Lady Hamilton 2019

PEENEMUNDE TO DZIWNOW (POLAND)

Day 11  Thursday, 30^th May 2019

I got fresh bread rolls from the Harbour Master and persuaded him post my cards to the grandchildren – they have German stamps on them and we’re sailing to Poland today!

A box mooring again – we exit beautifully but get grounded as we leave the marina!

Follow the narrow channel northwards up the side of Peenemunde and eventually, after a couple of dog legs we’re out in the open Baltic Sea (the Germans call it the Ostsee).  We’re sailing – actually going like a train, over 6 knots – with the wind in the South on a fetch, then on a close fetch as the wind backed SE.

It’s very difficult to make sandwiches as we’re tilted over and there’s quite a swell.  Malcolm puts up the Polish flag and our new blue ensign (from the Cruising Association).

 

This reminds us of the Bell Buoy at Whitby!

There’s a very small entrance to Dziwnow – only a gap in the sand dunes, through which come lots of  children’s dinghies and two rescue ribs.  They don’t last long and scurry back into the safety of the harbour.

 

The new marina is semi-circular.  We moor next to a big German yacht and there don’t seem enough cleats to stop us banging into the wall.  The Harbour Master doesn’t speak English but manages to understand me as I describe the hosepipe.  The bill for one night comes to £10 (for the boat and the electricity) – the cheapest yet.  The ramps up from the pontoon are very steep!

This is our very first time in Poland ever.  So we’re eager to see the main attractions on the Baltic coast and meet the Polish people on their home territory.

We do various jobs and then hit the town.  It’s probably a new holiday town with lots of pizzerias and a supermarket called Polo.  We choose a pizzeria with people in it and a friendly waitress, who speaks very good English, helps us choose Polish delicacies: soup and dumplings, and Bosum beer.  She has worked in the south of England for a year as a live-in carer.  All I can say that the meal filled a hole as we were quite hungry – don’t think I’ll be having dumplings again.

We walked past the graveyard on the way back – Malcolm was very impressed with the all the flowers and candles flickering.  I was more impressed with the little train I saw advertised outside someone’s house!

What I’m reading:  just finished ‘Catherine the Great’, a biography by Robert K. Massie, in preparation for our Russian visits to Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg.  A very good read.  I’m now reading Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming’ – all about her childhood in Chicago, how she met Barack and how he embarked on his political path to the White House.  Also a really good read – and interesting points about Trump, the Queen and the White House itself.

 

STRALSUND TO PENNEMUNDE

Day 10 Wednesday, 29th May 2019

Hurray – we’re off! Get the 8.20 am lifting bridge – actually 2 bridges – a rail and a road bridge.
Say goodbye to lovely Stralsund and its beautiful houses and churches.

 

Sailed all the way down the Strelasund, a buoyed channel, going southwards, under genoa as the wind was NW until the wind died. But it came back again so we sailed with the main and the genoa across the inland sea, south of the big island of Rugen. There are some small ships going up the channel.

 

 

And we beat the Germans!

We then took another buoyed channel to Pennemunde and arrived at 2.30 pm after 28 nautical miles – and immediately legged it to the Museum. Heard my first cuckoo this year in the woods by the long straight road to the small airport. We should have taken a right turn but there are no signposts here.

An extremely kind German couple in a car took us from the airport to the museum. They were holidaying in Peenemunde and spoke no English at all! All Germans have been very kind to us in Germany.

The museum is in a power station and combines the V1 and V2 rockets and the exploration of space with the power station in all its glory! Outside there’s a rocket launching ramp for the V1 (they didn’t send them from Peenemunde but from Holland)

and an early A4, which was the V2 (Vengeance 2). Peenemunde was set up as a centre of excellence for rockets.

During the war, there was a concentration camp on Peenemunde which supplied labour for the manufacture of rockets and the power station. They were TODT workers, prisoners from all over Europe, as we’ve seen in the Channel Islands.

