Long coast and canal - again
Regina
Espen Aalstad
Fri 13 Jun 2008 21:00
Olympiahafen, Kiel, June 13th 9 pm
The wind picked up from NNW as we left Scheweningen to round the NW Dutch tip. Luckily we had help from the current to gain speed in a cold, beat (wind at front side). Combined with the increasing waves of the north sea, nobody felt like food all day and neither like continuing through the night as we rounded Vlieland. Food and sleep still took long as we found Vlieland marina closed and had to motor around sandbanks to Tschellingen. A total detour of 20 nmiles in the end with low tide.
A better decision next day when both winds and sun was nicer.
Regina did average 9-10 knots with a fresh NW reach. We made Brunsbuttel locks by breakfast to enter the Kiel canal. First we needed to fill Regina with popular provisions from EU.
The six hours on the canal was good recuperation for everybody, but think this was our last time on waterway..
Outside the lock in Kiel we were again amazed at its sailing community. Big Olympia hafen (from 1972) was busy on a Friday night. Famous Swedes on the wall, including our boat agent Bo Knape it turned out!