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Planning
27 April 2024. Awake at five. Washed, breakfast, weather check, route adjustments.
Weather allowed sailing. No going far north: a commercial TSS. Wind farms to the south. A strict course, whatever the wind direction. The only day of easterlies; make the most of it. Destination: Gedser.
A rough start
Left Christiansø at 6.30. Southerly wind. Fine to Bornholm’s northern tip, then south-westerly as soon as I rounded. Apparently bent round the island. Main and genoa flapped. Sails away, engine on. Four to five knots. By my calculations, sailing again in four hours.
But the wind increased to seventeen knots, waves to 1.5m, speed down to two or three. Waves hit the bow, rolling and stopping us. Seasickness began. Deep breaths, eyes on the horizon, then below for tablets. All I could do was hold on. So I did.
When the wind moved farther south, sails up again. Five to six knots. The yacht cut through waves more easily, heeled steadily. I felt better.
Night watch
Dark after nine. Interval sleep. Anna’s stories had shown me I needn’t sleep in the cockpit. Wallas heater on, bed in the saloon, timer set. I judged the middle of the Baltic alongside a TSS reasonably safe. Every thirty minutes: up, check horizon, course, AIS, back down.
Until one in the morning. Another check. Straight ahead, less than a kilometre away, a cargo ship crossing with her port side towards me. An icy wave through my body. We were clearing each other, but I should have seen her sooner. Back to twenty-minute intervals. Harder to sleep.
Crossing the TSS
At three, I reached the separation scheme. About twenty ships on AIS, perhaps more outside reception range. Nine to fifteen knots. Four miles across. I held the eastern edge and waited for a gap.
A gap appeared; I crossed. Half an hour later, in the middle, AIS showed encounters with five ships. Quickly furled, engine on, revs down. Let everyone pass, then sails up again.
Gedser
At seven, Gedser. Empty marina. Berthing between piles was welcome: they keep the boat clear of pier and neighbours. Previous alongside stops had cost a stanchion, a fender and black tyre marks on the hull.
245 DKK a night, showers extra. Twenty-four litres of diesel at 15.75 DKK. An unpleasant €300 card deposit took four days to return. A walk and provisions. Gedser seemed deserted: empty streets and silence. Sat in the park with cold coffee, then back to the marina.
Covered 130 miles in twenty-four hours.
#passage
27 April 2024. Awake at five. Washed, breakfast, weather check, route adjustments.
Shipping Forecast,
27.04.2025, 09.26 UTC
No warnings
Southern Baltic: southeasterly winds about 3, shifting southwest, increasing 4 to 5, sea northeastern part later 1,5 meter.
Weather allowed sailing. No going far north: a commercial TSS. Wind farms to the south. A strict course, whatever the wind direction. The only day of easterlies; make the most of it. Destination: Gedser.
A rough start
Left Christiansø at 6.30. Southerly wind. Fine to Bornholm’s northern tip, then south-westerly as soon as I rounded. Apparently bent round the island. Main and genoa flapped. Sails away, engine on. Four to five knots. By my calculations, sailing again in four hours.
But the wind increased to seventeen knots, waves to 1.5m, speed down to two or three. Waves hit the bow, rolling and stopping us. Seasickness began. Deep breaths, eyes on the horizon, then below for tablets. All I could do was hold on. So I did.
When the wind moved farther south, sails up again. Five to six knots. The yacht cut through waves more easily, heeled steadily. I felt better.
Night watch
Dark after nine. Interval sleep. Anna’s stories had shown me I needn’t sleep in the cockpit. Wallas heater on, bed in the saloon, timer set. I judged the middle of the Baltic alongside a TSS reasonably safe. Every thirty minutes: up, check horizon, course, AIS, back down.
Until one in the morning. Another check. Straight ahead, less than a kilometre away, a cargo ship crossing with her port side towards me. An icy wave through my body. We were clearing each other, but I should have seen her sooner. Back to twenty-minute intervals. Harder to sleep.
Crossing the TSS
At three, I reached the separation scheme. About twenty ships on AIS, perhaps more outside reception range. Nine to fifteen knots. Four miles across. I held the eastern edge and waited for a gap.
A gap appeared; I crossed. Half an hour later, in the middle, AIS showed encounters with five ships. Quickly furled, engine on, revs down. Let everyone pass, then sails up again.
Gedser
At seven, Gedser. Empty marina. Berthing between piles was welcome: they keep the boat clear of pier and neighbours. Previous alongside stops had cost a stanchion, a fender and black tyre marks on the hull.
245 DKK a night, showers extra. Twenty-four litres of diesel at 15.75 DKK. An unpleasant €300 card deposit took four days to return. A walk and provisions. Gedser seemed deserted: empty streets and silence. Sat in the park with cold coffee, then back to the marina.
Covered 130 miles in twenty-four hours.
#passage
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