After WW11, the Allies (GB, USA, Russia and France) all wanted to recruit the German scientists, who were at the forefront of rocket science. They seemed to have ignored the terror of the V2s: my mother was at Goldsmiths College in London during 1944 and she remembered that they cut out and silently plummeted to earth where they killed many, many innocent civilians.

Wernher von Braun was a rocket scientist at Peenemunde from 1937 until 1945 and helped NASA to land men on the Moon.

Walked back to the boat along the road for about half an hour, and ate on board as there are no restaurants anywhere near the marina: a Fray Bentos chicken and mushroom pie with lots of veggies!

STRALSUND

Day 9  Tuesday, 28^th May 2019

The Volvo agent rang us at 10 am and said he’d be with us in 20 minutes.  Malcolm was left in charge and had to empty the pilot berth, making access to the starter motor. 

I disappeared and walked round the old city walls and to St. John’s Cloister, where there was a monument to the Jews and some very attractive cottages.  The Jewish memorial commemorates the deportation and the almost complete extermination of the Jewish population of Stralsund – about 170 people. 

 

To the Tourist Office where I got a lovely free book for sailors and asked for directions to the Stralsund Museum, also in a cloister. 

This painting might predate Botticelli’s Aphrodite?  Painted in 1540.  Not as good, though!

Viking hoard found in Hiddensee and Peenemunde. 

 

I love these over-the-top dressers covered in blue tiles.  We bought tiles in Delft and put them behind the Aga at our previous house, ‘The Beeches’.  I’m always a sucker for blue tiles!

Lots of room settings over time – including one for 1970 – the year we got married.  Made me feel very old!  Bought postcards for the grandchildren from the Museum and stamps from the Post Office.   

Don’t you think our grandson Tobin looks like the angel?

Back to the boat by 1.15 pm so to find that the mechanic and the boss are still here!  Luckily the mechanic was small and very nimble and diagnosed the fault – it was the solenoid on the starter which he then replaced.  He stripped the heat exchanger and the associated pipework., and the also inspected the whole of the engine for leaks.

Malcolm then went back to the office with the boss only to find that all 3 cards were rejected by the card reader.  The boss suggested that we went to a bank but the ATM only let M have 200 euros max.  They went to the company’s bank but they couldn’t facilitate a transfer.  They both came back to the boat to try an international transfer on the banking app – and M spoke to a man in Nat West Bank in London.  They could send the money if the Volvo agent sent a fax.  The boss said Germany doesn’t use faxes any more!   And trying to do a payment on the app, the card reader battery was flat.   After all this he left – he’d had a bad experience with a Czech sailor who didn’t pay – but I said my husband was very honest and would get the money to him somehow.  In the end Malcolm transferred the money to our eldest son, Jonathan, who managed to do an international payment the very next day!  

STRALSUND

Day 8   Monday, 27^th May 2019

Plenty of time to do our jobs as we’re waiting for the engine part to arrive. Malcolm catches up with some outstanding maintenance items and  I get busy with washing and drying sheets and clothes before we have to hasten through Poland.  An Icelandic boat hogs the only washing machine for 3 washes in a row – but I find out that they leave the boat in Denmark to overwinter and they’ve had 3 years in the Baltic.

Walking from the Guest Pontoon no. 7 to the Harbour Master’s office (where the sole washing machine and drier, loos and showers are situated) is about ½ km.  I’ve done there and back about 8 x today – so that’s 8 km!

After lunch, we went to the Neuer Markt in the Old Town, with a car park in the middle so not like the Alter Markt, with its big open square and a water feature which children just love. 

My attention is grabbed by a little train – I so loved them in Morlaix and Nordenay!

  We spot a monument to the Russians and some Russian gravestones from 1945 and 1946 by the northern side of St. Marienkirche, another brick-built church like St. Nikolaikirche.  The memorial was erected by the Red Army after the end of WW11 to remember its soldiers.

 St. Marienkirche is less cluttered than St. Nicholas, and immensely tall in the Gothic Perpendicular style.  A very Baroque font contrasts with the plain windows and high ceilings.

 

On the way home we go to Edeka to buy potatoes, gin, tonic, milk and nibbles as we’ve invited Charles Wood (who was in Whitby Yacht Club) and his crew round for drinks tonight.  Pass through the passage inside the Rathaus.  

