#V2 five days, three friends and a bale of seaweed
Sailing with the SY Viserion from Neustadt via the Trave and Kühlungsborn to Wismar – and back via Boltenhagen
Sometimes you don't need a grand plan or a faraway destination. Sometimes five days, three friends, a sailboat, and the Baltic Sea are enough.
In mid-September, we set sail on the SY Viserion. Christian, Thomas, and Timo were also on board. We planned to spend five days there – sailing, anchoring, exploring, and of course, working on a few projects on board.
What started as a short trip turned into five quite varied days: a fantastic evening at anchor in the Trave, a long sail to Kühlungsborn, Wismar by night and on foot the next morning, plenty of sailing, a joint crafting evening, the sea rescuers in the ship's cinema and finally a very special "catch" off Boltenhagen.
And then there was our quote of the week…
Monday – Cast off and enjoy a perfect evening at anchor
On Monday afternoon, the call went out at the ancora Marina in Neustadt: Cast off!
We set off at 1:48 pm and shortly afterwards were able to hoist the sails and turn off the engine. We deliberately chose not to go to a harbor on our first day. We wanted to reach the Trave River and spend our first night at anchor there.
After 15.2 nautical miles, 9.1 of which were under sail, we reached our anchorage in the early evening. The anchor was dropped at 6:24 PM.
And this trip could hardly have started better.
Almost mirror-smooth water, the wooded banks of the Trave River, and a beautiful sunset. Later, the sky and clouds were reflected on the perfectly calm surface of the water.
It's exactly for evenings like these that we love anchoring.
No harbor activity, no neighboring boats, and no program. Just sitting in the cockpit, having a drink, and watching the darkness slowly creep across the water.
At this point, everyday life felt a world away.
Tuesday – almost 40 nautical miles to Kühlungsborn
The next morning it was time to weigh anchor and continue eastward.
We set off at 8:15 a.m., initially under motor. By 9:35 a.m. the sails were up and the engine could be switched off again. Ahead of us lay the longest leg of the first two days.
And it turned out to be a really beautiful day of sailing.
For hours the Viserion sailed towards Kühlungsborn. Somewhere along the way, someone uttered the sentence that would stay with us for the rest of the week:
Quote of the week:
"Do you really want to do the turn yourself? The autopilot does that."
Perhaps this is the downside of modern navigation technology: at some point, even turning around manually seems like an unnecessary effort.
We reached Kühlungsborn in the late afternoon. The logbook showed 39.6 nautical miles – a proud 33.8 of which were under sail.
A really good day for sailing.
Kühlungsborn – harbor, Baltic Sea and three friends in the photo booth
Kühlungsborn is a lovely stopover on a sailing trip along the Mecklenburg Baltic coast. The marina is located right on the coast, and the promenade and town center are easily accessible from the boat.
After almost 40 nautical miles, things could be a little less nautical in the evening.
And so, in a photo booth, one of the pictures was created that probably describes the trip better than any logbook page: three friends, traveling together and obviously quite satisfied with how the journey has gone so far.
That was precisely what these five days were all about.
The goal is not to rack up as many miles as possible, but to have a good time together on the water.
Wednesday – a long day under sail
It continued on Wednesday.
We cast off at 8:58 a.m. Just 28 minutes later, the sails were up and the engine was off again.
After that, the Viserion was allowed to show what it was built for.
We continued sailing for hours. It wasn't until around 6 p.m. that we moored again. That meant about eight and a half hours passed between setting sail and docking.
Our destination this time was Wismar.
After a long day on the water, we moored in the evening and relaxed on board.
And at night the Old Port showed itself from a completely different perspective: calm water, the lights on the quay and the Viserion in the middle.
One of those moments when you glance back at the boat as you're leaving.
Thursday morning – Wismar on foot
We didn't start our city tour of Wismar until the next morning.
And that was a good decision.
