⛵ Kiel 🇩🇪 to Rostock 🇩🇪

Cast off at 10am with 12-15 knots from the southeast. The side wind made single-handed departure from the Kiel dock interesting. Expected a reach accross the Kieler Bucht, got a beat instead. White sails everywhere in the Foerde—Kieler Woche weather without the event.

At the mouth of the fjord, the military shooting range normally forces a 10-mile detour. They announced cessation of operations on VHF at 1200. Saved the extra tack.

Wind built to 20 knots. Set staysail on the foredeck and got thoroughly soaked—short, steep waves I hadn’t anticipated. Wind dropped back to 12-15 within an hour. Shook out the genoa and settled into proper upwind work. Another sailboat led the way ahead while a smaller open boat fell behind. Held formation for most of the afternoon.

By 1600 I was tired and Heiligenhafen offered an anchorage. The alternative meant motoring under the Fehmarn Sund bridge. Anchor set minutes before dark clouds arrived with thunder and an hour of heavy rain. No lightning visible. Evening cleared to sun and light air. Non-alcoholic anchor beer, quiet night.

Next morning the wind backed southwest. Approached Fehmarn Sund bridge under sail—clearance supposedly 6 meters above the mast. Didn’t look it. Absolutely certain the masthead would strike. It didn’t.

Broad reach east with wind to 18 knots in gusts. Uneventful run to Warnemünde entrance. Autumn gale forecast for the following days, so aimed for Hohe Düehne—easiest marina access on this coast. Anchored briefly outside at 1700. Wind gusting 15 knots on the beam, dolphins in the box. Waited an hour for conditions to ease, then attempted entry. Single-handing dolphins requires being at helm, midships for lines, and somehow stopping halfway in without the bow getting caught. Managed it eventually.

Weather Conditions

• Wind: Southeast 12-20 knots (day 1), southwest 12-18 knots with gusts (day 2)
• Seas: 1 meter, short and steep
• Weather: Clear to cloudy, thunderstorms and heavy rain at anchor, clearing overnight

Navigation

• Departure: Kiel
• Arrival: Hohe Düehne (Rostock)
• Distance: 78 nautical miles (about 144 kilometers)
• Duration: 31 hours (with overnight anchorage)

Notes

• Forestay chainplate and aft lower terminals leak in rain

Highlights

• First anchorage in weeks
• Baltic Sea characteristics noticeably different from North Sea and Atlantic

Photos

Racing in Kieler Bucht

Thunder and heavy rain minutes after anchoring—cleared by evening

Six meters of clearance that felt like negative two

Approaching Hohe Düehne

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