MV Dirona travel digest for Denmark and Germany 2018


Show Denmark and Germany 2018 travel log map Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise.

On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at //mvdirona.com/maps/LocationCurrent.html.


   

10/5/2018: Leaving Norway
Departing Stavanger, and Norway, en route to Denmark. We had an incredible five months in country and wish we could have stayed for a year or more.
10/5/2018: Rowan Stavanger
The jack-up rig Rowan Stavanger moored off Stavanger.
10/5/2018: Stril Luna
The multi-purpose offshore supply vessel Stril Luna moored with the platform supply vessel Viking Queen north of Stavanger.
10/5/2018: Far Sygna
Far Sygna underway north of Stavanger. Norway sure has a lot of impressive-looking offshore supply vessels.
10/5/2018: Feistein Fyr Lighthouse
The 85ft (26m) Feistein Fyr lighthouse was established in 1859 and automated in 1990.
10/5/2018: Conditions
With westerly winds and seas, we were pitching up to 10° as we turned southwest. Now that we're heading more southeasterly, the seas are on the beam and the aft starboard quarter. Pitching and since reduced and we're now rolling up to 13°, but that is much more manageable and comfortable. Conditions are forecast to settle down as we get farther from the Norwegian coast. We continue to appreciate our ABT stabilizers.
10/5/2018: With Harvest
The 229ft (70m) cargo vessel With Harvest bucking into the seas. I guess it is rough out here.
10/6/2018: Conditions
As expected, conditions have settled down considerably and we're now pitching only 3.4° and rolling 6.7°, much nicer. This should last all the way to Denmark.
10/6/2018: Norway Courtesy Flag
Lowering our Norwegian courtesy flag. That's been up a while.
10/6/2018: Denmark Courtesy Flag
And raising our Danish courtesy flag. We're almost across the North Sea.
10/6/2018: Calm
Wonderfully calm conditions as we approach Denmark, not far from the site of the the World War I Battle of Jutland.
10/6/2018: Spitfire
Spitfire rarely treats ocean-crossing with the respect they deserve.
10/6/2018: Thyboron Kanal
Entering the Thyboron Kanal. The channel feels wide and easy to run, but even in these calm conditions the waves are picking up through the shallow bar entry. This feels like a place to avoid in heavy weather.
10/6/2018: Thyboron
Our first view to Thyboron, where we'll make landfall in Denmark.
10/6/2018: Port of Thyboron
Entering the large Port of Thyboron, full of commercial boats.
10/6/2018: Moored
Dirona moored at the Thyboron yacht harbour, Denmark. The marina is closed for the winter, so there's no power or water, but there's also no charge for moorage. As with entering Norway, we don't have to complete any clearance formalities. We're already cleared into the border-free Schengen area, so don't require immigration clearance. Spitfire's Pet Passport is sufficient for him to enter. And if we don't have anything to declare, we don't need to clear through with customs either.

Also, the EU "Roam Like at Home" rule means our existing cellular data plan works in Denmark the same as in Norway. We had cellular coverage as soon as we were in range of the Danish coast and don't need to immediately purchase a local SIM card.
10/6/2018: Sand
Jennifer standing in front of a high breakwater with piles of sand inside. The waves must really crack over these massive structures in storms.
10/6/2018: Fishing Vessels
A few of the many large fishing vessels moored at the Port of Thyboron.
10/6/2018: Train
Train coming into Thyboron.
10/6/2018: Havanna Pizza
Picking up a delicious take-out pizza from Havanna Pizza in Thyboron. While waiting, we had a great discussion with the proprietor, ranging from citizenship and travel to the world-wide price of pizza.
10/7/2018: Dawn
Our first Danish sunrise on Dirona, looking east from our moorage at Thyboron yacht harbour.
10/7/2018: Fiskehallen
The Thyboron Fiskehallen ("fish hall") aglow in the morning sun.
10/7/2018: Fixed Dock
We're tied off to a fixed dock with about two feet of tidal range, so don't need a lot of slack on our lines. But we did allow more slack than the boat in front of us.
10/7/2018: Step
One of the items we brought back from our last trip to Seattle was a folding step-stool. It's lightweight, folds flat, stows easily in the cockpit locker under the BBQ, and makes getting on and off the boat at fixed piers much easier.
10/7/2018: Fiskehallen
We had a fresh seafood lunch at Fiskehallen overlooking the harbour.
10/7/2018: Electra
A Buick Electra 225 convertible was out cruising on this sunny Sunday afternoon. This is from an era when American cars were BIIIIG.
10/7/2018: Transformer Station
Historic transformer station built in 1919 during the construction of Thyboron Harbour.
10/7/2018: Thyboron Kanal
Jennifer looking out to sea across Thyboron Kanal. We passed through here yesterday.
10/7/2018: Radar Station
Old World War II radar station off Thyboron Kanal.
10/7/2018: Sea War Museum
Back in July of this year, blog reader Lars-Henrik K. Arvedsen suggested we enter Denmark at Thyboron and go to the Sea War Museum there, then cruise east through the Limfjord. That eventually became our plan, and we've been looking forward to our visit ever since.
10/7/2018: Battle of Jutland
Display showing the ships that took part in the 1916 World War I Battle of Jutland. Ninety-nine ships of the German High Seas fleet (right) faced 151 ships of the British Grand Fleet roughly 55nm west of Thyboron, in the first and only meeting of the two fleets and the largest naval battle in history. While in Belfast last year, we'd toured the only surviving ship from that battle, the HMS Caroline.
10/7/2018: Sunk Ships
The Battle of Jutland had no clear winner, but 25 ships and 9,000 lives were lost. This display shows the names and relative location of each ship that sank.
10/7/2018: Conning Tower
Brass connning tower from British World War I submarine E-50, lost in Feburary of 1918, one of many restored artifacts in the museum's collection. The tower was made of brass to not interfere with the ship's compass.
10/7/2018: Restoration
The Sea War Museum was well-worth visiting, with excellent displays and information about the Battle of Jutland and related events. We were particularly impressed with the many meticulously-restored salvaged artifacts.
10/7/2018: Separated at Birth?
This photograph of a person restoring an artifact at the museum looked surprisingly like James.
10/7/2018: Memorial
Outside the Sea War Museum is the Battle of Jutland Memorial Park. The memorial includes a stone for each ship sunk, placed relative to their positions on the seabed, and will eventually have a figure standing with the stone for each life lost. This stone represents the HMS Invincible with a loss of 1,026 lives.
10/7/2018: Torpedoes
A display of torpedoes and casings outside the Sea War Museum.
10/7/2018: Barriers
Erosion barriers on the coast, looking northwest across the Thyboron Kanal entrance from sea.
10/7/2018: Port of Thyboron
Looking across the Port of Thyboron from the heavily-protected sea wall.
10/7/2018: Seaside Cafe
We had a enjoyable dinner overlooking the harbour at the cosy Seaside Cafe.
10/8/2018: The Limfjord
Our cruising map of the Limfjord, taken from Brian Navin's excellent Cruising Guide to Germany and Denmark. We've annotated it with the locations of bridge we need to pass under, anchorage recommendations from the guide and other information passed on by locals.

With a maximum depth of 4m in the main channel, the Limfjord is too shallow for large commercial craft and is a peaceful cruising ground that provides a sheltered passage across the Jutland peninsula. It was only open to the east until the mid-1800s when the North Sea broke through on the western shore. We'll spend a few days cruising the area before continuing south along the Danish east coast to the Kiel Canal.
10/8/2018: Pilot
Pilot boat at Thyboron as we depart.
10/8/2018: Brujfell
We saw the mast and house of the cargo ship Brujfell entering from sea shortly before we left Thyboron, and we passed it just south of the port entry.
10/8/2018: Wind Turbines
Wind turbines standing in the shallows just north of the main channel.
10/8/2018: Avance
The dredger Avance at work with waves breaking over the bow. The winds are blowing from the southwest steady in the high 20 kts with gusts above 30 and, despite the sheltered waters and short fetch, reasonable sized waves are forming.
10/8/2018: Oddesund Bridge
Passing under the Oddesund Bridge. Blog reader Erik Andersen sent us routing information and details for the major bridges we'd pass en route from Thyboron and south through Denmark. The bridge data, difficult to find when you don't speak Danish, was particularly helpful in providing opening times, communication signals, diagrams and aerial photographs. Thanks Erik!

