As time passed on Bornholm, I became more and more aware of the departure date that was looming in the distance; we had planned our return date so I would be able to catch a plane from Hamburg to Tromsø, to join the Polarstern on a Fram Strait expedition. And the south-westerly winds, which had been such great help in getting us to Bornholm, were still there – and now they didn’t seem so appealing. Continue reading
Sailing
Back to the Baltic
The kids had gone to Denmark to spend some time with my parents, so Esben and I could sail the first leg of our summer holidays alone. As it turned out, that was lucky – the weather was not cooperating, and I ended up motoring directly against wind and waves from Bremerhaven to the entrance of the Elbe, while Esben was dying from seasickness below. As we turned and sailed down the Elbe towards Cuxhaven, we finally had following winds and I could pull out the genua, turn off the motor and continue inwards by sail. And after a while Esben came up to join me for the last part of the day. After almost 12 hours of sailing, we tied up in the harbor in Cuxhaven where a seal greeted us at the pontoon. Continue reading
Where to go on a sailing holiday
I asked Runa what she likes best about sailing. “I don’t like sailing!” was the answer. This is something we practice with her – to notice the good thing that happens and not just remember what you didn’t like so much. So I asked her again, there must be something nice about sailing, right? “Maybe walking the little paths on Nordbjerget” she said. That was on Anholt last year. We talked a bit longer, and it turned out that we she really likes is exploring a new place. I like that too. Arriving somewhere and go out and see the place you ended up in. Actually, I like it so much that I’m dead set on not visiting the sailing grounds south of Funen, which I have visited plenty of times with my parents throughout my childhood. Continue reading
Light in the cave – or painting the interior
Dark teak interiors are valued in the Danish boating community – strange since we all seem to favor light Nordic design. Chip-Chip has been owned by people who have loved to sail, and to sail far. Consequently, countless screw holes in the teak reminds us of long forgotten instruments, storing containers, fire extinguishers etc. And the interior is somewhat worn. Practically it doesn’t really matter, but still… Continue reading
Restoring the teak seats
“STOP PULLING THE WOOD!!!!” Mattis jumped when I started screaming at him. It was summer and he had been playing in the cockpit, and was checking out how the seats were made of marine plywood with a teak coverage. Only problem was that the teak coverage was basically paper thin and peeling off. And while it’s not really a big issue, it’s not aesthetically pleasing, and if the teak is not fixed, the marine plywood below would slowly be damaged by the water creeping in. Continue reading
First sail in the North Sea
Chip-Chip had spent a week in Rendsburg, after Esben and I sailed there from Maasholm. The little harbour in Rendsburg was really well protected and the berths small enough to fit our boat. Also, it’s right next to the train station, so no more crazy maneuvers to get there like we had to to get to Maasholm. Continue reading
Into the Kieler Kanal
We had gotten to bed at around 1 am and slowly woke up to the sound of – nothing. Most mornings somebody yells that they need to use the bathroom, or pick a fight about a toy, but for the first time in a very long time Esben and I would be spending this weekend alone, without kids. And how nice it was to wake up to silence. The night before we had driven Mattis and Runa to Esben’s father where they would be spending the weekend – and then we drove the two hours back to Maasholm where Chip-Chip had spent the last three weeks in the marina. Continue reading
Starting the long trip home
Since we bought Chip-Chip we have been wondering if it would be better to leave her in Denmark, right by the great sailing grounds of the Baltic Sea, go whether we would prefer having our boat near our home in Bremerhaven by the North Sea. Several of my colleagues have argued that the North Sea isn’t great at all for sailing, but we weren’t convinced. Continue reading
Even more sailing
After finishing our three-week trip onboard Chip-Chip sailing south of Fyn, Sjælland and in the Kattegat, Esben had to go back to work. But the Kindergarten and school was closed for another week, so I had signed the kids and me up for a one week sailing trip on Jensine, going with my mom and dad and a bunch of other people. Continue reading
The Kattegat
In the two first weeks of our summer trip had been south of Fyn and Sjælland, and we were now ready to continue northwards. The trip from Helsingborg in Sweden to the island Anholt in the Kattegat was about 60 nm, so we opted for a fairly early start – it did, however, become around 9 before all last minute preparations were over, the kids were dressed and we were out of the harbour. Continue reading
