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Day five. Windy showed little wind, disappearing by evening. Worse, almost none for the next two days. Night breezes were our only hope. I set an alarm for 3.50am to make the most of one, then slept through until five. Breakfast underway instead.
Shipping Forecast promised a steady force 4. I looked from it to Windy. One of them was lying. Or the Shipping Forecast meant overnight.
Six o’clock. Departure, with about four other crews. Langeland astern, onto our course. Eight knots on the anemometer, 3.8 on the log. We decided on the pole. Anton enthusiastically volunteered to do it all himself. With the genoa poled out, another half-knot.
Granola and milk for breakfast while I explained repacking the spinnaker in the saloon. Forehatch open, genoa furled, guys and spinnaker halyard passed down the hatch to attach to the sail corners. Once ready, a quick hoist. Another half-knot. By then, every yacht around had a spinnaker up.
Even crossing the Baltic between Denmark and Germany, we never lost sight of land on both sides at once. Under spinnaker, we made excellent progress, catching the boats ahead. One particularly interested me: I was sure it was the all-women crew that had left Bagenkop twenty minutes before us. We caught them in German waters near Fehmarn. To my surprise, an older man helmed. Not a woman in sight. A pair of porpoises escorted us ahead of the bow instead.
Noon. Anton suggested carrying on. Fine by me. We passed beneath the bridge under spinnaker. With a favourable current, nearly six knots, overtaking everyone around. Such a pleasure: the number on the wind instrument matched the boat speed on the log.
At six, we anchored off Grömitz and tested the holding in reverse. Instant mash, smoked sausage and crackers for dinner. We agreed to leave at ten that night: a night breeze might get us to Lübeck before the calm. Alarm set; bed.
Forty-seven miles. Track here.
#passage
Shipping Forecast promised a steady force 4. I looked from it to Windy. One of them was lying. Or the Shipping Forecast meant overnight.
30.08.2024, 02 GZ, Western Baltic
NW, Bft 4, backing↺ W, decreasing⇩ to light later
on East locally showers⛆ squals
Six o’clock. Departure, with about four other crews. Langeland astern, onto our course. Eight knots on the anemometer, 3.8 on the log. We decided on the pole. Anton enthusiastically volunteered to do it all himself. With the genoa poled out, another half-knot.
Granola and milk for breakfast while I explained repacking the spinnaker in the saloon. Forehatch open, genoa furled, guys and spinnaker halyard passed down the hatch to attach to the sail corners. Once ready, a quick hoist. Another half-knot. By then, every yacht around had a spinnaker up.
Even crossing the Baltic between Denmark and Germany, we never lost sight of land on both sides at once. Under spinnaker, we made excellent progress, catching the boats ahead. One particularly interested me: I was sure it was the all-women crew that had left Bagenkop twenty minutes before us. We caught them in German waters near Fehmarn. To my surprise, an older man helmed. Not a woman in sight. A pair of porpoises escorted us ahead of the bow instead.
Noon. Anton suggested carrying on. Fine by me. We passed beneath the bridge under spinnaker. With a favourable current, nearly six knots, overtaking everyone around. Such a pleasure: the number on the wind instrument matched the boat speed on the log.
At six, we anchored off Grömitz and tested the holding in reverse. Instant mash, smoked sausage and crackers for dinner. We agreed to leave at ten that night: a night breeze might get us to Lübeck before the calm. Alarm set; bed.
Forty-seven miles. Track here.
#passage
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