A real sail on 1 June to Dragor.

Moondog
Brian Whitefoot
Thu 3 Jun 2010 15:12
Dragor ( 55:35.7N, 012:40.9E), was our destination  on 1 June.
 
The forecasts were for steadily falling winds and overcast, as we sat in Skanor having breakfsat on Tuesday 1 June in what seemed like a F6, gusting more, and pooring rain. So, following all the good practice we are taught we checked two internet sites, navtex and the harbour office.We even found the Swedish Met office English broadcast on vhf. All forecasts were consistent in general direction....the winds would ease over the day and become quite light in the afternoon. So we prepared and set off mid morning, for the approx 20 miles across the Sound to Dragor in Denmark.
 
Given our past experience of the forecasts over recent days, it did not come as a great surprise when the actual weather  was the complete opposite of that forecast: increasing winds and heavy rain. The good news was that this gave us a really spirited sail, with Moondog healing over and really cutting through the short chop found in the Sound, with spray flying off the bow. She felt very comfortable beating upwind, although she was happiest sailing a little 'free', at around 55 degrees to the wind, at which she made around 6.5 knots in 15 knots wind. As the wind increased to around 20 knots we got a bit tired of living at an angle, and put one reef in, which was extremely easy from the cockpit with the single line reefing. This cut the heel dramatically, with virtually no loss of speed.
 
In this way we tacked up the Sound, watching the traffic coming up and down the shipping lanes, and being sure to avoid the big windfarm by the Oresund Bridge. I think Paul was in his element here....the general rain, cold, and shallow water was very similar to the East Coast sailing that he is used to..
 
Approaching the Danish shore we had to make our way north, and in view of the shipping channels, and the fact that a good F5 was now blowing directly from the North, we resorted to engine for an hour and motored upwind and into the marina. In fact we had originally intended to make for Kastrup Strandpark, a little further up the coast, but this would have required a couple of miles passage through shallows, which was best avoided in the conditions we were experiencing.
 
In the event, our choice of Dragor turned out to be a good one, since it is a very pretty little town, preserved in the old style, with little thatched cottages, and shops. Quite incredinble really, since you can see the airport tower from the boat, but you would never guess that you were so close to such a major hub airport.  Very convenient for crew changes...the number 35 bus from the marina to the terminal !
 
We have moored next to a fellow Brit, travelling to Stockholm, and so some pleasant banter and swapping stories of our trips so far.  Also....great news....I have finally found a volvo engineer to come and do the first post delivery check on the engine....such people are as rare as hens teeth in Denmark !
 
The pics show the passage, and then the glorious weather that followed ( I guess the f'casts were out by 24 hours) in Dragor. If you ever have a long stop over in Cph, take the 35 bus or a cab to Dragor ......
 
We will be here until Friday pm ( 4 June), with Cathy and Michael joining and Paul having returned to the UK...many thanks to Paul for valuable help and experience on what was really Moondog's shake down trip, with a lot of learning and testing.
 
The forecast is very good for the next few days, with sun and nice F3 winds ( but unfortunately from the N, which is where we are going ), but fingers crossed for a few days of good sailing, and we can always turn the engine on and bash upwind at the end of the day to make the next marina....
 
 

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