Cherbourg

Leaving Dieppe marina
Dieppe breakwater
Sailing into the sunset

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.

Three swedish boats
The marina at Cherbourg

Looks like we are gonna be here a while due to bad whether.

Sailed distance 110,6 nautical miles.

Dieppe

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.

No wind at all
Wing on wing in light winds
Entering Dieppe harbour
Dieppe harbour, low tide
Dieppe marina

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.

Blues Brothers
Pebble beach
The Castle

Church of Saint Jacques

Sailed distance 55,9 nautical miles.

Boulogne sur Mer

The course was set for Dunkirk but we decided to carry on to Boulogne sur Mer.

Leaving Zeebrügge

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.

City wall
Old town
The castle
The marina

We took a walk to the old town, really nice city.

Sailed distance 85,0 nautical miles.

Zeebrügge

Early morning start, we left Schevening at 0615 together with sy Star.

Early morning

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.

Entering Zeebrügge marina

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.

Scheveningen

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.

Leaving Den Helder

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.

Sy Star

The last couple of hours the wind turned more to the south and we were close hauled.

Scheveningen pier
Scheveningen brakewater

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.

The marina

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.

Downtown Den Haag
The pier

Sailed distance 59,9 nautical miles.

Den Helder

There was a nice weather window for continuing south. We left Helgoland at noon the 13th of September.

Leaving Helgoland
Adjusting the Hydrovane. Cold.
Grey skies

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.

Huisduinen lighthouse, Holland

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.

Entering Den Helder harbour
Den Helder marina

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.

Helgoland

We arrived late at Cuxhaven and left early the next morning. The conditions for sailing to Helgoland was good.

Leaving Cuxhaven

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.

Approaching Helgoland

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.

Mist is #4

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.

Cuxhaven

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.

Entering Elbe

Almost no wind so we motored together towards Cuxhaven.

Sy Josephine

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.

Brunnsbüttel

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.

The waiting point

So no waiting for us just following the other boats into the lock.

Entering the lock

There is almost no height difference between the Baltic sea and the canal so we were soon on our way again.

Leaving the lock
Passing freighter

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.

Brunnsbüttel marina

It was only a short walk to the supermarket and we got some provisions.

Elbe
Brunnsbüttel old harbour

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.

Kiel

We left Spodsbjerg at seven a´clock. Light winds right in the nose so no sailing.

Keldsnor lighthouse at the southern tip of Langeland

When we got closer to Kiel the traffic intensified and there where several sailing ships, some naval ships and the usual shipping.

Sailing ship at Kiel
Holtenau

We moored in Holtenau just north of the Kiel canal locks. A walk to the supermarket and a short evening walk.

Mist at Holtenau

Sailed distance 44,3 nautical miles.