Ebeltoft - Baago (19 June 2019)

There was heavy overnight rain but fortunately it stopped just as we were departing Ebeltoft. Nevertheless it was a dull and damp morning with no sign of the promised N F4 wind that had been promised. Instead we had to motor with very light and variable winds. 25nm later we passed across the entrances to the main commercial and ferry harbours at Aarhus and entered the sailing club harbour, Sejlklubben Bugten. As we got nearer we had noticed the dramatic new residential developments now eating into the space that once accommodated docks for numerous sailing barges.

New homes as we passed the main docks

Ebeltoft to Baago (track in orange)

In the afternoon we wandered around the centre of Aarhus. We saw a few historic streets and buildings, churches, including one originally with a monastery; viewed the inside of the AroS building but decided not to spend time in the galleries; were appalled by the stark grey Radhus, supposedly a design icon; and went out on the roof terrace and walkway over the main street provided by Sellings Department store.

Main shopping street from cantilevered walkway

The next day was sunny and we cycled 10km out into the countryside to the excellent Moesgaard Museum. Not only is it in a relatively new and very impressive concrete building but it is also very well presented. Its focus is on people in Denmark from the Stone Age through to the Middle Ages. Their highlight was Grauballe Man, “the world's best preserved bog body”, from about 2000 years ago. Well worth visiting and we had a pleasant ride through woods alongside the coast.

Moesgaard Museum

Cycling back through the woods passing some of the beaches

Passing Moesgaard from the sea the next day

The following day was again sunny. But the wind had now unhelpfully turned to S right on the direction we needed to head, so it was motor again, this time 28nm to the small island of Endelave. We had various shallow banks and a wind farm to pass en-route and as we followed the limited buoyage down a channel between very shallow water, I could see the ferry tied up at the harbour entrance and began to wonder how much space there was to enter. It is tight necessitating a very full turn to starboard around one mole and passing close to the stern of the ferry, but we were in to a very quiet rural harbour.

Endelave, not busy!

We walked around the village and a little way outside it during the afternoon. We found the villlage shop and bought a couple of items and then further out a smokery that provided salmon and herring.

Mixed crops in fields

The Church, a conspicuous landmark from sea

Part of the main street

Saturday morning's forecast had been for very strong winds but that was of no concern as we planned to spend two days at Endelave. We didn't get strong winds but all morning we had heavy rain. The morning ferry brought about 60 or so people including groups of young people including scouts heading for a camping break and quite a few holidaymakers and friends of locals who were met by a mixture of transport. This ranged from vintage cars to tractor drawn “buses”.

Vintage car arrives to collect passengers from ferry

Open top bus!

Modern covered version!

The morning gave us the opportunity to catch up on boat jobs. In the afternoon we cycled around the island to see some of the considerable bird life (shallows surrounding the island are nature reserves) as well as various animals. Plenty of rabbits in particular. The only downside was that riding along rough stoned tracks resulted in Andrea getting a puncture!

Sunday 16 June was sunny again and we sailed 28nm in a SW3/4 to Bogense a small town on Fyn. This is an island but of considerable size. Bogense was busy (by Danish standards) with quite a few visitors around the harbour. This is a delightful town, well worth a visit. Beautiful old buildings with attractive streets in the town centre.

Mother and child statue at Radhus (Town Hall)

The Harbour area had also benefited from environmental improvements and new buildings.

Looking good in the evening sun

The next day was again sunny and initially we were able to sail close hauled into a SW4 heading towards Middelfart. Once we got to the narrow channel between Fyn and Jutland we were headed by the wind funnelling through so motored for awhile. This is the Lillebaelt (Little Belt), said to be where the Kattegat meets the Baltic Sea. The Lillebaelt is both narrow and very deep, formed by a glacier during the last ice age. At its narrowest it is 1km wide, at its widest 15km. One of the deepest places is 80m deep. It is fringed with a mixture of industry and beech forests on steep cliffs, altogether very attractive. 
 

Heading towards the relatively new bridge across the Lillebaelt at Middelfart

After having looked at a couple of harbours in the town we chose to continue around the peninsular to the Middelfart Marina on the south side. Whilst it is a 20 minute walk into the old town from there, the setting is much more attractive as you look across to beautiful coastline and woods
 
The town has some attractive historic buildings; but also plenty of modern additions some of which are well designed but many of which leave a little to be desired! Maybe we were also put off as much of the town centre has environmental improvement work underway, with roads and footways dug up!

Combined butchers and fishmongers

Impressive carved wood door

On our second day we cycled around the peninsular. This was quite challenging in parts, the terrain more suited to mountain bikes than our Bromptons! However there were some lovely views, a ride through a deer park and interesting historic sites to see including a Slot and an ancient fort that looked over the sound.