If you look closely at the top of the bridge control tower (click image for a larger view), you can see the time 10:45 and three red lights vertically below. The operator posted 10:45 to indicate a train would be passing through just before we arrived and he wouldn't be able to open for us until then (about a 15-minute wait). The three solid red lights indicate that we're now permitted to pass through the bridge.
10/9/2018: Wind Turbines
Wind turbines visible over the southern shore of Harre Vig. After a busy few days in Stavnager, followed by the North Sea crossing to Denmark and a visit to Thyboron, we enjoyed a couple of relaxing nights in this secluded and peaceful anchorage while a weather system passed through.
10/10/2018: Sunrise
Sunrise as we depart the anchorage at Harre Vig.
10/10/2018: Salling Sound Bridge
Passing under the Salling Sound fixed bridge with a clearance of 85ft (26m). Navigation in each direction is through separate channels on either side of a central bridge footing.
10/10/2018: Glyngore
The town of Glyngore extending to the tip of Glyngore Point.
10/10/2018: Fishboats
Fishboats in the harbour at Glyngore.
10/10/2018: Low Freeboard
This small cargo vessel has an incredibly low freeboard. Conditions mustn't ever get very rough here, or working in this boat pays well. :)
10/10/2018: Pulling Nets
Fisherman pulling a net off Fur Island. A pretty thick fog has settled in, but hopefully it will clear this afternoon.
10/10/2018: Spit
Rounding the spit at the southern end, with Fur Island disappearing into the fog, as we come into the anchorage there.
10/10/2018: Fur Havn
Looking east across Fur Havn on Fur Island with the ferry to the mainland in the background.
10/10/2018: Aquaculture
One of many aquaculture leases in the Limfjord.
10/10/2018: Cliffs
Diatomite (fine-grained sedimentary rock) cliffs on the north side of Fur Island. The diatomite deposits on the island are famous for being full of 50-million-year-old fossils.
10/10/2018: Fur Kirke
Fur Kirke on Fur Island, was built in 1126.
10/10/2018: Tall Ship
This tall ship arrived at Fur Havn as we were circling the island.
10/10/2018: Mjolner-Fur
The ferry Mjolner-Fur en route between Fur Island and the mainland.
10/10/2018: Dirona
Dirona at anchor off Fur Island with the ferry Mjolner-Fur in the distance.
10/10/2018: Glyngore Point
Looking north across Glyngore Point, that we passed earlier this morning, on a beautiful calm sunny afternoon.
10/10/2018: Crane
We watched the crane operator gingerly lower this car onto the road. Both crane and car are branded the same—it appears the driver brings both to the job and then uses the car to move around locally. It's the equivalent of a tender to the truck.
10/10/2018: Tender Moored
Our tender moored at Glyngore Harbour for a walk around.
10/10/2018: Glyngore Harbour
Glyngore Harbour is full of sailboats, most without masts. Perhaps this is for travelling through the inland waterways, or their masts have been stepped for the winter.

Update 10/13/2014: Blog reader Lars-Henrik K. Arvedsen reported that the boats must be out of the water by November 11th for insurance reasons.
10/10/2018: Fisher
Carving at Glyngore of a fisher bringing back a catch.
10/10/2018: Statue
Statue of a woman looking out onto the Limfjord from the Glyngore seashore.
10/10/2018: Museumsvej
Looking north along Museumsvej in Glyngore.
10/10/2018: Nykobing Harbour
The commercial harbour at Nykobing, opposite Glyngore across the Limfjord.
10/10/2018: Plaza
Brightly-painted 19th-century buildings overlooking a plaza in downtown Nykobing.
10/10/2018: AED
We were surprised to see an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) mounted outside on the street. Good idea.

