Hun har en sommerkjole på – den er fuld af liv og mørkeblå – jeg kender hendes navn hun er drømmenes København
She wears a summer dress, so vivid, dark and blue – I know her name, she is the Copenhagen of dreams come true.
Unexpectedly, my heart was pounding and a broad smile lit up my face as we had the Öresund Bridge on our starboard side and all of Copenhagen’s landmarks, including my birthplace, “Vor Frelsers Kirke,” on port. This was where we would reunite with Trine and Femke, and where Trine and I would bid farewell to friends and family. It marked the start of our long goodbye.
Our cruise in Danish waters began near the German border in the South Fyn Archipelago, renowned for its numerous small islands and popularity among Danish sailors, despite its notoriously challenging navigation. I had eagerly anticipated this part of our journey for three reasons: 1) I had never visited before, and it was reputed to be exceptionally beautiful; 2) it would be the first opportunity for Coen and me to go spearfishing again; and 3) we planned to reunite with our friends Kasper & Louise and their two delightful boys, Karl & Viggo, with whom Trine and I had spent five months sailing around the Caribbean.
My first reason was resoundingly validated. We sailed past Marstal, a significant maritime hub since the 16th century. As the largest town on Ærø, it has been deeply intertwined with shipping and sea trade for centuries. Historically a prominent shipbuilding center, Marstal is home to numerous beautifully preserved old wooden boats. That evening, we anchored in a picturesque bay along the east coast of Langeland. From there, we proceeded to Svendborg, another old maritime center, navigating through Thurøsund, the
epitome of Danish idyll. The scene captured the essence of Danish idyll: beech woods stretching down to the water, charmingly colored old houses with their small bathing piers extending into the strait, all set against a backdrop of small sailboats and kayakers enjoying a lovely Danish summer day on the water.
As stunning as this area is above the water, it is equally barren beneath the surface. Normally, these waters teem with flatfish, cod, trout, and other marine life, but during our two-hour dive, we didn’t spot a single fish longer than 10 cm. Aside from a few crabs and some blue mussels, there was little else. This paints a grim picture of the eutrophied Danish waters, where oxygen depletion—largely due to excessive fertilizer runoff from farms—turns our coastal areas into dead zones.
Nonetheless, Coen managed to collect a bag full of blue mussels, which we transformed into a delicious dish of white-wine-cream-pasta with mussels—Lækkert!
Finally, we reunited with Kasper & Louise, which gave me a perfect opportunity to catch up and bid farewell to some dear friends. Kasper, a professional marine engine mechanic, along with Louise, had spent three years cruising through Europe, the Caribbean, and North America. Their experiences left them with invaluable tips for our journey. Kasper gave us a crash course on engine maintenance and troubleshooting electrical systems for us, along with numerous other small tips that we hadn’t considered. For example, he showed us the value of adding a swivel between our anchor chain and anchor, and how to fill up our accumulator tank for our freshwater system. We spent quality time with Kasper on the boat and enjoyed some quality time with the entire family both in city centre Svendborg and at their home.
From Svendborg, we made a stopover in Stubbekøbing on Falster before continuing on to Copenhagen. We arrived in Stubbekøbing just before sunset—a place I would never have thought to visit. It was dotted with
numerous charming small sailing boats, and the sight of all the masts in the harbor in the golden hour of sunset while swallows darted about, was as if painted by the brush of Claude Monet. Once again, the beauty of sailing is that it takes you to these unexpected places. Normally, when traveling, I would carefully select a route and have many expectations about my destinations. But the ability to drift into an unplanned locale and be pleasantly surprised is truly a gift.
We spent the next four to five days in Copenhagen, attending to some repairs on the boat, loading up with equipment from mine and Trine’s place, and of course, spending quality time with our closest friends and family before setting off. We had a wonderful goodbye party in Valby Park, a large park adjacent to the beach in Copenhagen. The weather was perfect, and with food grilling, ball games, and great company, it was the ideal farewell. The following day, we departed from Nyhavn in central Copenhagen, where family and
a few friends gathered to give us their hugs and goodbyes. I hadn’t cried in many years, but as I hugged my sister Anne farewell, I couldn’t help but let the tears flow freely until we had cast off the moorings and were well out of sight of our loved ones.
After some delightful days in Copenhagen, where the weather contributed to a vibrant city atmosphere, we spent the next four days traveling to Thyborøn at the end of Limfjorden. These days were marked by dull, grey summer weather, completed with rain and strong winds. In Thyborøn, we awaited the right weather window before setting off for the Netherlands and Scheveningen, where Coen and Femke planned to host their farewell party. While waiting in Thyborøn, we managed to get quite a bit done on the boat, including fixing the fridge. We also purchased and tested our new air compressor, which we hope to use frequently under southern skies. We’ve been making great use of our new air fryer, “Freja-The-Frier,” especially during our pizza nights and bread baking sessions—she’s been amazing! Additionally, I lost my watch in the harbor, which turned out to be the perfect opportunity to test our dive equipment. Thankfully, not only did the gear perform well, but I also found my watch. Yay! On the downside, several days of persistent strong winds extended our stay in Thyborøn unexpectedly, complicating our timely arrival at the goodbye party. As we waited, we began considering alternative plans.
