Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2012 17:48:12 +0000
Dear all
Well, here we are in the Baltic – brilliant sunny weather, calm seas and blue skies – just like Hugh told me it would be.
We dropped Liz and Gary off on 18 July and then got stuck in Delfzijl for a couple of days whilst it thundered and lightninged, with hints of F10 gales. So, we had our hair cut. As we don’t speak any German it was a bit hit and miss, but we both came out scalped. The term ‘short back and sides’ has never been so rigorously enforced, and we keep looking at each other as though we are with a stranger. Hugh kept telling the hairdresser to ‘tidy it up a bit’ but something may have been lost in translation !! I asked for something that I could manage without doing anything to it after I came out of the shower, and now look like a German lesbian (I have nothing against them by the way).
Eventually we left Delfzijl and moved back to Borkum, whence we had come. Heiko (harbourmaster who sounded like he had come from Glasgow) and Jackie (who had come from Glasgow) looked after us again in the old naval harbour. The first time we went there we had to clean the fenders afterwards as there was so much black stuff on them from the harbour walls, but this time we ventured into a berth which would not require that.
We moved on to Helgoland (funnily enough not a sand dune but a lump of rock stuck in the middle of sand dunes) in a F6, gusting F7. It was different. Imagine Jersey or Guernsey crossed with Legoland. The tourists come by ferry and spend lots of money on duty free booze, cigarettes and perfume, then poke off again. It has lots of camping, guest houses and hotels. On the Saturday we arrived much partying was going on, including the local Fire Brigade who had moved their four engines out of the garage and opened it up as a summerfest or, as Hugh put it, a Fire Brigade jump up. There was a live band, drinks (long, short, cocktails) and wursts to eat. Goodness knows what would have happened it a fire had broken out.
The next morning, Sunday, we were treated to a full church service on board a Danish training vessel which was moored nearby – at 7 am.
On Monday we headed for the River Elbe, which we had to get to by a certain time otherwise the 5 knots of tide which runs with you runs against you ! The entry to the Kiel canal was exciting – probably 40 yachts all trying to jam in at once. Being English, we meandered along at the back waiting for people to sort themselves out before positioning ourselves against an unsuspecting boat, and ‘Oshit’, the great god of locks, was on our side.
90 kilometres later, with beautiful weather and sunshine all the way, we popped out of the Kiel Canal at the other end and are now bedded down nicely in a yacht haven in Kiel. Unfortunately George, our constant companion and autopilot, has decided that he no longer wants to be part of our journey, and has given up the ghost. Although Hugh spent most of the morning with his head in a hole at the back end nothing has improved, and George will have to travel back to England with us on 30 August, but we are not sure how he will get through customs !
At 8 am this morning we were woken to the sound of blaring horns – Hugh said that something big had just come in. Unknown to us it was the Queen Elizabeth, which decided to leave this evening as we were skyping Mair in Canada, and so he was treated to a view of the QE leaving Kiel, and even more blaring of horns.
We got the bikes out today and rode up to the supermarket. Hugh was rather appalled when it turned out to be Aldi (only usually shopping in Waitrose or Albert Heijn) but we managed anyway. Unfortunately neither of us speak or read German, which makes shopping rather interesting. We have to go down every aisle to see what it might contain. We rode back laden down with all sorts of fishy goodies, along the cycle paths and without falling off the bikes.
Kiel’s waterways are very busy – much busier than Portsmouth. We will stay here tomorrow and a) investigate the town if I am lucky or b) go tot he submarine museum if I am not. One would think that H would have had enough of submarine museums ……..
So we wish you Gut Nacht (although night time here is officially 10.30 pm to 2.30 a.m as it stays light so late) with much affection
Hugh n Jenny xxx
wimpysailor 