Update 10/13/2014: Blog reader Lars-Henrik K. Arvedsen added that emergency services have locations of these AEDs and can direct a caller to one to use before help arrives.
10/10/2018: Guitars
Lots of guitars and ukuleles for sale at this store in Nykobing.
10/10/2018: Nykobing Mors Kirke Mors Kirke
Nykobing Mors Kirke Mors Kirke, built in 1891.
10/10/2018: Horse
Statue of a horse drinking water in front of Nykobing Mors Kirke Mors Kirke
10/10/2018: Pedestrian Mall
Looking back on the pedestrian shopping mall we'd just walked through. We'd arrived into Nykobing around 5pm, just as the shops were closing for the night.
10/10/2018: Limfjorden Restaurant
We enjoyed steak and red wine at the Limfjorden Restaurant in Nykobing.
10/11/2018: Logster Harbour
Passing Logster Harbour around 8am.
10/11/2018: Hotel du Nord
Hotel du Nord overlooking the waterway in Logster.
10/11/2018: Sunrise
A spectacular sunrise through the wind turbines.
10/11/2018: Aggersund Bridge
The Aggersund railway and car bridge opening for us to pass through. Most of the bridges on the Limfjord open on request, but only during daylight hours for pleasure craft.
10/11/2018: Echo
The survey boat Echo passing under the Aggersund Bridge behind us.
10/11/2018: Fruens Holm
Abandoned farmhouse on uninhabited Fruens Holm. The family lived in the upper floor because during strong winds the island could disappear under a meter of water.
10/11/2018: Wind Turbine Blades
Massive wind turbine blades stockpiled outside of Siemens Wind Power near Aalborg.
10/11/2018: Marina Fjordparken
Moored for the night at Marina Fjordparken on the outskirts of Aalborg.
10/11/2018: Paying
Paying for our moorage at the self-service machine in the Aalborg Sailing Club.
10/11/2018: Vestre Fjordpark
We walked to Aalborg along the waterfront past Vestre Fjordpark, a 165,000 m2 recreation area along the Limfjord with a 50m outdoor pool.
10/11/2018: Trampoline
Bouncing on one of the mini-trampolines at Vestre Fjordpark .
10/11/2018: Bicycles
Aalborg is full of bicycles. This scene repeated all over town.
10/11/2018: Jomfru Ane Gade
Jomfru Ane Gade is famous in Denmark for its continuous row of bars and restaurants and lively atmosphere, particularly on warm summer evenings.
10/11/2018: Sogaards Bryghus
Lunch with fine local brews at Aalborg's brew pub, Sogaards Bryghus.
10/11/2018: Budolfi Domkirke
The richly detailed pulpit and organ of 12th-century Budolfi Domkirke.
10/11/2018: Graves
Nordjyllands Historiske Museum archaeologists excavating two graves outside Budolfi Domkirke. It appeared some construction work was being done in the area and the graves were found by accident. It's wierd to see human remains inches below the surface right downtown.
10/11/2018: Old Town Hall
Aalborg's old town hall building dates to 1762.
10/11/2018: Jens Bangs Stenhus
Jens Bangs house, built in the early 1600s for a wealthy merchant.
10/11/2018: Hjelmerstald
The cobbled street Hjelmerstald dates to the Renaissance period.
10/11/2018: Residents
This sign on a door on Hjelmerstald lists all the owners/residents since 1787.
10/11/2018: Langes Gard
Whimsical sculptures and ceramics in the Langes Gard courtyard off Hjelmerstald.
10/11/2018: John F. Kennedy Square
Looking north across John F. Kennedy Square, dedicated to the 35th American president. We couldn't find any relationship between JFK and Aalborg/Denmark.
10/11/2018: Christian IX
Statue in John F. Kennedy Square of Christian IX, King of Denmark from 1863 to 1906.
10/11/2018: Park of Music
More than 80 artists have planted a tree the Park of Music to commemorate their visit to Aalborg, including Sting, ZZ Top, Rod Stewart and Bryan Adams. Adjacent to some of the trees are small music boxes that play the artist's music. Jennifer is playing a tune by Elton John.
10/11/2018: Ansgars Kirken
The carefully-tended Ansgars Kirken graveyard was among the most beautiful gardens we've ever seen.
10/11/2018: Aalborg Tower
Aalborg Tower, at 344ft (105m) above sea level, is the tallest structure in the area. We were hoping to take in the sweeping views from the top, especially on such a clear day. But nobody was there during their published opening hours, so we didn't get to the top.
10/11/2018: Hill
Although the Aalborg Tower was closed, we still got a decent view to the city from the hill the tower stands on.
10/11/2018: Penny Lane
Having a cold drink at Penny Lane. The proprietors must be Beatles fans—their other establishment is called Abbey Road.
10/11/2018: Musikkens Hus
Aalborg's wild-looking concert hall opened in 2014.
10/11/2018: Waterfront
Looking west along Aalborg's beautifully revitalized waterfront. A saltwater pool is in the foreground and behind is an old icebreaker that's been converted to a bar/restaurant.
10/11/2018: CW Obels Plads
Looking across CW Obels Plads. The microbrewery where we had lunch is in the brick building roughly center in the photo.
10/11/2018: Aalborg Monastery
The Aalborg Monastery was established in 1431 and is the country's oldest social order.
10/11/2018: Irish House
Enjoying a pint at the very authentic Irish House. They had every Irish beer we could think of on tap. Jennifer has a Murphy's and James tried, for the first time, the Guinness IPA.
10/11/2018: Dinner
We capped of an great day in Aalborg with a wonderful meal at El Mariachi Mexican gastropub. We're not sure if it's the quality of the food, the excellence abmience, the attention to detail of the proprieter, but somehow the combination made it one of the best meals we've had in months.
10/12/2018: Dawn
Dawn from our berth at Marina Fjordparken.
10/12/2018: Railway Bridge
The railway bridge at Aalborg opening for us just past 7am as we depart Aalborg.
10/12/2018: Limfjordsbroen
Passing under the closed Limfjords bridge. It only opens for pleasure craft once an hour, and not during rush hour, so we'd have had to wait about 40 minutes. The wait wasn't that appealing, so we asked the operator the exact clearance at the current tide. He reported 9.5m (31.2ft). We used our Nikon Forestry Pro Laser Rangefinder and confirmed there was room for our just under 30-ft clearance requirement. We crept under slowly with Jennifer at the stern of the aft deck watching the clearance, and it looks like we had a foot and a half to spare.
