Advice for the Baltic - Kiel to Copenhagen

[mrming]

Planning to take the school holidays off work and take the kids cruising in summer 2023. Departing from the Swale.

The plan is to aim for Copenhagen and see how far we get. Due to reading various other threads and a bunch of books I’m pretty clued up as far as the other end of the Kiel canal.

What I don’t have much info on is the bit between exiting the canal and Copenhagen.

If anyone has done it and can recommend any fun / scenic routes, great places to stop etc, that would be much appreciated. ?

 

[wully1]

Rodvig Havn has the best Fiskendeller in Denmark...not far south of Copenhagen. If you get to Copenhagen then Nyhavn (the place with the wooden boats that features in every photo of my absolute favourite city is central but noisy and ‘washy’.

Not much scenery from the water but there are hundreds of small harbours all over Denmark that are cheap and welcoming. Boats are mainly 30-35 ft (are a very rough average) so the facilities are more aimed towards that size of boat with box berths where you step ashore through the bow - If your boat is big with high topsides and has an enclosed pulpit you’ll be doing some clambering. Box berths..ever wondered why Scandi boats have rubbing strakes?

If Copenhagen is your target then I’d push on there ASAP then head north again , turn left and cruise back via the Great Belt/ Odense/Loland.

If you haven’t already get the NV chart pack.

 

[mickbond]

Hi we went to Copenhagen during our trip in 2017 read our blog, fleurofpendle.blogspot.co.uk
happy to help with any other info.

 

[johnalison]

There are three or four ways of doing it.
North round Fyn via the large or small belts. This is something I have only done once. Pleasant but not particularly memorable for me, though there is a nice little old museum in Oersted’s town.

Through the islands various ways. You could go via Nykobing Falster where there is a fine Middle Ages centre with a couple of vast trebuchets which you might see working on Saturdays. There are shallow sections here but a minimum of 2.1m charted. Various pleasant small towns on the way.

The Baltic route can be done on either the Danish or German sides, or even zig-zag. There are several interesting stops on the German side, such as Wismar/Poel, Kuhlungsborn with its steam narrow-gauge railway, Hiddensee for traffic-free chilling. On the Danish side, Gedser is just a stop but Klintholm is pleasant and a short bus ride/cycle from the spectacular cliffs. Rodvig, wully1 mentions, also has cliffs which are of geological interest apparently. There is a fine walk along them, though they aren’t as high as Klintholm.
nearer Kobenhavn you could stop at Skanor on the Swedish side, where there is a fine but not posh fish restaurant as well as a museum lifeboat built in Wivenhoe. Near Kobenhavn you could stop at Flakfortet for its quaintness, or go a little past to Hven in the Sound. This is a charming island, with a Museum to Tycho Brahe who lived and worked there.

 

[BabaYaga]

I would recommend going by the ’Smaalandsfarvandet’ on either outbound or return trip. This is the stretch of water south of Sjelland and north of islands Lolland, Falster and Moen.
For the stay in Copenhagen the Christianshavn canal is nice and cosy, right opposite the city centre. Book in advance (see Wilders Plads Marina).
A couple of other places well worth visiting are Marstal and Aeroeskoeping on Aeroe.

 

[Pye_End]

A couple of other places well worth visiting are Marstal and Aeroeskoeping on Aeroe.

+1. The 'Ship in a Bottle' museum worth a visit.

Also, could then go north to Svenborg, and round the top of Langland. Lovely area and good sailing.

If you have time there are plenty of places up the Little Belt and north of Fyn as well, though depends if you want to take a more direct route or not.

The big advantage of the Danish side rather than the German coast is that you get to shop at the bakeries for Danish pastries!

