To Marstal we go!

Out on the water early!, -ish… The start was rather fun, between beam and broad reach, pretty good speed with 1 reef in. After having left the windmill farm on one side and the sandbank on the other, I was able to shake the reef and continue due west.

While I was getting a small nap in the cockpit, I heard an engine running rather fast and getting closer. I got up and saw the coast guard approaching. I thought: “well it's not for me, what could they want to do with me.” But it was, they circled around and after a minute or two staying astern of me, one of the crew member showed up on their deck with a cardboard written “Go to channel 9” on it. I was monitoring the channel 16 (as one should do) and I don't know why they didn't simply ask me on channel 16. Anyhow, turns out they were here to escort me across some underwater civil engineering work being done in that area. I had to stay within a channel marked by yellow buoys (which I was on my way to do, regardless of their intervention). Once we were through, they wished me good day and left.

The wind gradually decreased from that point on, at some point I tried to set up my gennaker to see if I could move a bit faster, but that was not a great success… So after some struggle, it finally set but didn't offer that much, especially as the wind dropped again and veered and rendered my gennaker useless. So I took it down again and paced slowly toward either Marstal or Bagenkop.

Eventually I opted for Marstal and the wind revived a bit as I was approaching. I even crossed a small pod of dolphins who played with my bow wave for a short time before going away.

As I took my sails down and engaged in the narrow channel to approach the Marstal harbour under engine, the wind picked up from the north in quite a dramatic fashion. By then it was pitch dark and when I did approach the mooring boxes (with pillars) I was met with guess who? Germans! A few of them offered to help me get my mooring (well some helped, some who were partially inebriated cheered as I managed to cast my mooring line over the pillar).

Strange clouds in the background to start the day!

more of them

The sky cleared, and the coast guard led the way across the tunnelling work.

Big ferries going at all time of the day and night.

Clouds are back

This helicopter came from far on the horizon to check me out. Took too turns around Elvira and left without saying a word or anything, strange strange...

Wheeeeeee!

A cliffy shore (doesn't show well on the picture, but it was grand!)

Did you catch it?

Test match special is a good companion to summer sailing.