10/12/2018: Utzon Center
Danish architect Jorn Utzon grew up in Aalborg and is most well-known as the designer of the Sydney Opera House. Utzon Center in Aalborg is the last building he designed before his death in 2008. This is the most famous architectural work in Aalborg, but we actually found the concert hall more striking.
10/12/2018: Sunrise
A spectacular red sky at sunrise with a coal-power plant in the foreground and wind turbines in the background.
10/12/2018: Alba
The tug Alba heading east towards Aalborg.
10/12/2018: Shovels
Dual shovels offloadin coal from a barge at the Nordjylland Power Station.
10/12/2018: Offshore Foundations
Offshore foundations at Bladt Industries, specialists in large-scale and highly complex steel structures. We speculate these are wind turbine bases.
10/12/2018: Malik Arctica
The cargo ship Malik Arctica offloading at the Port of Aalborg.
10/12/2018: Magni-R
The hopper dredger Magni-R clearing the channel into Aalborg.
10/12/2018: Egense
The small ferry Egense crossing the Limfjord between Egense and Hals.
10/12/2018: Danbjorn
The Danish icebreaker Danbjorn moored against a sister ship at Hals. Its hard to believe we're still far enough north that icebreakers are needed to clear the path to nearby ports.
10/12/2018: Wreck
Sailboat passing a submerged wreck as we exit the Limfjord. It's always makes us nervous seeing a sunken boat so close to the marked channel.
10/12/2018: Aalborg Bight
A nice sunny day for cruising south through Aalborg Bight.
10/12/2018: Glesborg
The windmills at Glesborg made a great backdrop for our anchorage off the harbour. This would not be a great stop in northerly winds, but it was wonderfully calm in light southerlies.
10/13/2018: Sunrise
Sunrise as we continue south from Glesborg for Samso Island.
10/13/2018: Roxy
Roxy reaching in the strong southerly winds.
10/13/2018: Amsterdam City Marina
Peter Hayden, who is building Nordhavn 6837, sent is this photo he took today of Amsterdam City Marina where we'll be spending the winter. We're looking forward to it.
10/13/2018: Express 3
A high-speed target approaching from the east turned out to be the 359-ft (109.4m) catamaran Express 3 en route between the Danish ports of Aarhus and Odden. The ferry was built by Incat of Tasmania with 4 MAN V20 engines of 12,069HP each and four Wartsila LJX 1500SR waterjets giving a service speed of 40kts and a top speed of 47 knots. Our boat carries enough fuel to run that ship for about 42 minutes. :)

Express 3 sailed on its own bottom from Tasmania in April of 2017 and interestingly is registered in the Bahamas.
10/13/2018: Express 2
Shortly after Express 3 passed, Express 2 came from the other direction. The ship, built by Incat of Tasmania, is 369ft (112m) long and can carry 1,200 passengers and 417 cars on 2 car decks. Ferries of this class are largest diesel catamarans in the world.
10/13/2018: Samsoe Island
The long sandy beach along the east shore of Samsoe Island.
10/13/2018: Pitch
Most of today's run was into short but tight head seas and we were pitching just over 10 degrees.
10/13/2018: Spares
James pulling out the last of our two spare LED floodlights from underneath the pilothouse settee. It's a rarely-accessed part and we had to dig a bunch of other spares out to reach it. We have four of these lights installed on the stack, two facing sideways and two aft. They've generally lasted well, but we seem to have hit their due date. We replaced one in February of this year and two more have just failed. We will replace the sidelight today and have a sea freight shipment waiting for us in Amsterdam with another new light that we'll use to replace the failed boat deck light. And we'll pick up two more on our next trip to Seattle for spares.
10/13/2018: Sidelight
James, secured to the stack in climbing gear, replacing a failed side floodlight that we use to help navigate at night when operating at night close to shore—they light up the area for a good two hundred feet on either side of the boat. The picture also shows one of the two aft-facing lights, identical to the side lights, that we to illuminate the boat deck for loading and unloading the tender or working on deck at night.
10/13/2018: Sunset
Sunset over Samsoe Island from our anchorage. We really like the spot here—secluded with plenty of swing room.
10/14/2018: Sunrise
A fabulous sunrise over Albuen island.
10/14/2018: Current Transducer
The generate Wavenet was reporting incorrect amperage produced. We traced it down to this current transducer that had worn away badly against a corner due to vibration. We secured the transducer with a couple of wire ties so it can't rub against any solid parts, but it is worn into the windings and needs to be replaced. Because some of the windings are damaged, this transducer now reports less-than-actual current. James temporarily changed the configured winding ratio from 75:5 to 85:5. Even with the damaged part, it's now reporting current accurate to +/-1 amp.
10/14/2018: Dipstick Tube
Our generator dipstick tube started to leak a small amount of oil in operation. You can see the o-ring is cracked. James replaced the o-ring and added a small amount of Permatex orange. It's now sealed up tight again.
10/14/2018: Exhaust Elbow
Saltwater sprayed through a pinhole leak in the wing engine exhaust elbow. This part is expensive and doesn't last as well as it should. Northern Lights offers two exhaust elbow options. The first is cast iron, which costs less, but doesn't last very long. The second option, that we use, is a cast stainless steel part that is more expensive but usually lasts longer. These stainless steel elbows can actually last very well, but a surprisingly large number of them suffer from casting porocity and end up leaking quite early.

