 km away, on the Saturday afternoon and have a look round as it’s the main town on the island.   Dating back to the 12^th century, it was an important herring port with town gates and of course a church.  The herring trade has long since died off, a sugar factory in operation for 100 years till the 80’s has closed and these days Stege relies heavily on tourism.

Town Gate

Town square and Town Hall

Church exterior

A marine history

Baroque pulpit

Pleased we had made the effort to go, we caught the bus back, looked again at the weather and it still appeared that Tuesday was the day to slip the lines.  However, on Sunday morning, all had changed and the window had moved to sailing that day, or being stuck for days, a risk we could not afford to take.   So we made the snap decision to go, and within an hour we were ready, forfeiting 2 days in the marina but also the opportunity to meet Andreas and Susanne again on Ma Brummi, who were we thought leaving Fehmarn that morning. As they say ‘Time and tide wait for no man’.

Sad though it was not to see our friends, the decision was good.  We had a great sail under genoa, arriving in Rügen early evening.  Looking at the forecast for the next few days, we would have been in Klintholm until Thursday earliest, cutting it all a bit fine to join the CA (Cruising Association) Rügen Rally we had signed up for.

Leaving Klintholm and Mon island

Dressed for the weather

Recommissioning 2019

Having left Heathrow on the ‘redeye’ to Hamburg on 16^th May, we collected our hire car for what turned into a wet drive to Fehmarn to be reunited with Pipistrelle and move into the apartment owned by our lovely landlords (see All Stops to Fehmarn – September 2018) where we would stay while we were doing the recommissioning work.

Love this part of the number plate!

‘Our’ flat – first floor

Exhausted when we arrived in Burgstaaken, we had an early night and went to the yard the following morning.   Once the covers were off in the shed, the serious work began to prepare Pipistrelle for the sailing season – in principle the reverse of the decommissioning procedure last September with a few additions.

Covers off!

Laying up in an albeit unheated shed paid dividends.  The teak deck needed no treatment in contrast to last year when we spent 6 weeks cleaning it after launch, there were no rust marks on the stainless steel.  And down below it was refreshing to see there was no build up of humidity, so no mould or damp.

Polishing the topsides went smoothly, largely thanks to the loan of electric polishers by Andreas, as did the antifouling, apart from applying primer to some areas before rolling on the black.  Though extremely tiring, that was the relatively easy part.

The mast had been removed for the first time for 10 years, giving us the opportunity of seeing it in the horizontal and finding some areas in need of TLC in the form of priming and painting.  Refitting 3 sets of spreaders and accompanying stays, D1’s and D2’s was done at this stage.

After 10 days, Pipistrelle was moved out of the shed in good weather to be thoroughly hosed down before launch.  The new calorifier (water heater) was installed the same day.

Where’s Pipistrelle?

… outside on trailer

Red Letter Day – 28^th May – Launch

Hooked up …

On the move!

As Pipistrelle disappeared out of the yard, down the lane on her trailer towed by a tractor, closely followed by the mast balanced on a trolley, we followed to the dock to antifoul to the underside of the keel and generally be on hand for launch.  After the boat, it was the turn of the mast to be craned into position, a complex manoeuvre, handled with care by yard employees with the help of Andreas, Susanne and Bob all pulling strings (literally).

Pipistrelle and mast (by Andreas)

Getting slings ready

Takes two to check

Finishing touches (by Andreas)

Steady as she goes …

Hanging by one rope

Onlookers!!

With the stays attached to the turnbuckles and loosely tensioned, we moved Pipistrelle a little way down the harbour to do some tensioning, attach the boom and put the sails back on board.  These had been in winter storage off site.

Getting equipped!

A neighbour on the dock

 

Over the next couple of days, we took Pipistrelle to the marina at Burgtiefe and the below decks ‘workshop’ was gradually transformed into living space again.  Thankfully we were still staying at the flat and moved on board again on 31^st May.

Location Fehmarn

Location Burgtiefe

Burgtiefe pontoons

Harbourmaster’s office

A week in the marina followed, with a few cosy evenings and the rig being expertly tensioned by a professional company from Heiligenhafen about 30 km away.  We reprovisioned, handed back the hire car, said various goodbyes and waved ‘Aufwiedersehen’ to Fehmarn.

Hygge or Gemütlichkeit

Sunset over Burgstaaken

Naturally, all the hard work was punctuated by a certain amount of relaxed socialising with German and English friends – German because Elaine speaks the language fluently having lived in the country for 14 years some time ago, English because Fehmarn is a favourite place for British yachts to overwinter and the Cruising Association has a thriving Baltic Section.

Homeward Bound – September 2018

Having left Pipistrelle wrapped up for the winter in Burgstaaken, and unable to resist a brief interlude before flying home, we decided to stop off on route to Hamburg airport at the Hanseatic city of Lübeck where we spent the next two nights.  Our hotel was within walking distance of the Heiligen-Geist-Hospital, the St. Jakobi church and the 500 year old Schiffergesellschaft, now a restaurant but formerly a guild and seafarers’ refuge.