On the way home we see some small brass plaques (less than 10 sq. cm.) in the pavement in front of houses of which the (mostly Jewish) residents lived and were murdered by the Nazis.  These ‘Stumbling Stones’ (Stolpersteine) mention the name, date of birth and place (mostly a concentration camp) and date of death.  Apparently there are more than 70,000 such memorial blocks laid in more than 1,200 cities and towns across Europe and Russia. It’s the largest decentralised monument in the world.

They arrive promptly at 6 pm – Charles and his crew – who is Chris Shaw, Don Cowan’s nephew who used to sail with his uncle on ‘Applecore’ in Whitby!  We chat about who they remember from Whitby – David Sykes, Derek Wright, Dave Morgan, Alan Smith, Gerry Firth etc. etc.  And then we all go out for a meal together at the Al Porto Italian restaurant on the quayside.  Charles has had many boats over the years, including his new one ‘Ella’, and sailed in Whitby, the West coast of Scotland, and now he’s in the Baltic.  He regaled us with the races they used to sail from Newcastle, Dowsing, Texel to Ipswich and then cruise back to Whitby.  And, most ironically he comes from Halifax, like me!

 

STRALSUND

Day 7  Sunday, 26^th May 2019

Had a very lazy day today after all the excitement of yesterday – and it rained all afternoon.  We had a Sunday breakfast of toast and marmalade and real coffee, then went for showers and they  both worked.

Malcolm cleaned out the big locker and I cleaned the heads and wiped the floor before lunch.  In the rainswept afternoon, we planned our route up the Polish coast to Gdansk, centring on interesting stops and avoiding the many artillery ranges.  Apparently they don’t fire on Sundays and Mondays, or Bank Holidays.  Not sure about Polish bank holidays – need to Google it.

I posted yesterday’s blog about the starter not starting.  Malcolm went to the Marina Office and paid for two more nights and put a further 10 euros on the card.  We’ll eat in tonight as it’s still raining, very cold and miserable.   Put the fan heater on to warm us up.  Will it be sausages or spaghetti sauce with potatoes?  Certainly not a proper Sunday dinner!  The band is still playing …..  will it never end? ……

STRALSUND

Day 6   Saturday, 25^th May 2019

There’s a bridge to the island of Rugen from Stralsund so you have to go through a lifting bridge if you plan to go south to Peenamunde as we’re doing.  It opens 5 times a day and we’re hoping to get the 8.20 am bridge.

We were already to go at 8 am – togged up in our oily trousers, lifejackets, sail cover off and ready to release the lines from the finger pontoon – WHEN THE ENGINE REFUSED TO TURN OVER!  On an initial examination it appeared that the solenoid had jammed and would not respond to the tap of a hammer. So we went to the Harbour Master to find out the name of the local engineer/Volvo agent.  No luck on the telephone as it was Saturday morning.  On ringing Volspec in the UK, it turns out that the part is obsolete.  An alternative is available but only comes with a new starter motor.  With the Bank Holiday on Monday, Volspec wouldn’t be able to get it until Thursday and then it would have to be shipped out.

So, armed with part numbers, we decided to walk a mile and half along the quays to the Volvo agent which closes at 12 today.  The secretary, who spoke good English, rang the boss at home and allowed Malcolm to explain the situation.  The boss then said he would come in to the office and sort it out – which he did!  (He was going to a wedding at 1 pm, so it was very kind of him.) The part is coming on Monday from a bigger Volvo agent and will be fitted on Tuesday.  Much relief all round as our Russian visas for Kaliningrad only run from 6^th to 16^th June and our flights from Tallinn are on July 10^th.  And the Polish coast is 180 miles long before Kaliningrad, not to mention sailing along the coast of the Baltic States! 

On the way back we got ‘bridged’ by boats who were going to anchor along the quays.   I went shopping (only popped into H & M and then went to DM (akin to Superdrug) and to Edeka supermarket) and Malcolm went back to the boat. 

