Text: Reinhold Quast
Our "Belle Epoque", a Biga 270, actually has its home port on Lake Ammersee. But she feels really at home on the Baltic Sea. The starting point is Maasholm on the Schlei. We sail past Schleimünde in fine weather under main and code zero towards Bagenkop on Langeland.
Course for Denmark
With its colourful little houses, the harbour has a Nordic flair - perfect as a prelude to our trip to Copenhagen. Dovns Klint is the southern tip of Langeland, with a large lighthouse perched on the cliff. We hoist the sails and head into the Great Belt.
Under full sail, we head up to Onsevig, alongside large cargo ships. The small village lies in the north of Lolland in the middle of nature and right on our route. The Småland fairway, which separates Zealand from the large islands of Lolland, Falster and Møn, begins here to the east. Together with Ulvsund and Bøgestrøm, it forms an ideal passage to Öresund, the border between Denmark and Sweden. However, the current and narrow fairways must be observed.
To Femø and Vordingborg
We let the sunshine and a stern wind push us out to the island of Femø. In addition to flowering gardens, small park landscapes with art impressions characterise the island, which is already internationally renowned for its jazz festival. A visit to the Kro from 1659 is also worthwhile, and in the evening we experience a magnificent sunset on the beach.
The next day takes us to Vordingborg in the Viking Age. With a strong aft current, we glide under Storstrømsbro, and immediately afterwards we turn off into the narrow fairway to Vordingborg. This is where the legendary King Waldemar built one of his largest castles in 1130. Today you can easily stroll up from the harbour and visit the ruins with the goose tower. From here, you are also right in the town, where there are pubs and restaurants as well as good shopping opportunities.
The old pilot island of Nyord
We then have a special sailing experience from Vordingborg to Nyord: this section is almost reminiscent of a river landscape with its many twists and turns. On both sides, trees, meadows and small thatched houses convey a deep sense of calm. The current, which is running strongly here, allows us to sail down the Ulvsund under jib only. The island of Møn lies to the south, and at Kalvehave we pass what is perhaps the most beautiful bridge in Denmark, the Dronning Alexandrines Bro.
We reach Nyord with its idyllic little harbour, the entrance to which measures barely five metres. At the beginning of the last century, Nyord was still a pilot island for ships sailing up the Bøgestrøm with its countless bends and banks. A walk up the hill leads to the former pilot house, where you can find photos from the old days. The water reflects the colours of the sky like a large mirror.
Through Køge Bugt
We follow the old route, meticulously along the buoy line through many bends and turns out into Faxe Bugt. The aft wind makes us jibe more often, and outside the wind picks up strongly. Shortly before Rødvig it reaches over 20 knots in gusts. The harbour is quite full, many sailors want to sail from here to the south coast of Sweden. We plan a hike to a special place for the next day: Stevns Klint, a short walk from the harbour, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ash layers in the cliffs here provide evidence of the meteor impact in the Gulf of Mexico that heralded the end of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. The hike continues along the edge of the cliffs with fantastic views of the Öresund. The water below sparkles like the Caribbean.
A stable high with easterly winds is forecast over this part of Denmark next week. That fits in perfectly with our plan. From Rødvig we toil through the large Køge Bugt in light winds, where decisive sea battles have already been fought. In the end, we are glad when we finally reach Dragør. Once an important harbour town, it is now a popular excursion destination from Copenhagen, which is literally just around the corner from here.
Öresund and Copenhagen
From Dragør, you can quickly reach Copenhagen, which makes it easier to find a berth there. We approach the metropolis from the north, passing the royal harbour and the modern opera house. Shortly before the bridge to Nyhavn, we turn left to Christianshavn and slowly make our way into the small harbour channel. It is divided into the free city harbour at the front and the privately managed guest harbour at the back, which requires registration.
We are actually lucky and find a space next to a houseboat in the city harbour. We spend a few lovely summery and exciting days in the lively city before the contrasting programme awaits us: the Swedish island of Ven. Our Biga sails northwards through the Öresund under a large and code zero.
A brief farewell to Denmark: Ven
The quaint harbour of Kyrkbacken in the west of Ven lies directly in front of the cliff face, on the upper edge of which the medieval church of Sankt Ibbs with its venerable cemetery and ancient crosses watches over the island. The hike up is rewarded with a magnificent view: in the distance you can see Denmark and the skyline of Copenhagen rising out of the haze above the water in dramatic backlighting.
Our short detour to Sweden ends again and we sail up the Öresund into the Kattegat with a stable easterly wind. The large fishing harbour of Gilleleije is our next destination and the log shows up to seven knots. Between Helsingør and Helsingborg, we let the fast car ferries pass, which still operate here even after the construction of the large bridge. The famous Danish castle Kronborg, the home of Shakespeare's Hamlet, lies to port.
Part 2 will follow soon