Eighteenth century Slot, now a hotel

Former psychiatric hospital now converted to accommodation

View from ancient hill fort

Looking across the Belt

We also cycled to the middle of the original bridge that first crossed the Lillebaelt creating the first permanent link between Fyn and Jutland. Built in 1935 it has provision for both cars and trains, although it is currently closed to the former for major repairs.

Looking towards the modern (motorway) bridge

The 1935 bridge from the path

Historic shipyard still operating

We also visited the town museum, mainly because it is situated in a merchants house dating from 1580. A key part of the town's history is that it was a centre for porpoise hunting until well into the twentieth century the story of that trade being told in the museum.

Merchants House dating from 1580

We had two mainly sunny days in Middelfart but late on the second day there was a dramatic thunderstorm, a pattern that was to follow for the next 24 hours.

On Wednesday 19 June it was a still humid morning. We motored S enjoying sunshine but watching the black clouds building until we were subjected to our dose of heavy rain, thunder and lightening. As it began to move away we headed into the harbour on the small island of Baago.

The small harbour

Small ferry too, goes to Assens only 30 minutes away

This tiny island is largely a nature reserve with a population of around 25. It is typical of this style of small Danish islands. Few cars, few houses (mostly concentrated in one place) and a ferry a couple of times a day. What you also get, which is unimaginable in the UK, are “honesty boxes” for use when you wish to buy produce for sale at the farm gate or, in Baago, for bicycle hire from the harbour and serve yourself refreshments in the small island museum. These included hot and cold drinks, ice creams etc. Even beer in the fridge. How long would any of this last in the UK before light fingered people took the lot, honesty box contents and all?
The museum itself had interesting historical photographs and stories about the island. Also a wealth of domestic and farming equipment mainly from the late nineteenth and twentieth centurys.
we had to be careful when walking around the three rooms as swallows flew through the door and around the rooms, possibly feeding their young in a nest somewhere in the roof of the largest room with the farming exhibits.

Old farming equipment in the museum

Main part of the village

We cycled the short distance across the island to the village and then another 1km to watch the birds (and a seal) in the salt flats on the north of the island.

Seal resting on a rock

Plenty of bird life including plovers but to far away for a photograph

The sun disappeared in late afternoon and a couple of hours of thunderstorms and strong winds followed. Unsettled weather typical of this June in Denmark.

Helsingor - Ebeltoft (11 June 2019)

We returned to Whileaway on Monday 3 June. A very speedy trip, leaving home at 0720 We boarded the boat in Helsingor just under 7 hours later. We reprovisioned and walking to athend from the town we noticed the many posters of candidates for the forthcoming  General Election.

Mural on house recalling Helsingor's shipbuilding past

Small town garden by cross roads

Our passage from Helsingor in orange

Our first passage was a relatively short one of 13nm, NW to Gilleleje and it was a warm sunny day with light winds, so an easy start! We have been to Gilleleje before. It has a substantial fishing fleet and ship maintence services but the town has developed with some smart restaurants and specialist stores to attract people from Copenhagen and elsewhere. During the summer it has jazz bands on Saturdays as we found out when we arrived at a crowded harbour a few years ago. This time it was a Wednesday - and a meet for vintage cars and other vehicles in the early evening. Naturally, given the location, we ate at one of the many fish restaurants!

Thatched and other old cottages

Flower shop in main street

Busy fishing harbour

Classic car evening- not sure about the coffee pot!

The next morning was sunny with temperatures of 25C forecast. It was also Denmark's Constitution Day, so a public holiday. To this had been added the General Election. There were posters with photographs of the candidates everywhere. Under Denmark's fair electoral system there is a wide choice and about a dozen parties seemed to be contesting.
We had a good SSW F4 breeze behind us as we headed 22nm SE along the coast to the town of Hundested. Unfortunately the wind slowly reduced so after a couple of hours we had to motorsail and then for the last hour just motor.

Arctic explorer Rasmussen lived in Hundested

Hundested is very much a holiday town and on a warm public holiday it was very busy. We wandered around the various craft shops and the harbour area and then decided that we would walk about 2km south to the village of Lynaes which is on the fjord which leads to Roskilde. Fewer people here and we walked back along the beach and then through some woods.

