Adventures of Sailing Yacht Mist
Leaving Dieppe just after lunch and had nice code sailing until the last 6 hours when we had to motor. We managed to enter Cherbourg harbour just before the tide turned against us and moored next to our friends on sy Embla.
Looks like we are gonna be here a while due to bad whether.
Sailed distance 110,6 nautical miles.
We left Boulogne sur Mer with the tide a quarter to six in the morning. No wind at all to start with but the last couple of hours we could sail and moored in Dieppe marina just after four in the afternoon.
We went for a walk and did som provisioning. Nice little town with a lot of small shops and restaurants.
The next morning we went for a walk along the beach.
Sailed distance 55,9 nautical miles.
The course was set for Dunkirk but we decided to carry on to Boulogne sur Mer.
Some sailing the first hour but motoring on a completely windless North sea the rest of the way. We arrived shortly after 11 pm. Nice to be in France.
We took a walk to the old town, really nice city.
Sailed distance 85,0 nautical miles.
Early morning start, we left Schevening at 0615 together with sy Star.
Code sailing in perfect conditions and soon Star was far behind. The wind did not last all the way to Zebrügge we had to motor the last couple of hours.
No problem finding a good spot to moore. We just went for short walk trying to find somewhere to eat but ended up eating on the boat.
Sailed distance 70,9 nautical miles.
The weather forecast promised westerly winds 15 to 20+ knots, perfect for continuing down the Dutch coast. We left Den Helder with the outgoing tide at twenty past seven in the morning.
Really great sailing, one reef in the main and just a handkerchief size jib to start with and a beam reach in 20 knots of wind. When sy Star caught up with us we rolled out some more jib and pulled away again.
The last couple of hours the wind turned more to the south and we were close hauled.
We arrived at Scheveningen just before 5 pm. The marina was quite full but we find a good spot next to another Swedish boat and Star moored next to us.
We had a nice meal at a restaurant next to the marina. The next morning we took the bicycles into Den Haag, a lot of shops and restaurants and some nice old buildings. We continued to the pier at Scheveningen and back to the boat again.
Sailed distance 59,9 nautical miles.
There was a nice weather window for continuing south. We left Helgoland at noon the 13th of September.
One reef in the main to start with but after a couple of hours the wind dropped and in the evening there was a lot of swell but almost no wind. The sails were flapping and took in all sails and started motoring. In the morning the wind picked up again and we could start sailing once more.
The last six miles into Den Helder we had to motor against a strong tide, it took almost 2 hours. We arrived just before seven pm and was shown a good spot by the harbour master.
After a walk to the supermarket it was time to hit the sack, we did not sleep much during the crossing from Helgoland so we were really tired. When we woke up the next morning our friends on sy Star had arrived from Cuxhaven. We had a nice evening meal together onboard Mist. The facilities in the harbour includes washing machines and tumblers so we managed to do all our laundry.
Sailed distance 164,8 nautical miles.
We arrived late at Cuxhaven and left early the next morning. The conditions for sailing to Helgoland was good.
We had a close reach all the way. Full main to start with but as the wind increased we reefed the main and ended up with a bottom reefed main and full jib. Good speed, we had the current with us most of the way.
The marina was packed with boats as we arrived at the weekend so that meant rafting, we were six boats at the same spot, Mist as number four.
Duty free shopping and lots of tourist, at least between one and five a´clock when the ferries arrive and depart.
Sunday morning boats began to leave and after moving Mist around a couple of times we found a spot of our own. We took a walk around the island and had a look at the gannets, you got really close to the birds.
Sailed distance 36,4 nautical miles.
Together with our neighbours on sy Josephine we planned to go to Cuxhaven together. The tide was right at 1800 and an our before that we motored out to the waiting point and half an hour later we were let into the lock.
Almost no wind so we motored together towards Cuxhaven.
The current got stronger and stronger and when we reached Cuxhaven we had at least 4 knots of current with us and it was really getting dark which made entering the marina a bit tricky but all went well and we stopped at the fuelling pontoon to fill up with diesel and water before finding a suitable spot to for the night.
Sailed distance 17,3 nautical miles.
When we got out of bed in the morning around six thirty there were some boats circling at the canal waiting point, when we had finished our breakfast they were still there so we quickly made the boat ready and motored to the waiting point and we made it just in time.
So no waiting for us just following the other boats into the lock.
There is almost no height difference between the Baltic sea and the canal so we were soon on our way again.
After almost exactly ten hours of motoring we reached Brunnsbüttel at the western end of the canal. Not much to see on the way, some nice old bridges, ferries and of course some shipping. We moored alongside another Swedish sailing boat, “Josephine” with a really nice family onboard.
It was only a short walk to the supermarket and we got some provisions.
We took a walk to look at the locks and the river Elbe, we even had a evening meal at a restaurant for a change.
Sailed distance 52,2 nautical miles.
We left Spodsbjerg at seven a´clock. Light winds right in the nose so no sailing.
When we got closer to Kiel the traffic intensified and there where several sailing ships, some naval ships and the usual shipping.
We moored in Holtenau just north of the Kiel canal locks. A walk to the supermarket and a short evening walk.
Sailed distance 44,3 nautical miles.