It's a shame to replace an exhaust elbow only because its leaking water through a small pinhole and is otherwise perfect. The generator uses the same elbows and in 5,600 hours it's used two elbows, which isn't bad. We've been less lucky on the wing, and this is our third in 900 hours.
10/14/2018: Exhaust Hose
To replace the exhaust elbow, we need to remove the exhaust hose.
10/14/2018: Antifreeze
The wing antifreeze, drained to replace the exhaust elbow.
10/14/2018: Elbow Removed
We removed the heat exchanger end boot and air filter housing to facilite a quick change of the exhaust itself.
10/14/2018: Old and New
The old and new exhaust elbows.
10/14/2018: Air Filter
Reinstalling the air filter housing after replacing the exhaust elbow.
10/14/2018: Kitesurfer
A kitesurfer out enjoying today's strong winds at Samsoe Island.
10/15/2018: Lights
Testing our floodlights after replacing the sidelight. That forward spotlight really throws a beam.
10/16/2018: Traffic
Lots of traffic in the lanes between Denmark and Sweden as we depart Samso Island around 6am. We're running in an enjoyable combination of total darkness and thick fog. :(
10/16/2018: Storebaetsbroen
Passing under the West Bridge portion of Storebaetsbroen (The Great Belt Bridge). The 11-mile (18km) bridge links eastern and western Denmark and consists of two bridges and a tunnel. The bridge we are passing is both a road and rail bridge. The road portion continues east on another bridge, while rail traffic goes through an two-way underground tunnel.
10/16/2018: Loop
Sailing vessel Loop heading south on a wonderfully calm and sunny day.
10/16/2018: Fall Colors
Fall colours on the south shore of Fyn Island.
10/16/2018: Sea Scouts
Two Sea Scouts ships anchored at our destination, Thuro Bund. Blog readers Andre and Annemarie Verhoek had recommended the sheltered and quiet anchorage here, and we quite enjoyed it.
10/16/2018: Walsteds Shipyard
Established in 1949, Walsteds Shipyard in internationally renowned for quality workmanship, particularly lacquered wood.
10/16/2018: Amphitrite
The three-masted schooner, Amphitrite was built in 1884-1887 and is among the oldest seagoing yachts in existence.
10/16/2018: Tender
Our tender tied off the wall at Svendborg Havn.
10/16/2018: Klostergaarden
The historic Klostergaarden building near the Svendborg waterfront.
10/16/2018: St. Nicolai
St. Nicolai church (right) built in the early 1200s, is Svendborg's oldest parish church.
10/16/2018: Torvet Svendborg
Looking across Torvet Svendborg (the town square) to Vor Frue Kirke (church), completed in 1250.
10/16/2018: Assistens Churchyard
Assistens Churchyard, another beautiful Danish cemetery and garden.
10/16/2018: Restaurant Row
Looking down restaurant-lined Gerritsgade in downtown Svendborg.
10/16/2018: Borsen Gastropub
We had a wonderful meal and evening under the heater in our own private covered table at the Borsen Gastropub.
10/16/2018: Forward Spotlight
With the tender down, we took advantage of the calm, dark night to take a distance photo with the outdoor lights on. The forward spotlight can brightly illuminate the shore a quarter-mile away.
10/17/2018: Dual Nav
We departed the anchorage at Thuro Bund at 5am to reach the Kiel Canal by mid-day. This meant we had to navigate the narrow channel through Middel Grund in the dark, and fog. We were selecting the buoys as ARPA targets on the radar to ensure they matched up with our charts, but this was a little time-consuming. So we instead tried running in Dual Nav mode on the chartplotter, with a standard view on the left and radar overlay on the right. We generally don't like to run with radar overlay on, as the it obscures chart information, but Dual Nav mode worked well for this purpose instead of selecting each buoy on radar.
10/17/2018: Bridge
Approaching the bridge between the islands of Sio and Langeland at 6:15am. We're not going to see light for at least another hour.
10/17/2018: Rudkobing
The ferry from the island of Stryno approaching the dock at Rudkobing. We were right up against the starboard channel marker to give it room to pass.
10/17/2018: Marstal
We're finally getting some light around 7:30am off the town of Marstal.
10/17/2018: Channel
You can see how narrow the channel is—we're running roughly central and the port-side buoy isn't very far away.
10/17/2018: Sunrise
We've been getting some amazing sunrises the past few days.
10/17/2018: Leaving Denmark
Lowering our Danish courtesy flag as we cross the border to Germany.
10/17/2018: Entering Germany
Raising our German courtesy flag as we enter Germany.
10/17/2018: Kiel Lighthouse
The Kiel Lighthouse and pilot station about 9 miles offshore from the Kiel Canal entrance.
10/17/2018: Inflating Fenders
We inflated our extra fenders to deploy on the port side if necessary. We expect to be docking on the starboard side without any other boats tied against us, but on the off-chance that we do need port-side fenders, we'd rather have them ready to deploy than be scrambling around at the last minute.
10/17/2018: Friedrichsort Lighthouse
The Friedrichsort Lighthouse marks the entrance to Kiel Harbour and the approach to the Kiel-Holtenau locks.
10/17/2018: Cellus
The cargo ship Cellus in drydock at Holtenau.
10/17/2018: "K" Line
A "K" Line car carrier dominating the scene in the Kiel-Holtenau locks. It's pretty exciting to think we'll soon be in the Kiel Canal with ships of that size.
10/17/2018: Holtenau Lighthouse
The ornate Holtenau Lighthouse has marked the entrance to the Kiel Canal since 1895.
10/17/2018: Waiting
Moored in the recreational craft docks at Holtenau to wait for a lock opening. While there, we paid for our transit at a kiosk at the head of the dock. For our length boat, the transit cost €35 and is good for three days.
10/17/2018: Flashing White
When the light on the signal mast switches to only flashing white, that means we can approach and enter the lock. We got a white light about 40 minutes after arriving, so we're good to go. The Kiel Canal authority produces a for helpful booklet recreational craft operators that explains the procedures.
10/17/2018: Entering Lock
Entering the lock with the cargo ship Emma, a tug, and two recreational boats ahead of us. Recreational boats go in after the commercial traffic had loaded. The light on the signal mast at the our right just switched from a single flashing white, meaning recreational craft can approach and enter, to flashing red, meaning no boats can approach behind us.
10/17/2018: Kiel-Holtenau Lock
Tied off inside the Kiel-Holtenau Lock. The pontoon we tie to has little freeboard, so the fenders need to be floating to afford any protection. The nice part is that the platform rises and falls with the water level in the lock, so we don't have to tend the lines.
10/17/2018: Gate Closing
The gate closing behind us. The water level inside and outside the lock differs by at most five feet.
10/17/2018: Emma
Passing alongside the cargo ship Emma as we exit the lock. Recreational craft enter after the commercial traffic, but generally exit first, likely to avoid problems with the wash from the larger vessels.
10/17/2018: Observation Deck
Onlookers in the lock observation area as we depart the lock 15 minutes after the gate closed behind us.
10/17/2018: Exiting Lock
Looking back to the cargo ship Emma as we exit the lock.
10/17/2018: Kiel Canal
Blog reader Torbjorn Curtsson sent us this photo captured from the Kiel Canal web cam of Dirona passing under the Holtenau road bridges just inside the Kiel Canal. The cargo ship Emma on the right is exiting the lock behind us while another ship is about to enter the lock.
10/17/2018: Villa Hoheneck
Villa Hoheneck has overlooked the Kiel Canal since its construction in 1903.
10/17/2018: Locomotives
Two of several locomotives parked at a service depot along the south shore of the Kiel Canal.
10/17/2018: Oil Distribution
The Kiel Canal is used heavily for the distribution of oil products.
10/17/2018: Fall Colours
Beautiful fall colors along the canal. Exactly one year ago today we passed a similar scene along the much more intimate Caledonian Canal in Scotland.
10/17/2018: No Exit From Siding
At various points along the canal are sidings, lined with dolphins, that are the only places that larger ships can pass. As with the locks, light signals control entry and exit from the sidings. Here we have three red flashing lights in a vertical row, meaning no vessels (including us) can exit the siding.
10/17/2018: Levensau High Bridge
The cargo ship Emma passing under the historic Levensau High Bridge, constructed in 1894.
10/17/2018: Emma Passing
The cargo ship Emma passing us in the siding.
10/17/2018: Oncoming Traffic
The sight of a massive bow of the bulker Ultra Trust approaching around the corner explained why no vessels could exit the siding. The cargo ship Emma, us, and a sailboat are waiting for the ship to reach the siding we are allowed to continue.
10/17/2018: Ships Passing
The 341ft (104m) cargo ship Emma looked large when passing us, but the next boat we'll pass is the 656ft (200m) bulker Ultra Trust, which makes Emma look quite small.
10/17/2018: Anchor Ready
We noticed the anchor on the Ultra Trust was partially down in case it needed to be deployed in an emergency. The 656ft (200m) ship is near the maximum dimensions for vessels in the Kiel Canal of 772.6 ft (235.50 m) long, with a 106.6 ft (32.50m) beam and 22.97ft (7m) draft. Ships less than 524ft (160m) long may draw up to 31.2ft (9.5m).
10/17/2018: Crew
A wave from the crew of the Ultra Trust.
10/17/2018: Ultra Trust
That's a load of ship.
10/17/2018: Landwehr Ferry
The Landwehr Ferry is the 2nd of 13 ferry crossings we'll pass along the Kiel Canal.
10/17/2018: Lake Flemhude
The Kiel Canal is 51 miles long and we could run the whole distance in one day over about 8 hours. But we instead wanted to take our time to enjoy the experience, and planned to spend 2-3 nights en route.

