Sailing around the world on the traditional gaff rigged schooner Windjammer

9 Sept
Was time to leave Copenhagen, so after managing to track down and bunker duty free Diesel we set off for Malmö in Sweden. On the way we stopped at the private island of Saltholmn with its impressive fort and WW2 gun placements. Cought up with Bruce and his parents who had sailed their yacht across to meet up with us. Spent two days in Malmo cycling around the city and the lovely University town of Lund where we had lunch and ended up watching new students being initiated into their university houses. We also had a look at the "Twisting Torso" a neo futuristic residential skyscraper designed by the famous Santiago Calatrava and as the name depicts, does indeed look like a twisted torso.

11September
Left early and sailed down to the island of Rugen to the town of Sassnitz in NE Germany. We tied up behind the German pilot schooner "Atalanta" which was crewed by a bunch of volunteer guys mostly over the age of 65. Murray and Ashley were invited on board for a look around and a sampling of their local "Wismar beer" directly from the keg.

The next morning we had a great sail across to Peenemünde to visit the museum and Luftwaffe test site of the V2 rockets. These rockets and missiles, were developed here between 1936 and 1945 by Wernher von Braun and hundreds of German scientists. Later in the 1960's he designed the Saturn V rocket for NASA that was used to fly to the moon. The role of the former rocket engineer in Peenemünde, however, was to develop weapons of war. What was also of interest was the soviet nuclear class submarine left behind after the fall of communism. Certainly an educational and interesting day. Herrings and good German beer for dinner.

13 September
Our cruise along the North coast of Germany was focused on the five 12/15th century Hanseatic cities of Griefswald, Stralsund, Wismar, Rostock and Lubeck. All very impressive walled cities with fabulous architecture, a lot of which was still under restoration from damage during the war and the fall of communism. We had a farewell dinner with Murray in Wismar and made our way to Lubeck where we spent two weeks. This was an amazing city and we really enjoyed chilling out and hanging out with all the traditional boats in the "Museum Harbour" and it was free of charge.
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26 Sept
We left Lubeck and made our way down the river again with a short stopover in Travemunde at the mouth of the Trave river to visit the old grain ship Passat. As far a museum ships go it was one of the most impressive displays we have seen. Travemunde is a big German holiday town with all the hotels and souvenir shops and beach chairs one would expect of a seaside resort.

Next stop Heiligenhafen where we dropped anchor just off the town with the intention of staying overnight, however the weather got up and we decided to head into the marina for a day or so. As we approached the town we saw lots of traditional boats tied up in the small harbour, some of which we had seen in Lubeck. We then noticed posters advertising the "Kohl Regatta" that coming weekend. Kohl is the German word for cabbage. The Cabbage Regatta, now that sounded interesting! Heiligenhafen was a lovely little town with very friendly people. We made enquires about the regatta and were immediately invited to participate. The history of the regatta is based around the early trading and export of cabbages which was the mainstay of the town. There was large tent on the dock with old guys doing sea shanties, beer and bratwurst stands, the whole gambit. Race day came and we set off on the race course with 3 young locals as crew. To qualify to finish you needed to have caught a cabbage that was thrown to you at the rounding mark. Cabbage in tow, we crossed the finish line. Tradition has it that you must dress the cabbage, mount it on a pole with a spike inserted (given to you on registration) and then take your mate to the party. There were some great cabbage heads attending, who wanted to interact with our own Cabbage "Queen Elizabeth". A fun night with copious amounts of beer was had by all and the next morning with good weather we headed for the Kiel Canal.


With a stiff 25knt breeze we made good time and tied up late in the evening ready for an early morning transit. We exited the canal early afternoon and made our way to the port of Cuxhaven for the night. As the tide was with us so we decided to continue on to Heligoland, a small German archipelago in the North Sea that enjoys tax free status, so it was worth the extra miles to top up with duty free diesel and Akvavit. The fuel dock was subject to tide and we had a 90 minute window to get in and out. We arrived a little late and due to the lay of the land decided to drop anchored and tie stern to the dock as there was quite a swell running. A stern German voice came across a loud speaker informing us that we were forbidden to take fuel in this manner. The tide was dropping and we were desperate to get fuel on board as soon as possible. So we eased Windjammer alongside, used two pumps to fill the tanks, payed the bill and got out by the skin of our teeth. The weather was turning the next day and we would not have had another chance. Phew, got away with that one!

