Denmark 3

Store Bridge from Korsor

The gale had ceased at Udbyhoj the next morning leaving a brisk wind and fast sailing conditions. We made 6 knots with just the genoa poled out and 7 knots later with a reefed mainsail and small genoa. It was cold, even with fleeces, full ocean waterproofs and woolly hats. It was 15^th June and felt like October. I wore winter outer gloves over my sailing gloves to keep my hands warm. We took the straightforward north channel to Langor Harbour on Samso and anchored for the night.

We had a good sailing wind from the west the next day. I added a gillet and a Damart balaclava to my sailing wardrobe and I was snug all the way to Korsor, which is just south of the amazing Store Bridge. A friendly welcome awaited us. We were given the phone number of the Harbourmaster at Christanhavns Kanal in Copenhagen. Once again the sailing was good in comfortable seas and a little warmer. The wind increased and the mainsail had to be reefed. By the time we reached the harbour at Stubbekobing, it was raining as well.

The cliffs at Klint

 It was still raining when we left next morning and we knew to expect W-NW winds of 16-20 knots. We were going north towards Copenhagen. We passed a rare sight in Denmark, impressive cliffs at Klint, which we were admiring when the first squall hit us. The mainsail was reefed and the genoa furled as the gusts reached 24 knots. We had uncomfortable seas for a while but made good speed. More squalls and gusts up to 30 knots welcomed us to the bridge across the sound to Malmo in Sweden. Here we took a channel to port and lost sight of the bridge in the next squall. This time the funnelling wind reached gale force at 36 knots. We were relieved to tie up in Dragor Harbour on the island of Amager, close to Copenhagen.

DUCK!

Jeremy phoned the Harbourmaster at Christianhavns Kanal and we were told he had a berth for us alongside a steamboat called Tripiaka. The name, Sal Darago, would be on the boat. It was an amazing experience motoring into the canal system of Copenhagen, after passing many industrial sites on the way. Aircraft coming in to land appeared to almost scrape the mast and ships had to be avoided as they turned into various docks. We passed the Little Mermaid and gasped in amazment at the Opera House, where people were on the roof and diving off into the canal. 

This place was a real dive

Our GPS stopped working just when we needed it most, but we found the right entrance to the canal at the third attempt. We were not expecting a bridge. Luckily for us, it was almost time for it to open and we passed through into a canal congested with boats moored on both sides and lots of river boats packed with tourists.

Spot Sal Darago at Wilders Plad

Jeremy spotted the steamboat down a sidearm of the canal called Wilders Plad. Another yacht was tied to it right next to the sign with our boat’s name on it. Three harbourmasters sorted out the problem and we tied to a motorcruiser for the night.

It was Friday night and everyone said we should go to Tivoli to the free Friday night rock concert. We walked there, paid almost 100kr(10GBP) each for entry, and found ourselves in a large park which seemed to be a mixture of fairground, theatre and places to eat. We ate at Viften, dashed off to see a ballet/pantomime called The Tailor Deceived, wandered round arcades and found a place at the back of a huge crowd to watch Jesse J perform. She put on a great show. We left the audience briefly to watch a fascinating laser and smoke light show over the lake in the park.

When we returned to Sal Darago after midnight, our thoughts were with Jeremy’s aunt, Dodo, and our daughter, Emily. We had received a text message earlier from Em, who was on holiday on Mull with her family, telling us that Dodo was in hospital having fallen in her bedroom during the night. She was comfortable, but exhausted.

The next day we received another text message. Dodo had died peacefully in her sleep during the night. Tears flowed as we phoned Em from the top of the hop on, hop off sightseeing  bus. We looked at the sights, we listened to the commentary but it all seemed unimportant and the rain on the bus windows appropriate for our mood.

Very Little Mermaid

 In the afternoon we walked around Christiana, which was once a military base and was now a self-governing area of central Copenhagen. It was originally occupied by squatters in the early 70’s and was now an experiment in alternative, ecological living. In the Green Zone the smell of pot smoking was heavy in the air. Beyond this, alternative houses bordered a huge lake and we enjoyed walking through the woods and back to Sal Darago in Wilders Plad.

One of Christiana's eco houses.

We had planned on visiting the Museum and a Round Tower on Sunday, but I was very sick all through the morning and into the afternoon. Jeremy had to move the boat for the third time; this time by himself. On Monday morning I had recovered sufficiently to help Jeremy reverse out of Wilders Plad and after waiting for the lift bridge, we set sail for Sweden.