Winter cruiseSingle-handed around Denmark at an unusual time

Pascal Schürmann

 · 07.03.2022

Winter cruise: single-handed around Denmark at an unusual timePhoto: Philipp Hympendahl
Sunrise at sea: like a promise of another eventful day
Cold, wet, stormy - so what? Philipp Hympendahl writes about why sailing in the darker months of the year can be exhausting, but also extremely rewarding

From the Dutch IJsselmeer out onto the Wadden Sea and on across the North Sea to the mouth of the Elbe. Then across the Kiel Canal into the Baltic Sea. Then across the Belt heading north towards the Kattegat and finally back to the North Sea via the Limfjord: what is already a considerable trip with many challenges during the normal sailing season can sometimes turn into quite an adventurous endeavour in winter.

YACHT author Philipp Hympendahl experienced this first-hand. Strong tides, lots of wind, plenty of swell, low temperatures and short days were his companions. He sailed the route single-handed with his "African Queen" when the vast majority of local sailors had long since put their boats ashore.

The solo skipper has captured what and, above all, how he experienced his journey, the special charm of the winter stage destinations and the effect of being alone on his own consciousness in impressive pictures and a moving text - now available for reading in the new YACHT (issue 6/2022, available now in magazine shops and as a digital edition in the YACHT app, and can be ordered directly here).

Downloads:

Pascal Schürmann

Pascal Schürmann

Editor YACHT

Pascal Schürmann joined YACHT in Hamburg in 2001. As head of copywriting and head of the editorial team, he makes sure that all articles make it into the magazine on time and that they are both informative and entertaining to read. He was born in the Bergisches Land region near Cologne. He learned how to handle the tiller and sheet as a teenager in a touring dinghy on the Sneeker Meer and on a tall ship on the IJsselmeer. During and after his studies, he sailed on the Baltic Sea and in the Mediterranean. As a trained business journalist, he is also responsible for boat financing and yacht insurance reports at YACHT, but also has a soft spot for blue water topics.

Most read in category Travel