Recreational craft can only moor at one of six locations inside the locks—the first one heading head east is at Lake Flemhude, where moorings have been set out for recreational craft. These are odd moorings where small boats can tie bow-and-stern between pilings that are organized in a grid. This has the advantage of allowing a large number of boats in a small area, but has the disadvantage that Dirona wouldn't fit if it was half the size. We found a novel solution of by tying off to the unused outside portions of the piling grid.
10/17/2018: Christopher
One of the reasons we wanted to stop at Lake Flemhude was for the view of traffic passing through the canal.
10/17/2018: Fueling
Fueling the tender before heading out.
10/17/2018: Moored
The pilings provide slots for ten smaller recreational craft to moor bow-to-bow in two rows of five, perpendicular to Dirona. Because we wouldn't fit in that configuration, and none are in use, we tied across the entrance to three of them.
10/17/2018: Achterwehr Canal
The tender tied off at the entrance to Achterwehr Canal, just east of Lake Flemhude, for a walk ashore.
10/17/2018: Strohbruck Lock
The Strohbruck Lock was built in 1913 to connect the Achterwehr and Kiel canals. It was decommissioned in 2001 due to the high cost of a pending renovation.
10/17/2018: Pumphouse
Pumphouse near the Strohbruck Lock.
10/17/2018: Siding
Looking down the outside of the series of dolphins that line the siding just west of Lake Flemhude. Larger vessels can tie against the left side of the dolphins to wait for another ship to pass.
10/17/2018: Ship Passing
We loved the view from the mooring at Lake Flemhude to the ships passing in the Kiel Canal.
10/17/2018: Davit Issue
Our davit extension/retraction mechanism failed while we were bringing the tender back on deck and here we are trying to retract the extension using the pulley. After the massive amount of work we did to rebuild it earlier this year, we were terrified the extension had jammed against the boom and we would have to open it up again. But "fortunately" the issue turned out to be intermittent and James was able to get the crane retracted.
12/18/2017: DS Blue Ocean
We set off from Lake Flemhude at 8:30 this morning and stopped at the mouth for some ship traffic to pass before entering the Kiel Canal. The first was the 425ft (129.6m) container ship DS Blue Ocean heading west.
10/18/2018: CFL Proud
The DS Blue Ocean and the 388ft (118.4m) cargo ship CFL Proud passing in the siding to our west.
10/18/2018: Fure Fladen
The third ship to pass the mouth of Lake Flemhude was the 472ft (144m) chemical tanker Fure Fladen.
10/18/2018: Wilhelm Schulte
We entered the Kiel Canal once clear of the the fourth passing ship, the 508ft (155m) LPG tanker Wilhelm Schulte.
10/18/2018: Water Drop
You can see a pronounced drop in water level near the bank as the Fure Fladen passes, an anomaly related to the "bank effect" that we experienced when cruising Scotland's narrow Crinan Canal last summer. The "bank effect" is the tendency for ship's stern to be pulled toward the nearest bank due to pressure differentials (Bernoulli’s principle).
10/18/2018: Camper
We frequently saw campers and cars parked along the Kiel Canal, their occupants taking in the view to the passing ships.
10/18/2018: Swans
Swans along the Kiel Canal.
10/18/2018: Jack-Up House
We passed several barges with pilot houses that could be hydraulically raised or lowered to increase visibility or decrease air draft.
10/18/2018: Lurssen
The German super-yacht builder Lurssen has built many spectacular yachts over the years. Notable among them is Octopus (that we've seen in San Francisco Bay, Hawaii and Sydney, Australia), one of the largest yachts in the world at 414ft (126m) long.
10/18/2018: Traffic
Looking past the Fure Fladen to the oncoming Emotion and the DS Blue Ocean beyond, with the Nobiskrug ferry crossing in the distance. Those ferry captains really have to thread the needle to get back and forth across the canal with so much ship traffic.
10/18/2018: Oste
The 274ft (83.5m) German Navy reconnaissance ship Oste docked along the Eider River.
10/18/2018: Nobiskrug
The area is popular for super-yacht builders with Nobiskrug opposite the Kiel Canal from Lurssen.
10/18/2018: Rafting
Regatta Association Rendsburg had assigned us the only side-tie available, alongside a tour boat moored there for the winter. This worked out well, but we needed to walk along a narrow ledge to secure our bow line. Fortunately there were plenty of grab rails.
10/18/2018: Regatta Association Rendsburg
Moored alongside the tour boat Gothmann at Regatta Association Rendsburg in Lake Obereider.
10/18/2018: Hydroplanes
Hydroplanes parked for the winter at Regatta Association Rendsburg. They run races out in Lake Obereider during the summer.
10/18/2018: Bruckenterrassen Cafe
As part of our "full Kiel Canal experience" we had lunch canal-side at the Bruckenterrassen Cafe with a great view to the passing ships. We had a pretty good lunch too.
10/18/2018: Ships Welcome Point
The Bruckenterrassen Cafe sponsors the Ships Welcome Point, where an employee announces information about each commercial ship, plays the national anthem of the ship's country, and waves as they pass.
10/18/2018: Suspension Ferry
We were hoping to ride across the canal on the unique suspension ferry, built in 1913. But unfortunately it collided with a ship in 2016 and still is out of service. Here's a photo of the ferry in action from a small on-site museum. The Bruckenterrassen Cafe where we had lunch is on the right.
10/18/2018: Metal Lathe
The Rendsburg commercial area has many metal fabricators and most of the shop doors were open on this nice warm day, which was fun for us.
10/18/2018: Rendsburg High Bridge
The Rendsburg High Bridge was completed in 1913 to carry rail traffic and the suspension ferry. The distinctive twin-peaked bridge outline forms the town's logo.
10/18/2018: Under the Kiel Canal
We couldn't cross the canal in the suspension ferry, but we could walk under it through a pedestrian tunnel.
10/18/2018: Park
Walking through a lovely tree-lined park on the north side of the Kiel Canal.
10/18/2018: Eider Canal
Overlooking the old Eider Canal, opened in 1784 and closed in 1887 when the Kiel Canal replaced it.
10/18/2018: Rendsburg
A cafe-lined square in downtown Rendsburg with crowds out enjoying the warm and sunny weather.
10/18/2018: Parish of St. Mary I
The Parish of St. Mary I in Rendsburg was built in 1287 and has gone through several extensions and restorations over the centuries since.
10/18/2018: Station House
Station house dating from 1910 along the Rendsburg railway.
10/18/2018: Produce
Picking out some produce from the excellent selection at Edeka in Rendsburg.
10/18/2018: Beef
The Edeka grocery store has an impressive beef selection.
10/18/2018: Mini Y
While we were touring Rendsburg, the UK-flagged 85ft (25m) yacht Mini Y arrived and moored behind us.
10/18/2018: Bilge Pumps
How do you tell this wooden boat is leaking a bit? :)
10/18/2018: Julischka
Enjoying our first taste of Julischka, a pear-plum liqueur included as an aperitif with our dinner at Laguna Mediterranean restaurant. We had an excellent evening.
10/18/2018: Fuel Prices
A suprisingly wide variety of fuel qualities are available in Europe. The gas prices vary by €0.23/L or 16% between best and worst, the diesel prices by €0.19/L or 15%, and some diesels are more expensive than some gasolines. (Click image for a larger view.)
10/18/2018: Evening
Enjoying a warm and calm evening under the patio heater on the back deck with a view to Rendsburg.
10/19/2018: Nobiskrug
Passing the Nobiskrug superyacht yard shortly past dawn at 7am. Recreational craft are only allowed on the canal during prescribed daylight hours which at this time of year are between 7am and 7:30pm.
10/19/2018: Clear and Sunny
Recreational craft cannot be underway on the canal in poor visibility. As we were about to enter the waterway, the Kiel Canal authority ordered us by radio to not proceed and return to Lake Obereider due to poor visibility farther west. As you can see, the visibility is quite good here, but the canal is predictably non-negotiable, so we'll need to wait until they believe it is safe for recreational craft.
10/19/2018: Underway Again
Three and a half hours after we first got underway, we've been given permission to proceed.
10/19/2018: Lurssen
Another view to the Lurssen yard as we enter the Kiel Canal.
10/19/2018: Nobiskrug Ferry
The Nobiskrug Ferry arriving at the north shore.
10/19/2018: Rendsburg High Bridge
Approaching the Rendsburg High Bridge.
10/19/2018: RVs
One of several RV parks alongside the canal.
10/19/2018: Schulp and Rusterbergen
The pilot boats Schulp and Rusterbergen moored near Rendsburg.
10/19/2018: Breiholz Ferry
The Breiholz Ferry departing the south shore.
10/19/2018: Dhamra
The dredger Dhamra working the south side of the canal.
10/19/2018: Passing Suderoog
The 528ft (161m) container ship Suderoog is running at 7kts, and we're passing on the right at 8 kts. It feels remarkably close.
10/19/2018: Current
The Suderoog is running at 7kts, we're running at 8kts, and to pass we increased to wide-open-throttle to minimize the time we spent beside the big boat. Wide-open-throttle should have us at 9.5kts, but a super-interesting effect becomes apparent as we approach the bow of the Suderoog. Because the ship takes such a big percentage of the overall area of the canal, the water rushing past from its bow to its stern is suprisingly powerful as we near the bow of the boat and we could actually only make 7.3 kts. Ironically, at 2.5kts faster through the water than the Suderoog is travelling, we only barely have the speed to pass in the high-speed current.