 

[Gary Fox]

If you do go up the Little Belt, Ebeltoft is worth stopping for a day. The maritime heritage museum is amazing, historic vessels are littered all over the place and the Jylland frigate ( a crossover from steam to sail) is a day in itself.
I pulled in there with serious gearbox problems in an old wooden boat, and the kindly Danes let me tie up in the museum bit, almost under the Jylland's jib-boom.
They failed to inform me that one of her cannon was to be fired in the morning, and I was moored right under it. That was a wake-up call, and it literally shivered my timbers!
Also, the frigate has a bar on board, offering Carlsberg's finest. You don't even get that on HMS Victory!

 

[Adios]

Second vote for the fish at Rodvig. Nice little village to have a wonder around. Very classically twee Denmark/Legoland.

Lovely anchorage with sandy beach backed by woodland here a day sail north from kobenhavn 56°26'36.9"N 12°33'57.5"E gets some day trippers but by the evening your kids will probably have the place to yourselves.

 

[Cool_Blue]

Well we did this trip in 2019, aiming for Copenhagen ! ( Leaving from Sandwich )
I can say from experience you havent got the time, we broke the trip into two parts , two weeks in May/ June and went through Holland to Workum. On the first day of school holidays we drove to Workum and continued our voyage along the coast into Cuxhaven and throught the canal. At that poimt we decided Copenhagen was out of reach so spent a fantastic time visiting Bagenkop, Aero,Farbourg , Bayou, Middlefart, Dyvig , Sonderborg before returning through the canal and picking up the satnding mast route at Delfzil. We used all of the six weeks to do this second part at quite a speed.
Great experience, enjoyed it all ( perhaps not the long legs along the dutch / german coast) . All done in day sailing legs but in a relativley fast yacht.

 

[davidej]

Don't forget to stop at Helgoland on the way to Keil - or on the way back.

Apart from the duty free booze, it has wonderful bird life and more craters per square metre than almost anywhere else in the world, thanks to the RAF.

The harbour is huge and, on one visit, we were in a 14 boat raft.!

 

[Adios]

Well we did this trip in 2019, aiming for Copenhagen ! ( Leaving from Sandwich )
I can say from experience you havent got the time, we broke the trip into two parts , two weeks in May/ June and went through Holland to Workum. On the first day of school holidays we drove to Workum and continued our voyage along the coast into Cuxhaven and throught the canal. At that poimt we decided Copenhagen was out of reach so spent a fantastic time visiting Bagenkop, Aero,Farbourg , Bayou, Middlefart, Dyvig , Sonderborg before returning through the canal and picking up the satnding mast route at Delfzil. We used all of the six weeks to do this second part at quite a speed.
Great experience, enjoyed it all ( perhaps not the long legs along the dutch / german coast) . All done in day sailing legs but in a relativley fast yacht.

If you aren't interested in going through inland routes (highly recommend at least once) and can sail long legs you can easily do it in a summer school holiday. Going there due to weather it was better to stay inland and go through the Nederlands (I bought the boat in South Holland) coming out at Lauwersoog. Coming back we went straight from Cuxhaven to Ijmuden in one 36 hour hop, Tides are helpful if you hit the corner right. Then straight back across to Harwich.

If you have enough tide with you coming into the Elbe you can carry on past Cuxhaven and go straight into the canal, can moor up just inside the locks on the north side. It is a bit bumpy with wash and noisy but more interesting and memorable for the kids than another marina. That can save half a day and you can get going up the canal over breakfast

 

[johnalison]

If you aren't interested in going through inland routes (highly recommend at least once) and can sail long legs you can easily do it in a summer school holiday. Going there due to weather it was better to stay inland and go through the Nederlands (I bought the boat in South Holland) coming out at Lauwersoog. Coming back we went straight from Cuxhaven to Ijmuden in one 36 hour hop, Tides are helpful if you hit the corner right. Then straight back across to Harwich.