After breakfast, we set off on foot. Wismar is a great destination, especially for sailors, because from the harbor you are practically right in the heart of the historic city.
Old warehouses, brick buildings, half-timbered houses and the atmosphere of the old Hanseatic city make going ashore a real part of the trip – and not just an opportunity to buy provisions.
After several days on board, it also felt good to stretch my legs for a bit longer.
But eventually, you're drawn back to the water.
Thursday – out of Wismar and towards Boltenhagen
We left Wismar at 11:06 AM.
Just 16 minutes later, the sails were set and the engine was off again. This time we had a bit more wind: the logbook shows about 14 to 15 knots underway, while the Viserion cruised through the water at around 6 to 7 knots.
This is what makes sailing fun.
Our destination for the afternoon was once again not a port.
We wanted to anchor off Boltenhagen.
And in doing so, we made what was probably the most extraordinary catch of the entire trip.
Our great “fishing success”
During our first attempt at anchoring off Boltenhagen, we realized that something wasn't going as planned.
So, anchors up again.
And with it came an impressive amount of Baltic Sea vegetation to the surface.
We had caught a huge ball of seaweed.
The photo speaks for itself. For three men with no particular fishing ambitions, the size of the catch was quite respectable.
Only dinner proved difficult.
So, remove the seaweed from the anchor and do it all again.
The next attempt went better, and finally the Viserion was safely anchored off Boltenhagen. The sailing day ended at 3:54 p.m.
For us, suddenly switching off the engine after sailing and coming to rest off the coast has become one of the most beautiful moments of a sailing trip.
And that evening we also had something to talk about.
Crafting is of course also part of it.
Spending five days on Viserion without optimizing anything?
Rather unlikely.
So, what started as a cozy evening eventually turned into a joint crafting evening.
A few small parts on the table, some tools, something to drink – and the next optimization round was underway.
Actually, that's exactly what getting to know a boat is all about. Only after living on board for several days in a row do you realize which things work really well in everyday life and where you might want to make changes.
And when three men work together on a problem, there are naturally at least four solutions for every problem.
Onboard cinema: The Sea Rescuers
After finishing our work, we switched from the tools to the onboard cinema.
In the evening, we watched a documentary about the sea rescuers together in the ARD media library.
Of course, every sailor is familiar with the work of the sea rescue service. But when you've just spent several days at sea on the Baltic Sea, the operations take on a different dimension.
You recognize situations, weather conditions and locations and at the same time get an impression of what happens when a problem at sea suddenly becomes a real emergency.
A rather suitable evening program for a sailing trip.
Friday – back to Neustadt
And then it was actually Friday again.
After five days we headed back towards Neustadt, and thus to the starting point of our little Baltic Sea cruise.
Five days isn't actually a very long time.
Nevertheless, it felt like significantly more.
We had long days under sail, a fantastic sunset at anchor in the Trave, a long leg to Kühlungsborn, Wismar at night and on foot the next morning, decent wind on the way to Boltenhagen and two completely different nights at anchor.
We did crafts together, watched the sea rescuers, talked a lot and probably laughed even more.
And we got to know the Viserion a little better again.
What remains?
Interestingly, after such a trip, it's not necessarily the big things that one remembers first.
It's the moment when, after setting the sails, the engine shuts off and suddenly only wind and water can be heard.
The first coffee of the morning with a view of a mirror-smooth Trave River.
The pictures from the photo booth in Kühlungsborn.
The Viserion at night on the quay in Wismar.
Three men crafting together at the coffee table.
Or the moment when a huge ball of seaweed emerges from the water off Boltenhagen, attached to an anchor.
And we will probably remember this question for a long time to come:
"Do you really want to do the turn yourself? The autopilot does that."
In the end, it was exactly the kind of trip we had wanted:
Five days. Three friends. Lots of sailing. Beautiful anchorages. A little crafting. Lots of laughter. And definitely a desire for more.
For sailing along:
Comments