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A voyage through the Skagerrak. Part 4. Munkholmen and Dannemark
A tempting pilot book
In Grenaa, a neighbour listed twelve west-Swedish places and lent Hamnguiden 5 by Hanne and Jørn Engevik.
Dangerous, in a good way. Aerial photos: skerries, approaches, depths, boats for scale, mooring rings in rock. Clear places to tie ashore or hold the boat off. I soon wanted a rocky-island berth.
19 June, a quiet sixteen-mile passage to Munkholmen.
First attempt
Northern rings first. Sheltered, still, beautiful: the picture selling rock mooring.
But southerly gusts to twenty overnight. Beauty second, safety first.
Ashore, bird droppings almost everywhere. Walking a minefield.
Bow and stern lines. Half a metre from rock, unable to pull closer. A small wave arrived; instead of rocking gently, the boat jerked upright. Halyards hit the mast.
An expensive sound.
Apparently, the keel’s side touched a granite ledge. Enough to rule out sleeping there.
Second attempt
Southern rings, boat stretched between them. A hollow meant only bow and stern touched rock; fenders looked decorative. Acceptable in stillness, but not testing yellow hull against five-storey granite overnight.
A few hours, no night here.
A daytime stop
Then what skerries are for: drone for me, sketching for Nastya, fruit-and-yoghurt salad, beginner fishing.
First time touching spinning rod, plug and spoon. Nastya, experienced, showed me casting and their differences. No catch, but I irritated some small fish. €35 AliExpress kit works. Fish holding their ground.
Sunset cooled the rock fast. Large armoured centipedes, a finger and a half wide, emerged from cracks. A psychological addition to the berth.
I imagined them crossing the lines aboard. Convincingly enough to suggest Dannemark Bay by Ulön instead.
The night option
Five buoys, four occupied: Norwegian, Swedish, French, Danish flags. Our German one completed the little international gathering.
Free buoy taken. More trust after the rocks than anchoring on unknown ground. Anchor alarm still on.
A lively night’s wind. Several bearing checks to confirm we stayed put. Perhaps two lines to the buoy would have reassured me. Maybe overcautious.
Comfortable night.
Lesson: rings in a pilot book don’t replace inspecting the berth. Depth beneath keel, rock shape, overnight wind, fender contact, boat motion in an occasional wave, beyond perfect calm.
#passage
A tempting pilot book
In Grenaa, a neighbour listed twelve west-Swedish places and lent Hamnguiden 5 by Hanne and Jørn Engevik.
Dangerous, in a good way. Aerial photos: skerries, approaches, depths, boats for scale, mooring rings in rock. Clear places to tie ashore or hold the boat off. I soon wanted a rocky-island berth.
19 June, a quiet sixteen-mile passage to Munkholmen.
First attempt
Northern rings first. Sheltered, still, beautiful: the picture selling rock mooring.
But southerly gusts to twenty overnight. Beauty second, safety first.
Ashore, bird droppings almost everywhere. Walking a minefield.
Bow and stern lines. Half a metre from rock, unable to pull closer. A small wave arrived; instead of rocking gently, the boat jerked upright. Halyards hit the mast.
An expensive sound.
Apparently, the keel’s side touched a granite ledge. Enough to rule out sleeping there.
Second attempt
Southern rings, boat stretched between them. A hollow meant only bow and stern touched rock; fenders looked decorative. Acceptable in stillness, but not testing yellow hull against five-storey granite overnight.
A few hours, no night here.
A daytime stop
Then what skerries are for: drone for me, sketching for Nastya, fruit-and-yoghurt salad, beginner fishing.
First time touching spinning rod, plug and spoon. Nastya, experienced, showed me casting and their differences. No catch, but I irritated some small fish. €35 AliExpress kit works. Fish holding their ground.
Sunset cooled the rock fast. Large armoured centipedes, a finger and a half wide, emerged from cracks. A psychological addition to the berth.
I imagined them crossing the lines aboard. Convincingly enough to suggest Dannemark Bay by Ulön instead.
The night option
Five buoys, four occupied: Norwegian, Swedish, French, Danish flags. Our German one completed the little international gathering.
Free buoy taken. More trust after the rocks than anchoring on unknown ground. Anchor alarm still on.
A lively night’s wind. Several bearing checks to confirm we stayed put. Perhaps two lines to the buoy would have reassured me. Maybe overcautious.
Comfortable night.
Lesson: rings in a pilot book don’t replace inspecting the berth. Depth beneath keel, rock shape, overnight wind, fender contact, boat motion in an occasional wave, beyond perfect calm.
#passage
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