Spent the next couple of days tied up in the main harbour until the weather improved and then made our way south to the fishing port of Borkum. It was a late arrival for our an overnight stay.

Next morning we left at first light for the Dutch Frisian island of Vlieland. These islands are renowned for their shifting sands and inaccurate charts and we were to have our own 'Riddle of the Sands' moment. "What's that breaking water up ahead?".... We had an intimate moment with an uncharted sandbank but with Windjammers strength and determination were strong enough to part ways.

We were keen to get to the Netherlands and find a place we could spend the winter. Amsterdam seamed to be a good option as we wanted to do a bit of travelling in Europe over the winter. We made our way down down the Wadden sea to the Island of Vlieland then through the Ijslmeer spending a week visiting the lovely port towns of Harlingen and Enkhuizen with their large "Brown Fleets". From there a short sail to Muiden at the entrance to the river Ij. In the end we found a berth at Sixhaven Marina, directly opposite Central station. Great location, good security only 15 minute train ride to Schipol. After a few days settling into the marina we headed off for our first road trip to meet up with Ashley's brother Mark and partner, Stephen in Cinque Terre and Tuscany - Pasta, wine, pecorino and beautiful autumn country side.

31August
We had earlier considered wintering in Norway but it was proving just too expensive, not so much the marinas but supermarkets and restaurants not to mention alcohol! Instead we decided to head further south to Northern Europe. Our first port of call in Denmark was Skagen across the Skagerrak (the body of water that separates Norway from Denmark. This is a huge port with lots of ships anchored out in the roads waiting to load and unload. We arrived late in the evening so took a long walk into town looking for a restaurant but only found a little pub. Not much going on, however on the way back we found a bunch of restaurants around the marina all in the process of closing up, we did manage to get a nice glass of Australian red on the last call.

1Sept
We had heard about the town of Saeby from the Norweginas we had met in Gyerhaven Inlet so this was to be our next stop. After another good sail 25 miles down the coast we arrived in what was a very pretty town. It had colourful Danish cottages with cobble streets and a river running through the centre of town driving an old sawmill.

2nd Sept
And yet another 6.00am start as our next destination was the island of Anholt which is located about half way between the Northern tip of Denmark and Copenhagen (approx. 50 mile run).
Sailed most of the way with a SW breeze, but as the wind clocked further south, we had to harden up and motor sail the last 10 miles. Just outside the harbour as we dropped sail, the engine cut out. Air in the fuel (again) a problem we had encountered a number of times due to low level of fuel when one tank and been shut off and not equalised after heeling. Not a problem however, dropped the anchor and Ashley quickly bled the fuel line and restarted the engine. The ferry had just arrived so we had lots of onlookers. The fisheries patrol guys and SAR team were also on board. They were concerned as rocks lay just behind us, apparently they had seen so many boats end up on the rocks there. They quickly launched their patrol boat to assist us. After we had weighed the anchor and started to head into the harbour we encountered a secondary problem. The engine overheated! caused by the raw water pump impeller blowing out. This was totally unrelated to the fuel issue, but as they say, things tend to go in multiples. Fortunately the SAR and fisheries guys were standing by and towed us into the harbour. It was a good training exercise for them and good entertainment for the town. We found a small hut across the road made from recycled packing cases and rustic wooden furniture selling coffee. The barista was an equally interesting woman from Copenhagen with a huge rasta hairdo. The hut was only open for the holiday season which is about 6 weeks per year and this was there last day. Of course, having provided so much entertainment they wouldn't let us pay for the coffee.