This is another reason we're glad to have upgraded our main engine from the then-standard 163HP Lugger to the 266HP Deere. With the lower-powered engine we'd be in the ironic position of being 1 knot faster than the Suderoog and yet 1.5 kts too slow to be able to pass.
10/19/2018: Nordhavn Rooster Tail
About as close to we'll get to a rooster tail behind our Nordhavn. Here we're doing 9.5 knots through the water, but actually only making 7.3 knots over ground working through the bow wave of the Suderoog.
10/19/2018: Gieselau Canal
The entry to the 1.8mi (2.9 km) Gieselau Canal, linking the Kiel Canal with the River Eider.
10/19/2018: Friedrich Russ
The 503ft (153.4m) Ro-Ro/container carrier Friedrich Russ (rightmost) pulled off on a siding with the 295-ft (90m) cargo ship Spanaco Simplicity. Commercial ships are placed into groups by dimension and the siding signals indicate which groups must pull over to allow vessels to pass within the siding. We're permitted to exit the siding, but the commercial vessels have to wait.
10/19/2018: Gerardus Mercator
Passing the 501ft (153m) hopper/dredger Gerardus Mercator with the Ro-Ro/container carrier Friedrich Russ visible in the distance waiting so the ships can pass within the siding.
10/19/2018: Seine Highway
The 485ft (148m) vehicle carrier Seine Highway following behind Gerardus Mercator with the 360ft (110m) general cargo ship Maasborg bringing up the rear. They are pulled over to the right to allow room to pass the oncoming Friedrich Russ and Spanaco Simplicity within the siding area.
10/19/2018: Goliath
The tugs Dutch Pearl and Rostock guiding the barge Goliath under the Hochdonn railway bridge.
10/19/2018: Oncoming Traffic
Three more large oncoming ships on the Kiel Canal. Here you can see the smaller commercial vessel on the right is permitted to proceed and so is passing the larger vessel who is prohibited from proceeding until the oncoming traffic clears. There's still rooom for us to slip by on the right.
10/19/2018: Nesselande
The barge Nesselande carrying two car "tenders".
10/19/2018: Hanse 1
Hanse 1 is among the smallest pilot boat we've ever seen.
10/19/2018: Lock Gates
Lock gates mounted ashore north of Brunsbuttel.
10/19/2018: Explorer
The pilot boat Explorer moored off the Brunsbuttel inner harbour. The SWASH (Small Waterplane Area Single Hull) vessel has a torpedo-shaped float at center containing the engines and two outriggers for stability. The Seimens-powered vessel is the first hybrid pilot boat in the world, with an electric hybrid motor in addition to the drive motor and auxiliary diesel motor.
10/19/2018: Lock Door
Another lock door, perhaps for the new Brunsbuttel lock currently under construction.
10/19/2018: Symphony Star
The recreational craft moorage at Brunsbuttel is adjacent to the lock entries. Shortly after we'd tied off, this was our view out the pilot house door of Symphony Star entering the locks. Wow, what an awesome place to be.
10/19/2018: Dirona
Looking across our moorage from the eastern viewing platform to ships approaching along the Kiel Canal. The large U-shaped harbour had power on the other pontoon, but not where we are. The advantage of our location is we can see right into the locks and watch ships enter and leave.
10/19/2018: Viewing Platform
The eastern viewing platform over the Brunsbuttel locks seen from the western viewing platform. Dirona's grey domes are just visible at bottom left.
10/19/2018: Patalya
The 472ft (145m) oil/chemical tanker Patalya towering over Dirona as it approaches the Brunsbuttel locks.
10/19/2018: Lock Model
A model of the northernmost Brunsbuttel lock with the recreational craft moorage at top left at the Atrium museum at the Locks. The small museum was packed with excellent displays and models like this one, but everything was in German, so we couldn't glean much on the details.
10/19/2018: Movie
The museum at the locks had an excellent 10-minute video, available in English, that included great footage of large ships transiting the Kiel Canal.
10/19/2018: Aerial of Locks
An aerial photograph of the Brunsbuttel locks showing the original locks on the right, completed in 1895, and the newer, larger locks completed in 1914. A fifth lock currently is under construction between the two sets. When this is complete, the two larger locks will be closed for renovations and upgrades.
10/19/2018: Accidents
The Kiel Canal is one of the most travelled man-made shipping lanes worldwide. They're very careful about safety, but there's no escaping that large commercial vessels in close quarters carry risk, and there have been many problems over the years. The older locks at the Kiel-Holtenau end currently are closed for repairs after a ship rammed the gate. These photographs show two of the more major incidents at the Brunsbettel end.
10/19/2018: The Braake
Looking north along the Braake in Brunsbuttel. The waterway was created by the break of the Elbe dike during the 1717 Christmas flood that killed over 10,000 people in Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.
10/19/2018: Pick Your Favourite
English is less prevalent in Germany than most places we've visited, but we're usually able to get an English menu or get help translating from the server. But the server at China Bistro Hoa Mai spoke no English and the German menu was pretty impenetrable. We were about to try Google translate when patrons at the next table offered to translate for us. We had a good meal.
10/19/2018: Suderdoog
Suderdoog, the ship we were slow to pass earlier today, locking through at 7pm. They were travelling only a knot slower than us, but larger ships have significant delays waiting for oncoming traffic that doesn't slow us.
10/20/2018: Waiting
The view from our boat at 9:30 this morning to a group of commercial ships waiting to lock through at Brunsbuttel as we prepare to get underway
10/20/2018: Exeborg
The 472ft (144m) cargo ship Exeborg exiting the lock adjacent to our berth. We loved the view from the berth and you could almost reach out and touch these big cargo vessels. Some might find the ship movements loud during the night, but we found it kind if exciting.
10/20/2018: Convoy
The convoy of waiting ships approaching the northernmost locks, viewed from the Kiel Canal web cam. This is the load of ships we will be locking through with.
10/20/2018: Green Light
A green light on the lock signal mast indicating only commercial ships can enter the lock.
10/20/2018: White Light
After the commercial ships had loaded, the lock signal mast changed to a single flashing white indicating recrational craft can enter. We quickly dropped our lines and got underway and you can see the pleasure craft Joker, who has been waiting off the lock, is getting ready to enter.
10/20/2018: Joker
Entering the locks behind the power boat Joker. Its normal for recrational boats to tie off on the floating pontoon on the side of the lock. Joker bounced off Annika in the middle of the lock, before tying off directly to the ship near the stern. We were initially a little nervous that the boat was out of control, but we think they they just prefer to tie off with visibility down the center of the lock so they can see when the gate opens and leave before the commercial boats.
10/20/2018: Fenders
Our fenders floating in water against the low-freeboard pontoons in the Kiel Canal locks.
10/20/2018: Viewing Platform
Onlookers in the viewing platform we were at yesterday afternoon.
10/20/2018: Gate Closing
The gate closing behind us.
10/20/2018: Locking Through
Locking through the Brunsbuttel Locks, viewed from the Kiel Canal web cam. Dirona is just visible at the top right along the far side of the lock chamber.
10/20/2018: Annika
A burst of wash from Annika as it prepares to depart. Normally recreational craft can exit as soon as the gate opens, but we couldn't see the gate from where we were and the lockmaster didn't announce that we could leave. Once the commercial boats are underway, and they do get underway as soon as the gates are clear, the safest thing to do is to stay tied off until the commercial boats have moved forward.
10/20/2018: Line Handlers
Ship line handlers walking off after their job in this lock is complete.
10/20/2018: Departing
James guiding Dirona out of the locks.
10/20/2018: Last Look
A last look behind us to the Kiel Canal locks. We had a fabulous trip through.
10/20/2018: Brunsbuttel Light
The Brunsbuttel Light at the large lock approach with significant damage to the concrete at right.
10/20/2018: Traffic
The Elbe River is an extremely busy waterway. Our RADAR display was lit up with targets.
10/20/2018: Seajacks Scylla
The 456ft (139m) jack-up offshore wind farm installation vessel Seajacks Scylla taking on wind farm components at Cuxhaven.
10/20/2018: Baltic Breeze
The 538ft (164m) Baltic Breeze vehicle carrier moored outside our destination of the YC marina in Cuxhaven.
10/20/2018: Buoys
Ocean buoys on the dock above as we enter the YC marina.
10/20/2018: Yacht Controller
James getting some expert feline help from Spitfire as he investigates a wiring issue with our Yacht Controller wireless remote control. In the last locking, and in the docking at Cuxhaven, the remote control hasn't been working. James relies on it fairly heavily in most dockings where we're moving forward. He uses it essentially as a bridge wing station since a hard-wired bridge wing station doesn't really fit on the Nordhavn 52. The system has been rock-solid since the boat was new, but we found a bad wire crimp.
10/20/2018: Changing Oil
Time for the 250-hour oil and filter change on the main engine.
10/20/2018: Oil Storage
Our oil storage location in an alcove behind the generator. The new and used oil drums are stacked and set into a circular cut-out in a marine-board base, with a matching top piece that is trailer-strapped in place to prevent any motion. It looks like we need to modify our spare oil retaining system to fit the square-shaped containers popular in Europe.
10/20/2018: Gen Fuel Filter
The generator primary filter is due for change every 12 months of 750 hours, and the secondary every 24 months of 1,500 hours. We changed both today. Its technically a bit early for the change, but the generator has been running 2-3 amps lower maximum load than usual. We don't know if the fuel filters are the cause of the problem, but before looking for more complex solutions we'll try the easy one.
10/20/2018: Oil Drain Fitting
The main engine oil drain fitting has begun to leak a fair amount. James took it apart today to correct the problem and found an O-ring boss fitting with a cracked O-ring.
10/20/2018: Oil Fill
In order to remove the oil drain fitting from the oil pan, the oil fill tube has to first come off. Here you can see the oil fill tube off the pan and the opening below for the oil drain fitting.
10/20/2018: Evening
Enjoying a warm and calm evening on the back deck under the patio heater at the YC marina in Cuxhaven.
10/21/2018: Forecast
The weather is not looking great over the the next few days for an offshore run through the German Bight to The Netherlands, but hopefully conditions will settle down by the weekend.
10/21/2018: Tightening Aftercooler
While correcting the oil leak at the oil-drain fitting, James noticed two aftercooler bolts had backed out. He tightened them all, but only those two were loose.
10/21/2018: Locker
To address our davit extension problem, we dug out the spare davit manifold (at upper left near the open locker door) from our spares from the bottom the locker between the master stateroom and the galley. The locker door is deceptively small, but the locker holds an enormous amount. Everything on the bed and shelf came from there.
10/21/2018: Davit Manifold
The spare davit hydraulic manifold, partly uncovered to access the extension/retraction valve and solenoid. Hopefully replacing those parts will fix our davit extension problem.
10/21/2018: Davit Extension Parts
The old davit extension/retraction valve and solenoid after swapping in the new parts from the spare manifold.
10/21/2018: Failed Pendants
Changing the extension/retraction valve and solenoid didn't fix the davit problem. The problem turned out to be an intermittent pendant issue, where every time we tested a part before changing it the davit would work. When we changed the part, the davit would work continuously for a few minutes, then return to being intermittent.

