Friday, 26 July
Despite a forecast of heavy rain and gusty winds, the day looked fair and we set off to Kiel in a steady breeze of 10-12 knots mainly from the South which was a very friendly direction as we could enjoy an easy reach instead of the usual beating into the wind.
We were soon hitting 9 knots and Greta (auto helm) did a great job of holding our steady course through the military exclusion zone. All the other yachts were sailing through it and apparently they will give you a 5 minute warning before they start shooting (!)
To be honest we were going so fast nothing could have hit us! The wind strengthened gently to gusts up to 16 knots
Even in the rain La Bamba is a party boat!
Kevin loves the rain
While the rest of us stayed dry…
The benefit of sailing with friends is we can take photos of each other under sail so we can see what we look like:
Quattordici recommended Laboe marina just up from Kiel so we booked a berth as we sailed along as Monique recommended. She makes a great Sailing Secretary! I’m really hoping they’ll be coming through the Kiel canal with us as they are good company, really helpful and have tons of experience! And they have Billy.
The rain soon stopped once Kevin went below and after I put on my waterproofs, and we entered the busy channel down towards Kiel around 1.30pm. Our marina is peaceful and has a sandy beach nearby.
We found a gallery, along the front in Laboe, of seascape paintings by Kerstin Hirch – I loved her use of texture and light.
We were very hungry, which is always a mistake when the menu is full of fish!
Time to have a lie down I think!
Party people or party boat. Love the sound of the wind in the sails from my sunny stable garden! Hope you are now all safely progressing through the canal.