The harbour master told me that the yachts were racing round Rugen, the big island, on Friday night.  We saw lots of them coming in and hooters blaring out as they crossed the finish line earlier this morning.  A X yacht near us had unloaded all the sails onto the pontoon during Friday, then the crew of 6 blokes arrived.  This is the returning crew putting the sail cover on.

 Today there was a race round the island of Hiddensee,  and children’s races are taking place on the ‘meer’ outside Stralsund.

Cooked Spaghetti Bolognaise for tea, with salad, and strawberries to follow, then watched ‘The Children Act’ – a really excellent film to relax with after a rather stressful start to the day!

STRALSUND

Day 5 Friday, 24th May 2019

A very frustrating morning: trying to find Day 2 of the Blog (which I ended up posting after Day 3 much later) and Malcolm went for fuel and it was a long, long way away, across the cobbled quays where the fair is at present. Then we tried to top up with water – we asked several helpful Germans but later realised that the timer kicked in after only 3 minutes and we wanted to fill the two tanks slowly. The harbour master’s only there until 9.30 am and after 5.30 pm so we had a sandwich lunch and hit the town.

 

First stop, the Alter Markt. Saw a wedding just emerging from the Rathaus (Town Hall).

Next stop, St. Nicholas’ Church. The oldest church in Stralsund, begun in 1234, the year that the town was granted its city charter. It was the city council’s official church and had an astonishing number of altars – 56 in all – most of which, like St. Mary’s in Rostock, were removed during the Reformation. The chapels were then turned into burial places for wealthy local families – we saw the huge stone slabs under our feet. The two towers were completed by about 1350.

The church seemed to have a rather ramshackle appearance, with gold statues under plastic wraps, but they are spending a lot of money to restore it so perhaps it’s still being restored. We loved the painted beams and the wall paintings.

 

And thought this angel looked like Tobin, our fifth grandchild!

We lit a candle to those who fought and those who died in the two World Wars.

And another astronomical clock, apparently the oldest clock of its kind still preserved in its original state, dating from 1394. The corners of the clock face show the founders of western and eastern astronomy.

After all this culture, we needed to get an icecream! Mine is Limoncello, more of a drink with cream on top, and Malcolm’s chocolaty. It’s quite warm today so we can sit outside.

Went to Edeka, the supermarket, and bought more wine boxes, and I strolled round the quayside where the Hafentage Stralsund was happening.

 
Back on the boat about 6.30 pm we were summoned by a knocking on the boat by a man and a lady wearing what looked like military uniforms, bearing the words ‘Zoll’ (Customs). We had to show our passports and he filled in a form with our details: name of boat, name of home port, etc. We’re still in the EU, aren’t we? Maybe they thought we were people smugglers?

Had a great pizza and Italian wine at Al Porto, a restaurant on the quayside not far from the boat, and watched another episode of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’.  Fireworks lit up the sky as we were just climbing into bed about 11 pm, similar to the Whitby Regatta Fireworks in August, but an hour later. And the band played on and on ……..

WARNEMUNDE TO STRALSUND
Day 4 Thursday, 23rd May 2019
A sunny day, although quite roly poly early on following the strong westerlies of yesterday. Put the alarm on for 5.30 am and were outside the harbour by 6.30 am. This was a box mooring so you have to hook the ‘lassoes’ back over the posts, whilst releasing the bow lines, first on the lee side then on the windward side.
After 5 hours sailing in an north-easterly direction, we got to Darber Ort and took an 80 degree turn eastwards, towards Hiddensee. Hiddensee is a long thin island just off the big holiday island of Rugen.

Winds from 14 knots to 9 knots so we sailed all the way until 3 pm, on a beam reach until Darber Ort and then goosewinging until the wind died, half a mile short of the buoyed channel. After Hiddensee we turned south towards the channel to Stralsund, another Hanseatic city like Rostock.

There are many shallows on the way down the buoyed channel – so that’s why you have to stick in the channel!

