ship’s log 19: race through danish waters

May 17

As hard as it sounds, we were in a bit of a race to get through Denmark and reach our next destination. The reason was simple: we had a friend sailing with us, and we wanted to make the most of having an extra crew member on board by getting as far as possible. Having three people on the boat meant more time to relax, an extra pair of hands for manoeuvres, and one more person to share the watches.

Our crew member is a friend of mine from the lifesaving club I'm part of in Switzerland. We've known each other for many years, and about five years ago he discovered sailing and earned his sailing licence. That meant we didn't just have another pair of helping hands, we had someone who already knew how to sail and what to look out for.

Our first day took us from Kiel to Bagenkop, a beautiful little Danish harbour that looked exactly how you would imagine one. We were able to sail the entire way, which is always an amazing feeling. When we arrived, we found a swimming pontoon and, even though it was only the beginning of May, we couldn't resist putting on our swimsuits and jumping into the water.

Fun fact: our love for cold-water swimming doesn't come from nowhere. All three of us are part of a group that goes swimming every Sunday from November up to March in Switzerland - even when the lakes are frozen.

The next day brought another beautiful sail with pleasant weather. It was one of those days where everything simply worked, and there isn't much more to say than that.

The following morning, we went for a lovely walk to the Dodekalitten, a unique open-air monument featuring twelve giant stone sculptures overlooking the sea. Combined with music and stunning views, it creates a truly special atmosphere. We also used the walk to practise flying our drone so we would feel more confident flying it from the boat and while under sail.

After our walk, we started the next leg of our journey. The sea was completely calm, and there wasn't a breath of wind. Normally, that wouldn't be ideal, but this time it was actually perfect because we had to motor through a long stretch of very narrow and shallow waters anyway. It also gave us the perfect opportunity to launch our drone from the moving boat for the very first time. Good thing we had practiced this morning!

While flying the drone, we even spotted our first harbour porpoises of the trip. Seeing these small whales from above was a completely unexpected surprise and made this already special moment even better.

After capturing some amazing footage from above, it was time to focus fully on the navigation ahead. This part of the journey required our full attention. There were always two people in the cockpit—one steering the boat and the other keeping a close eye on the charts and navigation. The third person, usually me, stood on the bow, carefully watching the water for unexpected rocks or other obstacles.

When we finally arrived just before 7 pm, we were all tired and hungry. We thought there was no better way to end the day than treating ourselves to dinner at a restaurant. We changed into clean clothes and walked over, only to discover that it was still closed because the tourist season hadn't started yet.

A little disappointed, we headed back to the boat and made a quick dinner of pasta with pesto instead. After some food and a bit of rest, everyone felt much better, so we finished the evening with a peaceful walk through the harbour together with the cats.

The forecast for the next day called for rain and very little wind, so we decided to stay another day. We used the time to buy groceries, catch up on a few small boat projects, and prepare for leaving Denmark and sailing towards our next country.

Stay tuned to see some amazing pictures from what would probably become one of the best sailing days of our adventure so far!

Day 27: Kiel DE - Bagenkop DK