Our hotel in the heart of the old city

View of St. Jakobi church from our room

Heiligen-Geist-Hospital nearby

Naturally we had dinner one evening amongst seafaring memorabilia …

Schiffergesellschaft outside

Restaurant ceiling decorations

Old beams and lanterns

Translation of Old German script to German and English to follow!

Declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1987 the old city is situated on an island enclosed by the River Trave and has countless historic buildings in Gothic brick dating back to its halcyon days as the capital of the medieval Hanseatic League.  It is also known for its three famous sons – Thomas Mann, the author; Willi Brandt, erstwhile Bundeskanzler,  and Günter Grass, the author, who died there.

To see the most of the city we took a hop-on-hop-off bus and took in the Marienkirche, the Buddenbrooks house and museum on which Thomas Mann based his novel, the famous Holstentor city gate, and the Cathedral to name a few.

Typical warehouses

Burgtor city gate

Marienkirche and River Trave

Rathaus – Town Hall

Town Hall Square

Holstentor city gate

Detail of Holstentor architecture

After a flight from Hamburg to Heathrow, we finally arrived back in Poole on 25^th September, already reminiscing about the fantastic summer we had spent sailing in the Baltic.

We will return!

All Stops to Fehmarn – September 2018

Country Hopping Part 2 – Sweden–Denmark–Germany

Ystad (Sweden), Klintholm and Gedser (both Denmark), Fehmarn (Germany)

Poled out – leaving Bornholm

Heavy traffic

Still poled out

For the 36 nm passage from Allinge on Bornholm to Ystad back in Sweden, the wind conveniently backed to the east so we had a great sail, even poling out for most of the time (above photos courtesy of Andreas Martens, Ma Brummi).

Unimpressed as we were when we first stopped in Ystad briefly in June (see Into the Baltic), this time we had a decent alongside berth in the marina, staying a couple of nights to explore the town and using up our remaining Swedish Kroner, mainly in a fascinating chandlery nearby.

Looking towards the theatre

Old curiosity shop

Promenade

In ‘Wallander’ territory we discovered typical Swedish architecture and were pleasantly surprised by the old medieval town with its cobbled streets and charming buildings.

Möllers Bryggeri

Pretty courtyard

After a fairly uneventful 56 nm daysail, but which did involve negotiating an oil rig section being towed to the mothership, we put in to Klintholm on the island of Møn in Denmark, which again we had visited on the passage north (see The Return – May 2018).  A couple days there with walks along the sandy beach, a delicious fish meal ashore at the Hyttefadet restaurant and it was time to set sail again.

Patrol ship

Under construction

Big parts arriving

Heading south to Gedser 31 nm away, our last stop in Denmark, we anchored for 2 nights prior to sailing to Fehmarn.  In good weather and no wind we took the opportunity of removing the headsail in preparation for winter storage.  Susanne and Andreas on Ma Brummi had berthed in the small marina so we dinghied in to meet them on board for our last evening.

Quiet anchorage outside Gedser

Tall ship passing at sunset

Our dinghy spotted by Andreas

Arriving at Ma Brummi

The final leg of the season was a good sail of 28 nm to the island of Fehmarn, off the north coast of Germany in Schleswig Holstein, and linked by a bridge to the mainland.  Burgtiefe is a large marina in a basin to the south of the island, and just to the north is the area of Burgstaaken, with its old fish dock, now used to haul boats for winter storage.  This is fairly big business, with 2 or 3 family firms competing with each other, and a number of large sheds used for boat storage. We chose Weilandt.  After removing sails, running rigging and making general preparations, we took Pipistrelle the short distance to Burgstaaken where we went alongside, positioning her so the standing rigging could be freed, the boom lowered and the mast craned out by Weilandt staff.  This was not without problems, as it was the first time for 10 years.  Then the yacht was lifted, also by crane.  Once we had removed all the rigging, both Pipistrelle and the mast were stored in a shed, and then covered with light tarpaulins for protection against bird and spider droppings.

Weilandt wharf and crane

Mast nearly ready to lift

Crane in action

Horizontal mast with spreaders

Mast wrapped – spreaders removed

Mast in shed

Pipistrelle in position for winter

Final additional covers attached

Decommissioning was all quite exhausting for a number of reasons, though made much more pleasant by staying in a very comfortable apartment a short distance away, where we were made very welcome by ‘Familie Sievert’, Conni and Gerd.  Having told them about our circumnavigation, Gerd even organised for us to be interviewed by a journalist and an article subsequently appeared in the regional newspaper, the Fehmarnsches Tageblatt which covers news in Fehmarn and Heiligenhafen.

https://www.fehmarn24.de/fehmarn/einmal-ganze-welt-gesegelt-10304365.html

View from our balcony

The freshest breakfast eggs

Special Fehmarn flag – a gift from Conni and Gerd

We left Burgstaaken on the afternoon of the 23^rd September, having had a thoroughly enjoyable summer in the Baltic, where we had sailed a surprising distance of 1,540 nm!

In fact, 2018 in the Baltic has to be one of the highlights of our 10 years’ cruising!

Idyllic evening walk at ‘Gold’ on Fehmarn

Just another …