Mermaid and the Opera

5o years on, and the focus of our voyage to Copenhagen this year.
Back in 1966 David White and I set out to sail from England to Denmark in an open boat.
The Royal Danish Yacht Club was celebrating its first 100 years, we wanted to join the party.

1966  after a voyage from England in Jacandor

We line up Antiope in the same spot 50 years on!

In 2015 we had an invitation to attend the 150th celebration, we accepted and decided to arrive in Antiope.

 Our host Flemming aboard his X yacht, he has sailed with us in New Zealand and helped pilot us across from Germany.

All dressed up for the party, we leave Antiope and walk to the Opera house.

An amazing venue, the new Opera house









                                  We dine on balcony level 4

Myself and David, The two mad dinghy sailors 

Crown prince Frederik and Mary arrive

The royal party arrive, the Aussie Princess Mary has become a favorite of the Danes. 

Copenhagen

We arrived in Copenhagen after a two day run up from Travemunde in mostly calm weather.

We leave Travemunde an early 6 am start

Marina Baltica, Travemunde our winter home

Our first sign of Denmark, A massive wind farm off the coast

We wind our way through the Danish islands, Flemming is our pilot for the trip

Nightfall as we approach Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Our reserved berth close to town centre and a bar!

Christianhaven, our mooring spot, a short walk to town 

Maritime time capsule

Our first week back aboard Antiope, a busy time, getting all the systems working again. Antiope seems almost human, a bit cranky after her winter sleep, waking up stiff and not thinking clearly, We have coaxed her into life again, Soon we cast off from the handy security of the boatyard, to survive on our own again.

The Travemunde Promenade walk, to the beach. 

Taking time out in Travemunde has been a delight. At first sight it is a seaside town, with a beach, a rare thing in Germany so the populace flock here when the sun shines.

Germans have to pay to use their beach! Summer has yet to arrive!

To the maritime minded, history oozes all along the foreshore. The Trave river has carried laden ships from the Baltic up to Lubeck for many centuries. A narrow entrance quickly gives way to a sheltered harbour where today RoRo ferries and cruise ships arrive every few hours. Then turning to berth within metres of our marina.

A tight turn for ships in the narrow harbour!

Across the harbour lies the 'Passat', the last surviving Windjammer of the flying P line. now a museum, built in 1911 By Blom and Voss in Hamburg, she doubled the Horn many times to bring valuable phosphate from South America. and grain from Australia. Her sister ship 'Pamir' became a victim of war, being impounded in Auckland at the outbreak of war in 1939, Under the NZ flag the Pamir was lost at sea during a storm in the Atlantic in 1955.

'Passat' moored close to the harbour entrance.

'Lisa von Lubeck' The replica 15 century 'Cog' built by volunteers

Below decks is a bar.

Lisa von Lubeck was built by a group of enthusiasts who wanted to recreate a true Hanseatic trader. with only old paintings to work from the project took 5 years. A seagoing vessel, she has sailed to England and the arctic reaches of the Baltic.

        

Travemunde. Gateway to the Baltic

In Auckland the days were getting shorter, so they must be getting longer at the other end of the world. Time to head North!

The Marina at Travemunde, and our gateway to the Baltic 

We are back aboard in Travemunde, where Antiope had hibernated for the winter inside a massive shed along with another 50 or so sleeping boats. The flight from NZ is always long and tiring, however this time we flew the Emirates 17hr marathon direct to Dubai, not too bad, mostly night, and at least we avoided the Aus transit hassle.

Antiope is snug for the Winter

On the cradle, ready to go

The huge boat hoist can manage vessels of 200 tons+

We plan to spend the first week aboard settling in and getting our sleep pattern adjusted. Perhaps a run up river to Lubeck for a sea trial and shopping, before heading out into the Baltic, Denmark and Copenhagen.

Our chart plotter screenshot of the Danish Baltic, Antiope is the black boat at bottom centre.

Why Copenhagen? Well tis a long story, but we have been invited to attend the 150th anniversary of the KDY (The Royal Danish Yacht Club ). You see, I was there with crew mate David for the 100th, but that time in a much smaller boat that we had sailed from England.

In 1966, We sailed from England for the party, in the only boat I owned.

Berlin to the Baltic

Having spent four weeks exploring Berlin and the lake areas around this amazing city, it was time to head North and West to our planned winter home for Antiope in Travemunde,

The Berlin wall 25 years on. on the tip!

We depart Berlin by his massive artwork on the Spree river 

We stop in Potsdam to see Palaces and the site of the Post war Potsdam agreement.   

Schloss Ceciliedhof, where the fate of post war Germany, was thrashed out.

Truman, Stalin, and Churchill sat at this table to map the future shape of Germany

Sans Soussi, just one of the royal palaces of the Prussian Kaisers

We head North into the Mecklingburg region of lakes and narrow waterways.

The Mecklingburg region is remote and enchanting

The old lift bridge at Plau

The Kaiser Willhelm, The recently restored veteran. at Launenburg

The Elbe river was running very low we sail with only cms beneath our keel

  These fisherman are near the middle of the Elbe river

Timber from the Baltic, on the Elbe Lubeck canal

                                         Lubeck waterfront, we are on the doorstep of the Baltic

Holstentor gate, the classic symbol of Lubeck

  Lubeck the Merchants church was destroyed by RAF bombs.

Its' bells lay where thaey fell.

 Antiope alongside in Lubeck

The Schiffergesellschaft. dates from 1400 where shipmasters and merchants met and traded

Now a restaurant we dine in the original rooms

From Lubeck we will cruise down the Trave river to Travemunde and a shed for the winter.

   

Berlin

Having left the Rhine river, we entered the Mittelland canal, a stretch of waterway that crosses most of Germany with only 3 locks. The canal is not exactly scenic, especially in the rain. At Potsdam the skies cleared and we anchor in the lake for a BBQ.

A quiet evening on Potsdam lake

The last page of the route from Nancy some 1200 Kms

Glenicker bridge was the site of  spy swaps during the cold war

A series of lakes lead us to Spandau where we join the Berlin waterways, and a spectacular entry into Berlin

A spectacular entrance to an amazing city.

The picture says it all

The Wall was here, right alongside the waterway.

Antiope in Berlin, a 10min Metro (S Ban) ride from Brandenburg gate

 Cheers Charles