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To the North Sea!

From the logbook:

Sun June 30: Waking up late in Dragør to heavy rain showers and winds gusting to gale forces. The boat is a mess, the weather sucks, the kids are fighting and we are all exhausted, drained by hard work, emotions, and lack of sleep the last few weeks. We feel like everything but cruisers. Motivated by easing skies and northerly winds we collect ourselves and set course to the south in the afternoon, along the Danish east coast of Zealand. Maybe we are heading towards Gedser, maybe somewhere else. We sail by only genoa initially in the strong breeze but hoist more sails and the speed picks up to >8 kts on an open reach. The sailing is great but sea sickness also starts to show. We cook a minimum-effort dinner, have Spotify jukebox on high volume and the spirit starts to come back when we forget about the motion sickness. Distraction, activity, food and sleep seem to be a good cure.

We eventually decided to go to Klintholms Havn on Møn after 45 sailed NM. A fantastic island with white chalk cliffs along the east coast and picturesque villages. Many German boats in the harbor but we end up next to the Swedish boat Magnum Bonum, also heading south. During the next few days, our paths will cross again.

After an evening walk our first full day of 400-something days is coming to its end.

Mon July 1: We wake up early with new energy and decide to play ball with the weather and leave right away at 07:30. Calm morning with light W winds so we motor in the waters between Falster, Møn, Lolland and Zealand towards Langeland. Breakfast onboard and the vacation feeling starts to come. Looking at the weather forecast we realize that we probably have the best conditions to get to Kiel this evening. So, we push on. When turning SW towards Lolland’s southern tip we set sails. A close-hauled reach in fresh breeze but the sailing is nice in the flat waters and comfortable sail setting with one reef in the main, full mizzen and the jib. The waves pick up after Langeland and we enjoy our first sunset in the wind-breaking waves over the Fehmar belt. We moor up in Stickenhorn Yachthafen after 103 NM. Feels good to be even more abroad than Denmark.

Tue July 2: Late morning onboard, we make it to Kiel city center for touristing. Martin lined up a schnitzel dinner but the waiter at the restaurant took an order of 1 schnitzel and 4 “other food”. You can’t win them all. Nice day. The kids are mostly excited.

Wed July 3: We enter the Kiel canal. Excitement on board to enter the locks with the big boats after an hour’s waiting time outside the locks. We don’t have a plan yet. We pass Rendsburg and start to do the math if we can make it all the way to Elbe tonight. Leisure boats are not supposed to be on the canal after 22:00 in the summer. We are a few minutes behind but don’t stress about it – maybe we stay at Brünsbuttel or maybe we push on to Cuxhaven. We approach Brünsbuttel a few minutes before our deadline and report to the lock master that we want to pass out. We exit the locks around 23:00 as the last leisure boat that day, in the 2.6 kt head current in a dark night over the Elbe with a lot of large shipping vessels. We turn right and make 3.7 kts over ground initially but when the tide turns we log 8.5 kts near Cuxhaven. We are moored up in Cuxhaven at 02:40, excited to be at the threshold of the North Sea.

Thu July 4: Nice slow day in Cuxhaven. A nice marina with many cruisers and a nice city by Elbe and the North Sea. That’s a good thing – looking at the forecast it seems we will stay here a few days. That’s more than ok – we are enjoying it – but we are also excited to move on towards a warmer summer.

20 thoughts on “To the North Sea!”

  1. Fint att höra om er resa och upplevelser❣️Tack!!! Kramar från farmor och farfar från ett regnigt västkusten🥰💞

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  2. Tack för en fin reseberättelse och härliga bilder.
    Så klokt av er att “stå på” ända till Cuxhaven. Tycks vara en bra plats att vänta ut den envisa hårda vinden.

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  4. So exciting to follow you on your first days at sea ⛵️, sounds like you have already conquered a few challenges and made time for fun too! Really appreciate the updates even if there will be days with other priorities, we are with you in thought and often wonder what your day holds in store for you, every day different, I am sure, so adventurous you all are! Sending lots of love, hope of precis lagom winds blowing in right direction and no rain!
    Land crabs Anders and Denise🥰

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  6. Så roligt att läsa hur ni har det! Så spännande att äventyret börjat med allt vad det innebär! Massa kärlek till er alla, Jess, Viktor & Ted

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  7. Det är så roligt och läsa och se era bilder. Jag önskar er en fortsatt underbar resa⛵️🐠
    Var rädda om ER💐
    Kram Cecilia Karlsson ( Idas, Felix och Jespers ”dagisfröken”)

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  8. Underbara (kusin)familj!! Kramar och Pussar och Kärlek i Massor, det var alldeles, alldeles UNDERBART att vi fick se er en sväng, bara ledsen att vi inte kunde bjuda på mer än EN dags fint väder (eller fick ni två..?), nu öser regnet som vanligt ner här i Holland… Vi är så nyfikna på vart (sjö)vägarna bär er härnäst?? Lyckas vi inte simma ikapp er och/eller se er igen inom det närmaste så får vi önska er en härlig fortsatt färd med en massa sol på vägen, vi ser verkligen fram emot att följa ert äventyr här på bloggen (om ni nu någonsin får ro (no pun intended) att skriva…)! 🙂
    L❤️VE YOU *Dikke knuffels en kusjes uit Arnhem!* XxXx

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  9. Tack för att vi får följa er resa! Beundrar er för ert mod och äventyrslusta. Elina saknar Ida.
    Kram från Sporrong/Öhrberg

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  10. Heja er! Vilket äventyr för er alla individuellt men också som familj. Kul att få läsa och se bilder allt eftersom resan fortskrider. Jag förstår att ni har knäckt koden att det är inte målet utan resan dit som är hela grejen 👍.
    Jag önskar er vackert väder, massa medvind och skötsamma barn 🤣😉
    Micke

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