3 Sept
After replacing the impeller we spent the rest of the day cycling around the sand island. The weather was somewhat cool, however you could see the attraction of the island as a holiday destination for the city dwellers from Copenhagen. The population drops back to under 200 out of season. We had a huge buffet barbecue at the local pub before heading back for a well earned rest.
The next day we left Anholt at 5.00am and headed down the Kattagat on the west side of Jutland. No wind so motored all the way. We arrived at the harbour town of Helsingor mid afternoon and tied up in the "Kultur" Harbour next to the Kronenburg Castle, the setting for Shakespeare's "Hamlet". The Kultur Centre which is a relatively new facility, houses a new library, concert hall and Maritime Museum. The library was extremely modern in its furniture, art works and use of space. Helsingor has a quaint town centre with cobblestones streets and traditional Danish buildings. We dropped the foresail off for repair at the oneSail loft, this time an accredited sailmaker. We spent a couple of hours removing the patches ourselves that our "shoemaker" from the Faroes had sewn on, some 6 weeks earlier.

6 Sept
The next day the sail was returned perfectly repaired. After bending on the sail we set off for Copenhagen arriving late afternoon where we were lucky to get a berth in Nyhaven. This is traditional boat hangout and middle of tourist central in Copenhagen. We were right at the exit of the new pedestrian and cycle bridge and the traffic, mostly bicycles were whizzing by. We did the tourist bit and went for "moule et frites" at one of the many waterfront restaurants. Not a good choice, the culinary experience was some what wanting, but the "people watching" was fabulous. We then ventured off to one of the traditional sailors bars below street level and met some very interesting characters over a few local schnapps.

7 /8 Sept
Spent the next couple of days exploring the sights of Copenhagen. It is a fabulous city and we took in most of them including the Royal Palace, changing of the guard, Parliament buildings and of course the Little Mermaid. We also visited "Christiana", the neighbourhood hippy commune. The buildings were originally a military base but when vacated by the military in the 60's, squatters and hippies moved in and created a commune. The government were never able to remove them and today they have negotiated a lease on the buildings. There is an entire community that operates within this compound, albeit with a little help from a few banned substances to keep the calm. A very colourful community.
In the afternoon we caught up with "Bruce" aka Matthias and his lovely girlfriend who had crewed with us from New Zealand to Hawaii.

23 August
It was a sad moment for us to say goodbye to Nick and Michelle as we left the dock in Hagesund southbound for Stavanger. Michelle no doubt was delighted to have her husband back after almost 3 months at sea. We arrived in Stavanger late in the afternoon and tied up alongside the floating dock in the centre of the old town. Stavanger has a lively cafe and restaurant culture and there were lots of tourists and locals alike out enjoying the last of the summer weather.
The following day Murray and I decided to do the famous hike up to Pulpit rock. This is a very popular tourist hike to a rock landing overlooking Lysenfjord. After a ferry then bus ride which took approximately 1 1/2 hours we finally arrived at the base of the trail. Popular was an understatement, there were streams of people coming and going. The hike took us around 2 hrs each way and was indeed spectacular and well worth the effort and Murray managed to get some great photos.
Ashley had spent the day catching up on boat tasks and visited the 'Oil Museum' giving a fabulous account of Norway's association with oil extraction in the North Sea oil. A very impressive museum by all accounts.
The following day we explored some of the backstreets of Stavanger by bicycle while Murray paid a visit to the local canning museum.