If you have enough tide with you coming into the Elbe you can carry on past Cuxhaven and go straight into the canal, can moor up just inside the locks on the north side. It is a bit bumpy with wash and noisy but more interesting and memorable for the kids than another marina. That can save half a day and you can get going up the canal over breakfast

Other things being equal, it would make more sense to aim for the Kiel Canal in one go on the way out and save the inland Holland route for the return journey, at a time when westerly winds are more likely, but certainly not guaranteed. An alternative to what you say is to stop at Cuxhaven on the way and then go through to Rendsberg to break the canal journey, this being an easy day trip if the tides are convenient.

Our first trip to the Baltic was in a Sadler 29 in 1990. We went to Brunsbuttel on the first leg and then did a leisurely circuit of Fyn before returning to Norderney at the end of three weeks, where we left the boat for a month before returning to Essex, a trip that took two weeks in terrible weather. I think that Copenhagen is perfectly feasible for what I suppose to be a six week cruise.

apropos Danish pastries, I would say that German patisserie is also extremely good, especially their very light cheesecake, made with quark.

 

[Adios]

Other things being equal, it would make more sense to aim for the Kiel Canal in one go on the way out and save the inland Holland route for the return journey, at a time when westerly winds are more likely, but certainly not guaranteed.

Sorry I wasn't very clear when I said due to weather I meant at the time I did it the weather was terrible for the time of year. If the weather allows going straight there makes more sense if the aim is to see the Baltic. The summer weather gets more settled once in the Baltic which is another reason to be single minded about getting there. Allowing time for the inland route on the way back as well allows for the weather to force that on you.

Have to say I really enjoy the dutch inland waters much more interesting than any we have in the UK. Very varied and plenty of bits where sailing is feasible. I've brought a few motorboats back from holland as well which allowed a lot more exploring than with a mast.

 

[johnalison]

I find much of Denmark charming rather than memorable, and it is not particularly scenic. The island route is interesting, but you would miss sailing past the most knobbly bit in Mons Klint. You can walk down the cliff, in about 450 steps. Perhaps you could go one way and return the other. This would be the more direct way. I would happily return to Copenhagen to revisit the Ny Carlesberg Glyptotek, an art and sculpture gallery near the Tivoli Gardens.
Mons Klint

 

[mrming]

Thanks everyone - some great info and advice. Understood we might not make it all the way there but we’ll see how the weather pans out at the time.

If we end up just pootling about in the Dutch standing mast route that looks like fun in and of itself. Now checking out the various places in my pilot book and travel guides. ?

 

[Adios]

Thanks everyone - some great info and advice. Understood we might not make it all the way there but we’ll see how the weather pans out at the time.

If we end up just pootling about in the Dutch standing mast route that looks like fun in and of itself. Now checking out the various places in my pilot book and travel guides. ?

The midnight convoy through to Amsterdam is an experience you'll never forget. Unless they've invested in 2 bridge operators lately you need to hover around in the dark between bridges until everyone is through and he opens the next one. Can't tie up at the side due to trees and to top it off we had a large sand barge tearing down the canal through the middle of us.

I was just googling for a place name and came across this New CA Guide to The Netherlands Standing Mast Routes | CA I didn't know there were 14 mast up routes though they must be mostly small variations rather than 14 separate routes. Still might be worth investing in.

But really if the weather is good there is no trouble getting to the Baltic and going leisurely through some of the nederlands as well in 6 weeks. If you can at least get as far north as Ijmuden before going inland you can cut the corner off and visit Amsterdam the easy way without taking so much time. In fact if the weather is bad thats all the more reason to keep going to the Baltic as its where the high pressure is most of the summer

 

[Adios]

I figured someone must have put some video the Amsterdam convoy on Youtube by now and sure enough I found this brilliant video

Was filmed in 2013 and looks like they have taken some of the fun out of it. It used to be one man on a moped operating the bridges. Once all the boats were through a bridge he would close it, get on his bike to the next one and so on. So it took a long time and was quite hectic with the big number of boats when I went through all jigging around waiting between bridges. By the look of it there is now a launch going ahead and probably operating each bridge by remote control so they open when they are approached. Not sure how they know to close them, guess must have another launch at the back.