This is our original pendant that had a proportional trigger failure years ago. After it failed years back, we went to the spare that lasted a year before it too had a proportional trigger failure. We then bought a third pendant that has never been used, disabled the proportional functionality on the crane, and returned to using the first pendant now without the trigger.

Today we returned to the backup pendant that had been in use for a year but it didn't work at all. Our third, never-used backup pendant did work, so we're back to operational again.
10/21/2018: Broken Connector
The third pendant worked, but as hard as this was for us to believe, it appears to have an over-torqued connector at the plug end and the plastic collar has split exposing the wires. It's probably been like this since we bought it and we just didn't notice or it could have happened in storage as a consequence of the plastic aging over time and the connector being installed overly tight. With the failure of three expensive pendants over eight years, we're going to try a Kar-Tech remote control instead.
10/22/2018: Alarm Relay
James installed a new relay onto the Dynagen TG410 for the main engine autostart system and added software to alert us when autostart is disabled on the main engine. We always should have it on except during engine service. This change prevents a trivial human error from leading to battery flattening.
10/22/2018: YC marina
Looking across the YC marina from shore. The marina is nearly empty now because it closes on October 31st. As along the northeast coast of the US, all the docks will be removed to avoid winter storm damage. And before they are re-installed in the spring, the marina basin is dredged to remove sand build-up from the Elbe River.
10/22/2018: Pay Machine
Paying for our moorage at the automatic machine. Germany is quite a change from Norway where almost all transactions are done using credit cards. The parts of Germany we've seen so far seems to be mostly a cash economy. The only places we've been able to use a credit card here are at grocery stores or automatic machines. No restaurants we've been to so far in Germany accept credits and, watching other patrons, it appears everyone pays with cash.
10/22/2018: Hamburg Lighthouse
The Hamburg Lighthouse, completed in 1804 and named after the city to which the area once belonged, operated until 2001. German physicist and electrical engineer Ferdinand Braun, who won the 1909 Nobel prize for physics jointly with Guglielmo Marconi, used the tower in 1899 to conduct wireless telegraphy experiments.
10/22/2018: Elbe 1
The 167ft (51m) Elbe 1, the largest German lightship, was in service from 1948 to 1988. Positioned offshore at the mouth of the Elbe River, the ship often was rolled to 40° in steep waves generated from storm winds blowing against the river current.
10/22/2018: Flood Gates
The Elbe River is susceptible to floods and Cuxhaven is protected behind dikes with large floodgate doors that can be closed when floodwaters approach.
10/22/2018: Austernperle
We had a great lunch at nautical-themed Austernperle overlooking the inner harbour.
10/22/2018: Anti-EU
Seen on a fishboat in Cuxhaven Harbour. Apparently not everyone is an EU supporter.
10/22/2018: Windstarke 10
Propeller from the German steamship Cimbria at The Windstarke 10 (Gale Force 10) museum in Cuxhaven. An estimated 400 passengers drowned when the ship collided with the British steamship Sultan in the North Sea on January 19th, 1883. The museum details the shipwreck and fishing history of the region and has some good displays, but all in German without English translations.
10/22/2018: E-Bikes
E-bikes are becoming amazingly popular in the last few years—we see them everywhere. We've debated whether to move to e-bikes. We love our Giant FCR 2s, because they are incredibly corrosion-reistent, very light and easy to move around the boat, can be transported by tender and passed up on high docks, and we get good exercise from them. But the speed and hill-climbing ability of e-bikes does have an appeal. Their downside for us is they're extroardinarily heavy and we often find ourselves moving bikes around by tender and passing them up and down difficult places and sometimes even carrying them over short sections of rough terrain.
10/22/2018: Water Tower
The Cuxhaven water tower, completed in 1897. The tower was built following an 1892 cholera outbreak in Hamburg that killed 8,600 people.
10/22/2018: St. Peter's Church
St. Peter's Church in Cuxhaven was completed in 1911 as a naval garrison church and became a parish church after World War II.
10/22/2018: Heart of Jesus
The Heart of Jesus Catholic church in Cuxhaven, consecrated in 1900.
10/22/2018: Stormflut
Placards on the stairs over the dike show the highest stormflut (storm flood) levels in the past 42 years. The top and third from the top are both from January of 1976 during a particularly bad year for storms and flooding in Europe. The Jan 2-5 Capella Storm brought 116 kn (215 km/h) winds and killed nearly 100 people, with estimated flood damage losses of US$ 1.3 billion.
10/22/2018: Dirona
The view to our moorage beside the vehicle carrier Baltic Breeze. We were surprised the ship was in port for so long and later learned it had an engine room fire on October 14th while en route to Cuxhaven and will be in port for several weeks for repairs.
10/22/2018: RVs
The large RV park adjacent to the marina is quite busy this late in the season. It must be really packed in the summer.
10/22/2018: Path
We liked the large chain that edges the lovely brick path from the waterfront to the historic Lotsenviertel district.
10/22/2018: Lotsenviertel
The historic Lotsenviertel ("pilotage district") in Cuxhaven was originally the residence for the ship's pilots, who weren't allowed to live more than a 1km away from the pilotage post near the Hamburg Lighthouse. It's now a trendy shopping and residential area.
10/22/2018: Ruis Taverne
An exceptional dinner at Ruis Taverne in the Lotsenviertel. We had perfectly cooked steaks that included a Portuguese white port welcome aperitif, about 16 Portuguese tapas dishes as appetizers and a small dessert. This restaurant does an unusually good job with real attention to detail—we had a fabulous evening.
10/23/2018: Storm
The forecast storm has arrived, bringing winds to 38 knots.
10/23/2018: Rough Seas
A pilot boat working through rough seas in the Elbe River with the storm winds blowing against the ebbing tide. We walked up to the viewing platform above the marina to have a look at sea conditions.
10/23/2018: Stormflut
A great meal at Stormflut ("storm flood") restaurant along the waterfront. The restaurant is not far above the water level outside the dike, so presumably must flood when the waters rise.
10/24/2018: Wind
The winds have abated a bit, but are still pretty strong this morning with gusts into the high 20 kts. It's looking like we'll get a window to run to the Netherlands on Saturday morning.
10/24/2018: Kay and Alfred
Blog reader Kay Rupp came by for a visit and a tour of Dirona with his friend Alfred Wilhelm. They live near Rendsburg and missed us as we passed through the Kiel, so took a ferry over to see us in Cuxhaven. Both are long-time boaters in the area and had good advice for local conditions and places to visit.
10/24/2018: Water Police
A friendly visit from the local Water Police. They wanted to see our ship's papers, operator license, and radio license and asked a few questions about safety equipment such as lifejackets. The US doesn't offer a national license for pleasure craft operators as do most European countries, but they were fine with our Washington State Boater Education cards.
10/24/2018: Used Oil
15 gallons (56L) of used oil loaded into our folding cart for disposal.
10/24/2018: Oil Disposal
We possibly could have gotten rid of our used oil in Amsterdam, but it was only a 10-minute walk to the oil disposal at the Cuxhaven harbour and was unlikely to be easier in downtown Amsterdam.
10/24/2018: Flood Gates
Large flood control gates at the Cuxhaven harbour.
10/24/2018: Neuwerk
The 260ft (79m) German Coast Guard vessel Neuwerk in port at Cuxhaven. The marine pollution control vessel is also used for buoy tender operations, shipping police support tasks, icebreaking, firefighting and emergency towing operations.
10/27/2018: Regina Pizzeria
When we were in Boston in the summer of 2016, native Ronald Hellmann recommended we try Regina Pizzeria. Founded in 1926, it's the oldest pizza house in New England and is incredibly popular. We arrived silly early at 5:25pm and still had to wait 20 minutes for a table.

Ronald just wrote to us to say Regina Pizzeria had been rated the #1 pizzeria in the US. They deserve it—we've had pizza all over the world and that definitely was one of the best.
6/21/2017: Wandering Star
Gerhard Jensen, owner of N43 Wandering Star, sent us a photo of his boat in June of last year moored at just about exactly the same location we are in Cuxhaven. The boats look so similar we thought it was a photo of Dirona at first glance.
10/27/2018: Forecast
As expected, we have a weather window this morning to make the overnight, 160-mile run from Cuxhaven to The Netherlands. It's not quite as nice a window as initially predicted, but the forecast looks substantially worse into next week, so we'll take this one.

We'll need to exit Cuxhaven and run up the Elbe River into 15-20kt northerly winds blowing against an ebbing current. Conditions likely will be rough for the first couple of hours, but should settle down as we turn southwest and the winds turn more to the northeast. The winds should be behind us from for the remainder of the run, although will pick up into the high 20s as we approach West Terschelling around 7am tomorrow morning.