Cruising Denmark

This week, in another life, we would have set sail from Augustenborg in Denmark, heading north towards Norway, making our way across the North Sea to Scotland and back to Ireland. But life under lockdown does allow time for reflection. That we can't take life or health for granted. That someday, some time, we won't have the health, even if ...

All during lock down, I would walk along the Lade Braes in St Andrews to visit Mum and Dad. At one local garden gate, a white board was set up as a poetry corner, and one day John Masefield’s famous poem Sea Fever was scribbled on the board. It captured the mood of lockdown perfectly. Poetry Wall, St Andrews And ...

After two lazy days on anchor, our destination was the harbour town of Marstal on the south end of the island of Ærø. We had no real expectations, but it was a good transit location after a fabulous sail. What a discovery. It was a real gem. The marina is inside a large shallow lagoon, and in the sunshine all ...

Leaving Marstal, we set off by yacht to explore the north of the island, first navigating a narrow shallow channel, creeping through very slowly. Over the winter we’d invested in a spinnaker snuffer, in theory an easier way to hoist, and more importantly to retrieve a big spinnaker when short-handed. Today was the day to try it out! To say ...

No words necessary! ...

We planned to spend a few days exploring the Lolland area, and made our way via Bagenkøp to the small harbour of Kragenæs. Sunset in Bagenkøp We’d heard about a major installation of twelve large statues in a circle, on a Bronze Age settlement just outside the harbour. There was a strong breeze blowing into the harbour as we arrived, ...

This week, we learnt that ø at the end of a name means island, and used to be spelled and is pronounced oie. The island of Fejø has a friendly community, where fruit trees and berries grow everywhere and the harvest is still taken by traditional wooden boats to Copenhagen every September to be sold in the harbour market there ...

The weather has been glorious now for weeks, and the best place to be is at anchor in a little bay, watching the sun set, and cooling off with a swim in the warm sea. We spent two days off Femø doing just this, nipping out for a fun sail playing with the spinnaker and back again. We have been ...

Faaborg is a favourite to visit, a nice distance from which to plan the last days, and a very large and secure harbour in yet another charming Hanseatic town. Where next? There were forecasts for winds and rain for the next 4-5 days, but it was warm, and inbetween showers, we had a chance to make the most of our ...

We've sailed past this tiny island many times, always en route to somewhere further, but with a few days to spare, and not wanting to thrash around in rainy winds, we made the short 5NM hop across from Faaborg, and crammed into the harbour with about 100 other boats with the same idea. It is yet another charming little island ...