26 August
Plan was to keep heading south and our next destination, Gyarhaven, was one that had been recommended in our Norwegian Cruising guide. This was a gorgeous but tiny inlet and when we arrived (being Friday evening), there were lots of small boats all tied up with their bows to a small jetty. We dropped anchor next to the rock face and ran a stern line to a steel post embedded in the rock.
There was a small hut ashore where some of the boaters had gathered for evening drinks around a cosy log fire. We were soon settled in amongst them. As it turned out this was a favourite weekend destination for Stavanger locals. The dock and hut had been built by them with funds for material provided by the local council.
We had a good chat, in broken English, and were told that Windjammer was the first Australian and certainly the largest boat ever to anchor in their little inlet.
After a bit of a lazy morning we headed for Kirkehamn (Church Harbour). This was anther place that had been recommended, this time by Murray's friend Cathy from "S/Y Pura Vida". On the way we stopped at Eggersund for a quick look but it turned out to be fairly industrial and a bit smelly so we continued on. We had a very pleasant sail down narrow channels between a group of small islands off the west coast of Hidra. Finally down Flekkerf fjord and into the beautiful harbour of Kirkenham with its prominent church at the entrance. In the afternoon we hiked up the mountain to the ruins of a German WW2 "Hagasen" coastal fort battery with gun placements, accommodation and hospital facilities. Most interesting were the huge bunkers built into the rock faces. This was an important lookout point and has a history dating back to the Napoleon wars in the 19th century.
We tried booking into the renowned Kongshamn restaurant but it was booked out for a private function so continued on to Farsund where they were holding the North Atlantic Festival.

Arrived early evening and managed to tie up to the main dock, thanks to the locals making space for us. As we were getting ourselves ready to head out to dinner a couple of music students took interest in Windjammer, stopping to have a chat. Within the next 10 minutes there were a dozen of them, all with different instruments. This followed with an impromptu private show for us on the dock, singing Whisky O' Johnny and other sea shanties. What a treat! It took us ages to find the music venue only to find they were not serving dinner and by the time we found something to eat in town (not an easy task), it was too late to go back. Turned out we had missed most of the music that day, and indeed the festival.

28 August
Very wet and windy so we stayed put in Farsund for the day. Met a fellow yachtie, Jaap a Dutch guy who gave us a lot of good information on where to spend the winter in Holland. Being a Sunday, nothing in town was open so ended up at Burger King in the shopping centre doing internet stuff.

Left early in the morning for Kristiansand with a good wind and sailed all the way arriving late in the afternoon. Kristiansand is one of the largest domestic destinations for families in Norway. Nice beaches and lots of tourist activities surrounding the area. The town is also renowned for its ceramic works. There are lots of very interesting sculptures located around the town and quite an impressive convention centre. Finished the day with a curry buffet at the "Queen of Curry India" cafe.

13 - 14th August
The North Sea was very kind to us on this passage of 180nm. A gentle westerly at 10-15kts and a calm sea in the lee of the Shetlands made for a very comfortable sail as we passed a pod of Killer whales on departure from Unst. The wind died on Sunday morning around 0900hrs and we motored the rest of the to Bergen. First impressions of bare granite headlands soon gave way to wooded hillsides and lovely tidy homes and their waterside boatsheds. Three cruise ships and lots of shipping passed us as we entered the sound with many large oil rigs moored along the way.

The North Sea oil fields are close to Bergen and we sailed past some of them on the way across from the Shetlands. We tied up right in the heart of Bergen beside the bustling fish market at 1900hrs. There was a lot of activity on the waterfront which is the core of the tourist area.

15th August - Bergen is a very busy port with ferries coming and going and they have over 300 cruise ships docking in the harbour each year with over half a million passengers. Opposite our berth was the World Heritage listed Bryggen precinct which has been a centre of trade for centuries, especially with the Hanseatic League in the 1800s. The building facades are all askew as, apart from their age, a munitions ship exploded in 1944 giving them a nudge sideways. The wooden buildings and narrow passages are now propped up with stays, but still open to trading.

Overlooking the city is Mount Floyen and a lovely wooded 3km track leads to a lookout on the summit. Good to stretch the legs and soak up the sunshine while enjoying the forest and the views. Visited the Bergen Maritime Museum with its history from the Vikings through to the present day. A very good display. Enjoyed lunch of Halibut in the bustling fish market. The young people serving here seem to have a grasp of numerous languages and there is plenty of banter for all nationalities. There were lots of students around the city as it was orientation week for the university. It is a lovely city with a pedestrian mall up the middle and a lake and well-kept gardens. Lots of people were about, but there was no feeling of rush or crush. The port activity is amazing with cruise ships, ferries, oil rig tenders, coast guard vessels and freighters coming and going constantly.

