7 August 2012 – At Anchor, R Schlei

54:40.57N

09:58.37E

From Flensburg on Sunday, in lovely sunshine.  There were light winds…  on the nose.  We went NW: it was on the nose; round the corner towards the east: on the nose; and SE: still on the nose.  It wasn’t that Roger was paranoid, the wind was just out to get him.  The wind got up in the early afternoon and we had a very pleasant beat back to the Horup Haf, which we had left last week on the way to Sonderborg.  The variability of the winds meant an anchorage the was sheltered from all directions.

(Yesterday) Monday morning the intention was to leave in good time.  But first thing the heavens opened, heavy rain and very limited vis.  This is getting tedious!  But by 10.30am the sun started to come out, the wind started to swing round towards the south west and we set out.  A lovely surprise: a reach all the way as the wind continued to veer.  The wind continued to get up, and there was a gale forecast. 

The Schlei is one of the fjords that everyone has said is a must-visit.  Not sure why!  It’s a narrow neck of water – with an adverse current! – going into broad, shallow lagoons.  The land is flat and it’s all pretty bleak.  With 25kn wind, a box mooring in Massholm was not a good idea.  So, here we are at anchor in 3.0m water on the south side of the river in the lee of a belt of trees, just upstream from Massholm, and camping onto its internet.  As I write at 2.30pm after lunch Tuesday, the wind is steadily around 20kn, interrupted at intervals by 30knt squalls of heavy rain.  MUCH safer than manoeuvring in a marina!  The downside is that we can’t get ashore: not a problem as we have plenty of food.

Maybe lighter winds tomorrow and so to Kappeln, or down to Kiel.