After 58 miles, and arriving in the Stralsund City Marina at 6 pm, we were greeted by a noisy rock band, part of the Hafen festival complete with a ferris wheel, roundabouts and stalls! The marina is quite expensive – you have to pay for a card which opens the toilets and showers, electricity and water. Malcolm ended up getting a cold shower (he ended up showering on the boat) but mine was hot. In the end we ate on the boat as we hadn’t slept well last night and needed an early night. Watched the first episode of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, second series, before collapsing into bed with the rock band still playing….

FEHMARN TO WARNEMUNDE (Rostock)
Day 2 Tuesday, 21st May 2019
We’ve been seeing and hearing loads of birds in Fehmarn: Red breasted Mergansers (like mallards but with more pointed beaks), oystercatchers, moorhen, swans, herring gulls, cormorants and herons.
We ate at the Lotzenhus Restaurant last night and took this photo on the way back to the boat – sunset over the silos.

Rang our grandson Ralph early this morning – it’s his 6th Birthday today. And his mum, Susannah’s, tomorrow.
We set off from Fehmarn at 9.15 am, waved off by Pauline Smith from ‘Odile’. (Andy Smith took lots of photos of our new propeller in Dragor, near Copenhagen, last year whilst we were back for a week in Whitby.) This year they’re hoping to get to Berlin down the river.

Don’t we look smart in our new lifejackets?
The wind picked up to 12 – 15 knots in a westerly direction and we sailed for half an hour with the main and genoa, but then the fog came down, the wind died and we had to put the engine on. We got out our fog horns – including one called ‘Trump’ (very ecological as you only have to blow it) and the other called ‘Frog horn’ and tried to blow them every two minutes for one long blast. In Germany you also have to display an inverted cone when you’re motor-sailing.

 

 

The ‘Arklow Marsh’ radioed us up and said we were on a collision course! She was at anchor and we’d just changed course to avoid her, but couldn’t see her through the fog.
The marina was across the shipping channel. Thank Heavens for AIS – it helped us so much in the fog, identifying the ferries, ships and yachts going in and out of Warnemunde and Rostock! One ferry from Gedser to Rostock was doing 21 knots!

The Hohe Duene 5 star marina and hotel complex only cost 22 euros per night – cheaper than Whitby. Queued up at the Harbour Master’s office with lots of Germans who’d been racing in the fog and spent the rest of the evening toing and froing to the washing machine and drier.
I forgot to mention that we met a sailor who had his boat in Whitby about 20 years ago: Scheherazade and then Warboy (or might have been Warhorse?). He recognised the WYC on the transom. Does anybody know his name?

 

WARNEMUNDE AND ROSTOCK

Day 3  Wednesday, 22^nd May 2019

A late start after yesterday’s foggy shakedown cruise of 36 miles.  Went to the ferry across the river to Warnemunde and then by train to Rostock, following Anne-Marie’s instructions on her 2017 ‘Fleur of Pendle’ blog.  We were so sorry not to be there when they arrived on their boat in Whitby last week. 

First we went to the Tourist Information office in Rostock and tried to buy return tickets for our journey.  The lady told us that we’d managed to buy children’s tickets – we thought they might be for pensioners! – and they were valid for the whole day.  Only cost us 3.90 euros each and they’re valid on the ferry, the train and the tram too.  Hope they don’t find out that we’re rather aged for children. 

Next stop a café for lunch and have to sit inside as it’s freezing cold.  Then on to the Cultural History Museum, ‘Kloster zum Heiligen Kreuz’.  Lots of paintings, including this one of the bombed Rostock in 1942.

Loved all the toys, including this penny farthing.

Went into the church, part of the original convent, and saw this nun with Yorkshire roses!

Then to the Kropeliner Tor, a gateway on the city walls.

The another church, St. Marienkirche, built in 1210, Rostock’s largest and most beautiful church.  Discover an astronomical clock behind the altar, and another painting of the war damage in 1942.

 

 

Then retrace our steps back to the station and home to Warnemunde.  Walk down the Alter Strom and take photos of the lighthouse and ‘Teepott’,

shop in Edeka supermarket before catching the ferry back to the marina.  Make Broccoli Lemon Chicken for tea – very tasty.