The harbour at Lynaes

Our possible next destination was again W at Odden, about 20nm. However Andrea and I agreed to keep open the option of going further if we had favourable weather. This was the case as we had a SE wind for a passage that required first heading N, then W, then NW and finally SW. There was a complication in that we had to skirt an active military firing range. We knew that it was active as on passage to Hundested we had heard announcements on VHF Radio and also a Danish warship calling ships (yachts or motor boats I suspect) who were entering the prohibited zone. Inspecting the charts showed that it was not possible to completely avoid the zone but by staying within a couple of miles of the coast we thought that we would be in the clear. The wind started off at a brisk F4 and we were soon making good progress and so opted to head to Sejerby on the island of Sejero. During the passage the wind gradually increased to become a minimum of F5 gusting F6 and then into F6 most of the time. Towards the end it reduced a little but we still made the journey of 37nm in just over 6 hours, so a good average for us.
We arrived in a very quiet harbour, a complete contrast to Hundested. This is a small island with a ferry service four times a day. The timetable suggests a journey time of about 85 minutes, so not a commute!

The Sejero ferry

It is a lovely quiet island generally although on Friday about 10 Danish yachts and cruisers arrived, all from the same club. They were a little noisy as they consumed plenty of alcohol! We had the bikes out and cycled about 22km round what is a very pretty island with little traffic to interrupt the bird song!

The town church prominant on the hillside

Traditional Danish church with 15th century paintings

Oystercatchers in the countryside!

Plenty of hares, deer, pheasants and other wildlife

We had a decision to make for Saturday. The plan was to go roughly due W about 18nm to  Ballen on the island of Samso. The forecast was for S winds so good sailing, but first thing in the morning F4 gusting F6 and strengthening to F6 gusting F8 as the day progressed. The winds would decrease from early Sunday morning so if we stayed it would probably be until Monday.We decided to make an 0800 start with the plan to be in Ballen  by lunch time. All went according to plan for the first couple of hours although the wind did veer to WSW. At this stage we had to cross a traffic separation channel and there was a steady stream of shipping both ways so we had to slow down and heave to for a while whilst we picked our time to pass between the ships. When we arrived in Ballen it was to find a very full small harbour because it was a weekend; the weather forecast meant that people were not keen to leave; and there was a Najad yachts rally with about 15-20 boats! A kind Danish sailor waved us in to tie up alongside him. He in turn was tied to an Icelandic yacht against the quay. Boats were rafted two or three out along all of the quay so very cosy!
We walked around the harbour and along the coast during the afternoon, holding on to our hats as the wind became very gusty as forecast.

The busy harbour at Ballen

 On Sunday morning it was still windy but we got the bikes out and cycled around 25km around the E and central part of the island.

Bird breeding grounds on a reef spit - but water level down about 0.6m because of the gale

Typical seashore on the island

A Morgan garage which included a museum of old cars etc

Traditional Samso village

On Sunday afternoon we had learnt that the Icelandic boat on the inside of our raft wanted to leave at 0400 on Monday. I began watching the few departures and saw a chance to move to a single berth which we did.
Nevertheless by 0800 on Monday morning the harbour was emptying quickly and a little while later we set off heading directly into a stiff NNE F4/5 wind under an overcast sky. We motored for 90 minutes to clear a headland surrounded by shallows and rocks and were then able to start sailing very close hauled down at first but then more comfortably as the wind became NE as had been the forecast. We were heading for Ebeltoft which sits in a big bay on the W side of Jutland and offers shelter from the N. In well under 5 hours we had covered the 27nm and were tied up in the sailing club harbour.
Ebeltoft is a charming small market town with narrow cobbled streets and interesting historic buildings particularly from the 18th century.

Cobbled town centre street

The old Town Hall in the square, open to visitors

On Tuesday morning we visited the historic ship Fregatten Jylland which is in a dry dock. The frigate was launched in 1860 and was one of the first to have a coal fired engine and propeller as well as sails. It only participated in one battle, that of Heligoland in 1864 and then became a royal ship before being retired from sea duties in 1887. Worth visiting but cover your ears at noon and 1500 when they fire a cannon!

Fregatten Jylland in its dry dock

Fine figurehead

After this we returned to the town and visited Farvergarden, the old dye works. The oldest part of the building dates from the 17th century and it was operating as a dye works until around 1925. All the old equipment and household furnishings have been retained.

The courtyard within the dye works

One of the dyeing rooms

In the afternoon we rejoined the 21st century with a visit to the modern decorative glass museum Glasmuseet, partially housed in the old custom house. A couple of very interesting special exhibitions complemented the permanent collection.

Window glass by American artist reflecting the commercial world

Special exhibit "Sale of a death man"

Surreal - room with coloured glass on walls and mirrors on ceiling and floor

All very interesting again but now we were museumed out! Our next port is Aarhus, Denmark's second city and we hope for a favourable wind to get us there.