Söby Denmark

24.6. Amsterdam-Makkum. We motored through two locks and the two Dutch inland seas Ijsselmeer nd Mittelmeer close to the last huge sea dam to Makkum where the harbour and camping area was occupied mostly by Germans. Not a lot of people around, thed weather was bad again. Even in the inland seas it was bumpy.

25.6.-26.6. Makkum-Cuxhaven. The plan was to get at least to Norderney and we left Makkum at 10 to get through the lock in time to catch the tide first to Harlingen and then to Vlieland. Most of the way the wind was against us but outside Vlieland we did get a good wind from the NW, 8-10 m/s. The wind carried us all the way but increased gradually so we first had to reef the genoa and at one point took the main down and for the rest of the trip only used the genoa. After crossing the German border we decided to carry on to Cuxhaven because the weather reports promised strong winds for the next three or four days and we didn’t was to get stuck in Norderney. The gradually picked up and the sea was rough and by morning the wind was up to 17 m/s. First half of the trip we only had sails but after that we also used the engine to help the autopilot and keeping the speed steady. The last hours outside Cuxhaven the boat was pitching and rolling heavily, especially in the delta where the sea waves, river stream and tidal streams collided. We first took a berth at the big marina but after a few hours sleep we moved it to the City Marina which is very small and very well protected. The North Sea was even worse now than it was last autumn on our way down. All in all the weather has been bad for at least two weeks now.

27.6. Cuxhaven-Rendsburg. Rainy and windy. First we motored up the Elbe to Brunsbyttel in heavy rain and because the dinghy was on the deck I had to steer from the outside. At the lock we took the dinghy aft so I could steer from inside. By the time we reached Brunsbyttel I was quite wet despite the waterproof clothing. Water has its ways to get inside. At Rendsburg we moored to a familiar pier run by an older couple with just a few moorings.

28.6. Rendsburg-Söby, Denmark. Again a rainy day. First we motored to Kiel and after getting out of the lock we saw hundreds of boats. There were many older big replica boat and hundreds of smaller sailing vessels attending in regattas. After getting out of the hassle we hoisted the genoa and with the strong southerly wind sailed to Söby in Denmark. It didn’t rain all day, just occasionally. The weather really sucks.

Cuxhaven

Ijmuiden-Amsterdam-Makkum

Due tobad weather we took the Noorzee kanal to Amsterdam and stayed there for two nights. Today we sailed with a strong wind across Markermeer and Ijselmeer to Makkum. Tomnorrow we go through Afsluitdijk at Kornwerderzand and head back to open sea. Weather permitting we sail to Norderney, otherwise we stop at Vlieland. More comprehensive account to come.

Boulogne-Dunkerque-Ijmuiden

18.6. Fecamp-Boulogne. 80 miles and we had a nice wind for two hours, otherwise the sea was dead calm for hours. Boulogne Grand Marina was almost full but there were a few places vacant. The office was closed but there was a Finnish boat and we got the keys to the showers from them. The marina is far from everything and we planned for a short overnight stay.

19.6. Boulogne-Dunkerque. We paid the harbor fees at the office and left. After an hour I noticed that somebody had stolen my fishing rod and reel during the previous night. I actually woke up at night because I heard some noise outside but I thought that somebody was arriving and taking a berth next to us. That was a really bad end to the visit to France. The day was gray and rainy again but as we reached Dunkerque the sky cleared up and we made a long walk around the town which has been rebuilt after the war and isn’t exactly nice.

20.6.-21.6. Dunkerque-Ijmuiden. According to the forecast there were two lows coming from the Atlantic so we decided to make longer trip, 117 miles to Ijmuigen. The wind was next to nothing during the whole trip and the visibility was 0,5 miles at the best. The poor visibility made the trip interesting because you only could see the oncoming ships only at the last minute. The AIS and radar were a good help, though. After midnight the visibility became even poorer and as we reached Ijmuiden it went down to 30 meters. Even the bright light at the end of the breakwater could be seen through the dense fog at 40 meters. In the marina we had to crawl very slowly and finally attached us to a vacant spot and went to sleep. The wind started to pick up in the morning and it had started raining as well. It rained heavily until the afternoon and the wind gathered speed and was mostly between 10-15 m/s. After visiting the office we waited for the rain to stop but finally we had to move the boat to the visitors’ pontoon even with the wind and rain. Later in the afternoon we took a bus to the grocery and had some nice chicken for dinner. I think this was the worst midnight sun eve weather I have ever seen.

Ijmuiden

We arrived at Ijmuiden at 3 am through dense fog. To be continued....

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=214136524521106342361.0004d7531a42578a9a0ba&msa=0

Fecamp

17.6. Fecamp. Yesterday we had to motor all the way from Cherbourg, at first there was no wind and when the wind started blowing it was against us. We did get a very nice current for 6 hours. The day was mostly cloudy with a little rain. Today seems very grey and rainy with strong easterly wind so we stay here until tomorrow.

