The final destination of the summer holiday was already determined at the beginning of this year by the appointment with Adams Boat Care on 17 August in Henån (Sweden) for the conversion of the beds. Fortunately, Denmark's borders will open in time. That is why a tour through the southern Baltic Sea, especially in Denmark, is the most obvious thing to do together with the girls every two weeks. They don't go to Sweden because they have to be home on the 14th of August for other commitments. They also come later because Eline gives sailing lessons at Aqua Vitesse and Marinthe until the end of July at Sailors Inn.

That's why, for the first time since the girls were born, the first 9 days of the summer holidays we're back on the boat with the two of us. We have never sailed through the night without the girls. That also has its charm; can we practice for the coming years 😃. 

We sail about 400 nm from Bruinisse via the German Bight and the Kieler Canal to Warnemünde in northern Germany. We arrived there yesterday. The girls come here today by train. How did it go last week?

We wave the girls goodbye and leave at the end of the afternoon. Bye Bye Bru, it might take a while before we get back here. Luckily the lock outside is quiet in the middle of this busy holiday period, but inside before and after our fence is packed. What a madhouse, a lot of them want to go to the Grevelingen! We're all alone in the Krammersluizen 👍. After an hour on the engine we drop anchor at the end of the Volkerak. A quiet first evening in the sun.

 

We thought we'd leave early but of course that's not possible with a rush hour stoppage of the bridge until 10.00 o'clock. Oh, doesn't matter, then we'll just sleep a bit longer. In this lock too, we are all alone again and the bridge opens at 10.00 on the dot. What a service! On our way out we come across the Mariste. We sail half wind to the beginning of the Dordtsche Kil, then on the engine with a strong current down the Oude Maas in the direction of Rotterdam. There was some confusion at the Spijkenisse- and Botlek bridge. A bit bluntly, we were told that we should listen to the block canal of the Oude Maas and also call up the bridge via another canal. We can't do that at the same time 🤔. Anyway, the bridges open quickly and at the turn of the tide we sail down the Rift (was the Nieuwe Waterweg, but is now called the Rift we were wisely told by the radio) into the North Sea to the north. The sails can be set on and high to the wind (bft 3-4) with again current IJmuiden is easy to sail. Then we just skip Scheveningen.

We leave around 9 o'clock for the trip of 215 nm through the German Bight to the Elbe. Our desired departure time from IJmuiden is decisive for the departure time and not an extensive calculation. However, that turns out to work out very well. It is an optimal trip. Until far on the Elbe we can sail anything, with half wind bft 3-4 ... the wind turns nicely with us 😃. We have a very long current above the Wadden Islands and again when we sail the Elbe all the way to Brunsbüttel. That also accompanied by sunshine ... almost never that we can sail so much the first week towards our holiday destination. We pick up the night watches as usual. On watch it is good to watch out for wind farms and other boats, but because of that time flies. 

 

Around 3 pm, after a short wait, we can enter the Brunsbüttel lock at the beginning of the canal and moor just behind the lock in the small marina for the night. A beautiful spot a few metres away from large sea-going vessels that enter and leave the locks with rowing engines all night long. We celebrated our prosperous voyage with a bottle of rosé and fillet of lamb with Joe Jr's vegetables. With earplugs on, I didn't suffer at all from the passing ships and slept for 10 hours in a row.

The day through the canal the sun shines and there is little wind. It is a long stretch of engines (50 nm) with occasionally a large ship passing by. We sail into Rendsburg with the idea of spending the night there, but that doesn't look cosy. Then we go on, out of the canal to Kiel. When we get to the lock at Holtenau, we can go straight in. There we meet the Outbox again, a bright blue Van der Stad 38 with a nice family on board. They were lying next to us in Brunsbüttel and also in Kiel. On a great spot with a view over the Baltic Sea. Also the Novatrix (HR 49) is in this harbour. With Jaap and Marjolein on board who have been living on their boat for 15 years. A few months ago I already had mail contact with them to exchange experiences about living on the boat. Nice to meet them now too! 

 

We want to eat out, but we can't find much. So we eat something in a simple tent and immediately decide to eat on the boat in the coming period when there are no nice eateries and also because of corona. After dinner the Outbox will be served. Huibrecht and Mandy both studied in Maastricht and know someone who lived in the house of Marinthe. Huibrecht has also sailed the north-west passage with a friend and I seem to have read that book and have it on board. How coincidental 😉.

We're staying in Kiel for the day. In the morning the Novatrix comes 'on the coffee' (they only drink tea like me) and tell us a lot about living on the boat and sailing in this area. They give us some nice tips about where we can go with the girls. In the afternoon we go cycling along the canal and through Kiel. What a nice bikes they are. 

 

The weather is still nice when we leave the Kielerbocht the next day and enter the Baltic Sea after we checked the inside of their boat at the Outbox. Bit too little wind to sail so we motor the approx. 25 nm to Orth on the island of Fehmarn. Orth is a cosy little marina that reminds us of Zierikzee in the surroundings of the Wadden Islands. Until late in the evening we sit outside with cozy and relaxed music in the background from the café next to us on the shore.

The next day it rains heavily until the beginning of the afternoon. We rummage around on the boat and try out the washing machine with the dehumidifier on. Is this going to work or are we going for a washer-dry combination of AEG in the closet where the sailclothes are now?

 

In the afternoon I make a tough bike ride of about 30 km over the west side of the island and Toine chooses to do jobs on the boat. Beautiful surroundings! Once back in the harbour after eating a nice fresh ice cream, we have the idea to try if we can go under the bridge of the Fehmarn Sund. It is around 22 meters and we need 22.5 meters. If we can't go under that it is at least 20 nm around Fehmarn. We see on the pillar of the bridge that there is almost 23 m space and we sail very slowly towards the bridge. Is that really going to work? Up to nearby we don't think so, but just now, with no more than 30 cm left, our estimate is 😊. We sail a little further and drop anchor in front of the beach at Grossenbode. A typical German seaside resort with those typical German beach chairs on the beach.

 

The last day to Warnemünde we sail 33 nm as high as the wind and then on the engine. From now on we are in the part of Germany that used to be East Germany. The city harbour in Warnemünde itself is very busy with a lot of noise from a construction site next to it. Then on to the large new marina on the east side. There we are perfectly situated between piles and also close to the station where the girls arrive. Just a bit with the ferry, but it goes every 10 min.

Here we are, waiting for the girls. They are luxurious in the train, 1st class in their own compartment. When we go on is the question. The next two days it is going to blow hard. We thought we would take the 24 nm to Gedser in Denmark tonight, but this morning we decide not to. It has to stay relaxed. 

What do we make of corona? Luckily not that much. Striking are the four cruise ships that are just anchored in Scheveningen. We eat a bit more on board, but that may also have something to do with Germany 😉. And we see more people with mouth caps, but generally in a relaxed atmosphere. We are curious how this is going to be in Denmark. Going on holiday with your own boat and being able to decide for yourself what to do in the country in what hustle and bustle makes us feel safe 😊.