Day Cruise to Heiligenhafen

Jacqui Crowe

A frustrating day! A 30M motor sail across a millpond. To be fair we were able to sail the first short leg before we turned East with a Westerly wind behind. We set our sails up for a run with the help of an old awning pole, which just happened to be at hand, tied across the shrouds. We were using the 110%, high cut jib which doesn’t have a ‘proper’ pole. It worked a treat but as the wind dropped to a force 2 then also variable direction, our SOG was too slow to get us to Heiligenhagen before nightfall, even with the extra long days. Some spectacular sea and sky scapes today (see photos). Not much else to see on the low lying coast except the Fehmarn Sound Bridge and sandy beaches and spits as we neared the approach. The marina is large but pontoons 10-12 are being rebuilt so not so much room at the moment while those with resident berths on these pontoons are reberthed. It’s all box berths here with high pontoons at the bow. It was the first time we had done this with just 2 of us. The trot was quite narrow but John did a good job of manoeuvring the boat in the box. Tying up was another matter but achieved after a certain amount of robust discussion! Today is both Ascension Day and St Mathias Day, both significant in church life. Also, a holiday and excuse for a long weekend. Hence Heiligenhafen is busy with music, entertainment and visitors enjoying themselves.