16th August - A clear sunny day with a leisurely start in Bergen. A light breeze gave us a lovely 2 - 3kt sail across Bjornafjorden, down through the narrow gap between the mainland and Tysnes Island to our evenings anchorage near Vikane.

17th August - Low cloud obscured the hill tops on this windless morning. Ashley inflated the collapsable kayaks and we all had a paddle around the islands. We then motored across to Rosendal and tied up at the marina. After lunch we walked up to the Baroniet Rosendal Castle. The manor house has beautiful grounds with huge old trees and a classic 300 year old renaissance rose garden.

18th August - Another misty morning. Went for a walk up the hill behind Rosendal to the Sjethaug viewpoint. The mist lifted in the late morning and with the wind behind us and bright sunshine we sailed up Hardangerfjorden to Norheimsund with a light following breeze. Today was warm enough for the boys to bring out the shorts and expose some very white legs. As we entered the sheltered harbour and dropped anchor in front of the elegant, whitewashed Sandven Hotel there was a girl waving and dancing on the waterfront. It turned out to be Nick's wife Michelle, so a welcome aboard toast and a catch up sitting in the sun at the deck settee.

19th August - This morning we walked up to the very popular Steinsdalfossen waterfall and followed the track behind it for views down the valley. Norheimsund is home to the Hardanger Maritime Museum where wooden boats are not only displayed and restored, but also built. There are displays in rope making and splicing too.
We continued up the Hardangerfjorden in the afternoon passing numerous small orchards along the water's edge mostly growing apples. At Utne we walked around the many small buildings of the outdoor folk museum and enjoyed the modern and unusual artworks displayed amongst them.
Until recently apple cider was only made by local orchardists for their own consumption, from July this year it has become legal to sell it. The bottles we tried were fruity without being too sweet with just a very slight spritzig and a good kick.

20th August - Ashley and Cathie cast us off for an early start up the Ulvikfjorden to the picturesque town of Ulvik. The sleepy little town was a pit stop for the Voss to Gielo bike race and we watched some of the 800 riders pass through. Returning down Hardangerfjorden we anchored for the night at Herand. The town is a base for all year round glacier skiing about 40 minutes drive away. The stream running through the town is harnessed to drive a grinding mill and also a sawmill which is still active and provides timber for restoration work. The Herand Boat Builders museum is in a boat shed by the water's edge with a partially completed hull demonstrating the craftsmanship involved in building timber boats. There was also a fine display of all the tools associated with boat building. For dinner we had excellent pizzas in the Meieriet Restaurant served by a delightful Swedish waitress.

21st August - Continued down Hardangerfjorden to the narrow Maurangsfjorden passing Furebergfossen waterfall and stopping at Sundal. We tied up alongside a small pontoon at the Sundal Campground and Cathie said it was the first time they had paid camping fees for Windjammer. The small village is the starting point for walks up to the Folgefonna National Park and the Folgefonna glacier. We followed the fast flowing glacial stream up to Lake Bondhasvetnet and walked around the shore. Wild raspberries growing along the way were ripe and delicious. The tail of the glacier is rapidly retreating, but still clearly seen from the lake. The steep pine covered slopes and reflections in the lake make a great scene.

22nd August - A cloudy calm day as we motored down to Husnes in search of a refill for the gas bottles. It's like the Holy Grail with different fittings for gas bottles in every country. No luck...Motored on to Haugesund through rain squalls and arrived at 16.30hrs. We had a wonderful Indian meal at the "Indian Gate" restaurant.

23rd August - Nick and Michelle leaving the Windjammer and her crew this morning.

It has been a pleasure and a privilege to share another leg on Windjammer's world voyage. We have had a happy and harmonious crew and we have all enjoyed discovering this North Atlantic region. Thanks a million to Ashley and Cathie.