We keep a harbourmaster from his tea
Our position is 58:14.696N 22:38.274E Distance covered 50.8 Nm We needed to keep up progress south in order to catch a forecast weather window, which would allow us to get back to Bornholm with favourable winds, so once the wind had dropped we left Kuivastu quite early in bright sunshine heading for Kuressaare.
Goodbye to Antipole and Kuivastu
In spite of the sunshine it was cold and the wind was from the south west so we were motor sailing when a border guard boat came alongside. They only wanted to confirm our details and destination so we were able to continue without trouble. Given that we were only in the Gulf of Riga and therefore surrounded by the EU, is this likely to happen more frequently post Brexit?
After lunch the wind strengthened and the course changed. The water was choppier, which didn’t help when the engine overheated and Ted had to clear weed from the cooling water inlet, but it was soon done and everything went back to normal. It was rough going as the afternoon dragged on and rain threatened, but the wind dropped the water got more sheltered and it stayed dry, if cold.
The long approach channel to Kuressaare was very interesting. It is dredged out of extremely shallow water and the rock is piled up on either side of the passage. There were also many birds enjoying the conditions. The harbourmaster had been following our AIS track and was expecting us, so he had waited even though we did not get there until after 6pm and he should have gone home before then. Again the harbour only had one other visiting boat and, in spite of the excellent welcome, it felt like a very long day.
The following day we explored the town, which is noted for its castle.
The story is that these trolls were friendly, and protected and supported the local population |
