.….but also meeting fun people!
But first, the sailing:
Sometimes we get a wind forecast that is too good to be
true! So as we went to bed on the eve of
our departure from Norway we were quite skeptical about the perfect 20+ knots South West winds forecast for our
crossing from Lyngor to Skagen, Denmark.
But at dawn there they were! Healthy South Westerlies to speed us on our
way! Adventuress did not disappoint us
as she averaged 8+ knots in fairly flat water on an 80 degree beam reach. What
a sail!
Once again, we pass a Norwegian square rigger
After the rugged coastline of Norway it was quite a change
to see the flat coastline and endless beaches of Denmark.
Denmark coastline
We arrived early, at 3:30pm at Skagen marina, but still had
to raft up.
Skagen Marina
This harbor is a useful stopping point but not the friendliest, so
we left early the next morning and sailed to Laesso Island, where we went to
the Eastern harbor at Osterby. The harbor
was very crowded; but to our surprise, a friendly Norwegian couple beckoned to
us to raft along side of them.
Sissel and Einar in Norway
Now life took a weird turn: we introduced ourselves to “Sissel
and Einar” and then discovered after just one minute of conversation that their
best friends were ……Shannon and Ornulf, our new Norwegian friends in Flekkefjord!
By the end of the day, a Swedish boat and a German boat had
joined our raft. Only two of the 150
boats in the harbour were Danish: most
were Swedish due to the proximity to Sweden.
Laesso Island has two harbours, a central town and miles of
dunes:
Endless Dunes
Sissel and Einar Alme were great fun……introducing us to a
Norwegian cheese called Gamalost, served on Knekke -what JFK calls ‘cardboard bread’ - with lots
of butter, and decent swigs of Aquavit. (Do not ask what JFK called the cheese!)
Gamalost Cheese
In Laesso we had also met a funny and charming Danish
couple, Birte and Henning, and we sailed along with them to the next island,
Anholt. This tiny island stunned us with
its beauty. Next to the marina, just 25
yards from our berth, was a magnificent beach.
We spent four nights on this largely uninhabited island, exploring on
our bikes and having a fun time with Birte and Henning.
Birte and Henning
Adventuress in her berth on Anholt
John takes a dip in 65 degree ocean
(in the Danish tradition)
Beach next to marina
Riding bikes through the countryside
John, Birte and Henning leaving the grocery store
Only purchase what you can carry on the bike
Only purchase what you can carry on the bike
Danish lobster
A gift from Hemming - an inverted cone to be displayed when
motor sailing
Our next island stop was Samso where we anchored and enjoyed
a walk in the beautiful countryside.
At Samso
When the sun is shining, Denmark has beautiful skies
Fields of heather
We took shelter from a rainy blast at Endelave, snugly
anchored in the corner. From there we went to Vejlefjord, and anchored behind a
little spit while it blew like stink. There JFK had an unusual role as
reluctant rescuer for a crazy beginner Kite surfer, who had decided to try and
learn kite-surfing in 28 knots of wind!
Crazy kite surfers row back to Adventuress
JFK is motioning the "crazy" sign!
So here we are: it’s Tuesday August 18 and we are anchored along
the beautiful farmland of the Island of Kegnaes. Tomorrow we will be in Germany at the mouth
of the Kiel Canal. Even though the
weather has been rainy and overcast for the last week we have enjoyed visiting
Vejle, the home stomping grounds of our dear friend Helge Thomsen from Berks
County, PA: then Als in a very secure anchorage at Dyvig in the Stegsvig: and next along the town dock of
the interesting town of Sonderborg. We left the busy dock of Sonderborg and went just south to anchor in the Horuphave, staged to sail down to Holtenau and enter the Kiel Canal.
The people of Denmark have been very welcoming and the
country is beautiful. We hope to return
to this wonderful country someday.
Our very best to you,
John and Nancy Knight
