In this publication8 photos · 2 videos
Planning
23 April 2024. Breakfast: four eggs, cured ham, vegetables, two rolls and coffee, €10 at the marina café. Phone out, passage planning.
North-east towards Rønne. The only fallback would be anchoring off Rügen. Several wind farms en route; I chose to pass north of them, safer that way.
Windy showed five to eight knots abeam early, then calm beneath a high. Around 75 miles to Rønne. To do it in under twenty hours, the engine would need to run almost throughout.
Departure
After grounding, extra care: centre of the fairway throughout. GPS speed reached six knots, a current unusual for the Baltic. Only my second such experience after Fehmarn.
Soon, a grey fog wall. Nowhere to retreat; I entered, and it closed round me. Wind completely gone. Without a little swell from far away, the sea would have been a mirror. Three such patches, two hours in each.
Around halfway, the current turned against me. GPS speed fell to four knots; the log still read 4.9. Setting sail compensated a little.
The drone
In one foggy calm, I launched my old DJI Mini SE for a few shots of set sails on endless water. All fine until it suddenly stopped moving. Camera and rotation worked; the drone itself stayed still. The yacht went ahead, leaving it behind. Phone signal weakening, battery draining. Fifteen minutes’ flying time left. Panic.
Eased sails, engine on, turned back. Used the camera image to find it. A careful approach, avoiding mast and backstay. Reverse, closer, grabbed its body.
It thrashed in my hand, trying to escape. One hand held it while the other pushed the sticks down. The blades caught my fingers twice, spraying blood round the cockpit. Plasters, alcohol, drone off and folded away. Shots secured, hands shaking.
The passage
The wind turbines looked extraordinary in fog, impossibly tall, almost alien. Sunset enjoyed, seven layers on, interval sleep. Rønne was still hours into the night; I needed rest.
Awake at midnight. Container ships on AIS. Two green lights showed the marina entrance. Total darkness, rocks nearby, a winding, unfriendly approach. Made it through. No alternatives anyway.
The result
Covered 76 miles in sixteen hours, using fifteen litres of diesel.
#passage
23 April 2024. Breakfast: four eggs, cured ham, vegetables, two rolls and coffee, €10 at the marina café. Phone out, passage planning.
North-east towards Rønne. The only fallback would be anchoring off Rügen. Several wind farms en route; I chose to pass north of them, safer that way.
Shipping Forecast
, 23.04.2025, 10:11 UTC
No warnings
Southern Baltic: light and variable winds, later northeast 4–5, at times misty with fog patches, sea later 1 meter.
Windy showed five to eight knots abeam early, then calm beneath a high. Around 75 miles to Rønne. To do it in under twenty hours, the engine would need to run almost throughout.
Departure
After grounding, extra care: centre of the fairway throughout. GPS speed reached six knots, a current unusual for the Baltic. Only my second such experience after Fehmarn.
Soon, a grey fog wall. Nowhere to retreat; I entered, and it closed round me. Wind completely gone. Without a little swell from far away, the sea would have been a mirror. Three such patches, two hours in each.
Around halfway, the current turned against me. GPS speed fell to four knots; the log still read 4.9. Setting sail compensated a little.
The drone
In one foggy calm, I launched my old DJI Mini SE for a few shots of set sails on endless water. All fine until it suddenly stopped moving. Camera and rotation worked; the drone itself stayed still. The yacht went ahead, leaving it behind. Phone signal weakening, battery draining. Fifteen minutes’ flying time left. Panic.
Eased sails, engine on, turned back. Used the camera image to find it. A careful approach, avoiding mast and backstay. Reverse, closer, grabbed its body.
It thrashed in my hand, trying to escape. One hand held it while the other pushed the sticks down. The blades caught my fingers twice, spraying blood round the cockpit. Plasters, alcohol, drone off and folded away. Shots secured, hands shaking.
The passage
The wind turbines looked extraordinary in fog, impossibly tall, almost alien. Sunset enjoyed, seven layers on, interval sleep. Rønne was still hours into the night; I needed rest.
Awake at midnight. Container ships on AIS. Two green lights showed the marina entrance. Total darkness, rocks nearby, a winding, unfriendly approach. Made it through. No alternatives anyway.
The result
Covered 76 miles in sixteen hours, using fifteen litres of diesel.
#passage
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