Guernsey-Cherbourg

14.6. Guernsey-Cherbourg. We left with the rising tide after we managed to get over the sill and fuelled up with the cheap Guernsey diesel (79 p/liter). The current was strong in Small Russell and again at Alderney race but only up to 4,5 knots. During the day we used different combinations withs sails and the engine to keep up the speed to avoid the opposite current in the end. The current turned around about two hours before Cherbourg but we gained about 6 miles from the favorable current so the log showed 40 miles instead of the 46 actually covered. The harbor complex is massive with about 1600 boats. Because of the ongoing renovation the facilities are in barracks but the water in the showers was hot. The wifi was slow as usual but we managed to get the weather information which promised a very strong wind for the next day.

15.6. Cherbourg. The wind was strong, even at the harbor up to 15 m/s. We visited the local museum complex which consisted of a comprehensive aquatic building with big aquariums, a nuclear submarine, a big display with smaller submarines, a Titanic museum and a lot of other stuff. The place was big. This is the only port Titanic visited after leaving England. In the afternoon SAR boats towed in the harbor a sailing yacht which had lost her mast in the strong wind. Right by the harbor was a communal indoor pool with a small spa and we went there for a sauna! The sauna was good with even a bucket for löyly-water. The weather forecast looks a lot more promising so we can leave in the morning about two hours before the current turns east.

Guernsey

10.6. Before nightfall we had some doubts if there was enough water under the keel to overnight so we moved the boat a few hundred meters more away from the shore. The tide was about four meters and it was a close call if there was some swell coming from the Atlantic. Otherwise it wouldn’t have been a problem because the bottom was mud and sand and keel could has just dug itself into that. There was some stronger wind during the night and neither of us slept very well. The morning was rainy with a very small breeze. According to the tide tables we were supposed to leave at 11 am but after 8 am the wind picked up and we saw some French boats sailing north through de Raz so we followed suit against the current. The current was up to 4 knots but only for less than a mile. We set course to Ile Ouesssant to skip the Chenal the Four. Soon the current went down to nothing but before Ouessant the current turned and became stronger all the time reaching 7,2 knots on the strait to the east of Ouessant. The current slowly diminished but came with us for the next 20 plus miles before turning against for 5 hours, maximum speed 2 knots. After Ouessant we hoisted the genaker for 20 miles after which the wind died out and we had to start the engine. During the night the wind slowly got stronger from the southeast but as we were taking turns sleeping we only hoisted the genoa after 7 am mainly to keep us from rolling and to gain a little more speed to get us to Guernsey before they close the entrance over the sill. We arrived in Guernsey at about 10 am and were greeted by a guy from the marina office who came to meet us on a dinghy and showed us a place to attach the boat. The day was party rainy, the previous night it rained almost all the time. The day went in a haze because of the two previous nights with two little sleep. I also sprained my back lifting the anchor the day before.

12.6. Rain, rain rain. We took a local bus with a route around the island. Everything looks so neat. I wonder if there are any poor people on this island. Finally we found good chandlers so we managed to get new windshield wiper arms, the originals were probably originals because I had to cut them away with a Dremel cutter. I got new ones from the chandlery and from another one new reading lights for the front cabin. We also had the fire extinguisher serviced. We had a three course dinner in a very good Italian restaurant for 12 pounds apiece. The plan was to take the Alderney Race tomorrow but the forecast suddenly changed to worse and we have to wait. This is the first harbor where we have a boat on our side so we are between another boat and the pontoon. This is quite common here but as we have been sailing off the season we haven’t encountered this yet.

Anse du Loc'h

9.6. I woke up at six when the dredging started again. The temperature was only 12 degrees centigrade. Gradually it became warmer and now we have almost 20 We left at eight and had a nice breeze all day and sailed all the after we got rid of the shallows outside Loctudy. We anchored after 32 miles at Anse du Loc’h, 5 miles east of Audieme. No sun but no rain either. Here is a nice wide bay and a small village. We are stealing the Wifi signal from a nearby hotel to get access to the internet. Looks like we start tomorrow for Guernsey which will take us about 36 hours depending on the currents and the wind.

Loctudy

7.6. Concarneau. Yesterday was very warm and sunny and we did the usual tourist things like taking the city sightseeing train. Today was quite nice with a few showers but nothing like the day before.

8.6. The morning was rainy with thunderstorms. We waited until noon to get a nice tide to sail to Loctudy. A British couple told us that the marina was closed because of dredging. I called the marina and they said that visitors are welcome so off we went. We had a decent sailing wind for only 20 minutes but luckily the total distance was only 12 miles. The rain had almost stopped and we only got a couple little showers. At Loctudy we found out that the visiting pontoon was out of service due to dredging. A guy from the office came to the pontoon and promised us a place for one night by one of the other pontoons which are reserved for local boats with permanent places. As it turned out the dredging had been delayed for two months because the local fishermen objected it as the silt the dredgers dump in the sea causes them trouble. Well, anyway, we have a place for tonight and tomorrow we sail to Audierne and after that start one of the last longer stretches (?) toward Roscof or straight to Guernsey. Tomorrow night we anchor so no more updates for a few days.