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With "Beatrice" to Scotland: part 1PART 1: THE KATTEGATT AND LIMFJORD
Preparations In the early spring of 2008 I decided to sail our Scampi 30 “Beatrice”
Malmö to Ålborg After fond farewells to loved ones, The First Mate, the Able Seaman and the Skipper sat down to discuss the watch arrangements and safety details. After a generous lunch we set of in a fresh southerly breeze with jib and main set. The motion of the yacht was surprisingly uncomfortable, which was traced to carrying the dinghy on the foredeck – perhaps not a surprising situation in view of “Beatrice’s” fine entry. We made good time up the Sound and by the evening were well out in the Kattegatt bound for Hals at the east end of the Limfjord. As night came on the wind
We started the next day for Hals with a westerly breeze right on the nose. But the day was sunny and the sea slight, so we were quite content as we lolloped along at 5 ½ - 6 knots. We had decided to tow the dinghy and with three lines carefully adjusted and with the outer two crossed,
Next day was cloudy with almost no wind. The starting motor, when called upon to do its duty, showed no signs of life. Telephone calls to herrar Nyström and Lundqvist, the guardian angels of the engine for once produced no improvement, so after locating the decompression lever, we hand-started the engine and set off for Aalborg, which we reached at 1430. There we moored right by the best ship’s chandlery ever seen – they claimed to have 17,000 items in stock! A new toilet was installed by the evening and we could enjoy the First Mate’s cooking with scarcely a care in the world. The starting motor couldn’t be fixed in the time available so we decided to carry on using hand-starting as the “Standard Operating Procedure”.
Ålborg to Thyborön Before going to sleep we received a gale
Conditions the next day were just as hard, with the addition of some narrow channels. We touched once without sticking and were glad to moor in the tiny harbour of Jedingö early in the afternoon after 39 n. miles all on a dead beat, giving us an average speed of 5,2 knots. This was the 20 June, Midsummer Eve, and a great feast in Sweden. We made do with some pickled herrings and a slug of aquavit: they tasted good as we sat in the cockpit enjoying the weak sun. The following day started with a downpour and a thunderstorm as we lay in our bunks. We set off shortly after 8 o’ clock in 25+ knots of wind from the west and with mixed sunny periods and showers. We shot the swing bridge at Oddesund under sail, as the by mistake the engine was choked instead of engaging the propeller. Now we were on the last lap to Thyborön. It turned out to be just as demanding as the previous two days, except that by midday the weather was gloriously sunny. In the middle of the fjord the rubber dinghy turned turtle in a particularly hard gust and immediately braked “Beatrice”. We quickly came up on the wind and after a few efforts could right the dinghy but the thwart had disappeared: it wasn’t the only time this was to happen. Fortunately we routinely towed the dinghy without the bung in the transom so we didn’t have to bother about bailing.
Although the glittering waters of the fjord stretch out invitingly north and south of Thyborön, the harbour is approached through wide shoals by a long curving channel 4 n.miles long and only 50 metres wide at the entrance. This was marked by a cardinal buoy that we had to find. The task was made easier by a cluster of nearby wind turbines that seemed to rise straight out of the sea, but which, as we grew closer, showed themselves to be on an island only a couple of meters above sea level. In spite of this exposed position there was a factory on the island and the stink of fish meal revealed that it was in full production. For the first couple of miles the channel was dead into the wind but we were able to negotiate it by short tacking under reefed main and engine. There was no doubt where the channel ended as sea-gulls were standing on the sandbanks with water up to their knees, imperturbably watching us glide past. After 6 ½ hours sailing we moored in the yacht basin of Thyborön harbour on Saturday 21 June to find an SMS waiting that warned of “severe W gales” in Fisher and Cromarty.
Thyborön The town of Thyborön marks the western entrance to the Limfjord. The canal joining the Limfjord with the North Sea has gone through many cycles of silting up and re-opening, most recently in 1825 and then again in 1863. Since then more than 60 groins have been built in an attempt to stabilise the coast.
Owing to the bad weather outlook, the Able Seaman decided to return home while the First Mate and Skipper continued to kick their heels in Thyborön. Our stay was enlivened by a meeting with s/y “Toya” from Halmstad and her one-man crew. Thomas showed himself to be an experienced single-hander as well as an amusing conversationalist. We enjoyed talking with him, while the wind howled outside and the level of his excellent whiskey slowly dropped, or when enjoying a “Stjerneskudd” together. None the less, time hung heavily on our hands and we looked forward eagerly to an improved weather report.
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from her home port of Malmö, Sweden, to Scotland and the Western Islands. In order to make her seaworthy for such a voyage a number of alterations were carried out as well as a complete overhaul of the engine and hydraulic system which together drive the propeller. The most important alterations were: a bowsprit to hold the anchor, a chain locker in the bows, chocks on the foredeck to hold the rubber dinghy for sea crossings and installation of a new FM radio and a VHF unit. The joint between hull and deck was carefuly caulked to stop an annoying leak that had developed in the past years. A lot of safety stuff was bought, including a full set of pyrotechnic signals for day and night, a safety sling, four new inflatable life vests and the rubber dinghy. As usual all these preparations took more time and money than planned but finally on Sunday 16 June the ship was ready and the crew went on board.
veered to the west and became squally with heavy rain showers and some thunder. Shortly after this the Able Seaman’s sea-sickness got the better of him and he retired below with a bucket for company. With these conditions and a choppy sea it was difficult for the watch-keeper to do anything else than steer. Later on the wind went light and variable. The morning found us rather the worse for wear so we made an extemporised stop on the island of Anholt, probably the island where Hamlet’s father Koller was killed in a “holmgång” (island duel between Vikings) in the 11th century. (R
this worked well. Later in the day a critical situation developed when the First Mate sat rather heavily on the toilet and the base broke. Fortunately he suffered no grievous injuries. The eastern entrance to the Limfjord is approached through extensive shoals but we had no difficulty in picking up Aalborg Syd which we rounded at 1809. Soon the wind dropped and we motored the last 12 miles to Hals, where we found a pleasant little private marina on the south side of the channel. As there was no pub within walking distance we had to content ourselves with hot showers all round and an evening meal on board.
warning from the Skipper's son Alexander: “SW gale warning for Fisher and Danish inland waters” but the next day began with a pleasant breeze from SSE which meant we could start the day on a broad reach. But as the day progressed the wind veered and strengthened. Approaching Lögstör we could see the open fjord beyond the town was full of white horses, so we reefed the main while still in the shelter of the channel. This turned out to be a useful precaution: the hard SW wind (on the nose, of course) and the shallow fjord created tough conditions. Although “Beatrice” mastered them without 
faltering the crew were a bit taken aback by the driving rain squalls and sheets of spray, and, maybe, by the rather rudimentary “chart” for navigation (printed out on 15 A4 sheets from an electronic chart but lacking latitude and longitude and inclined to dissolve if wet). We found a lee anchorage three hours later and were able to relax in sunshine but a still undiminished wind.
The harbour has been built out in several phases until it is now one of the most important harbours for the fishing industry, receiving vessels from all the North Sea countries as well as sheltering 30% of the entire Danish fishing fleet. There are factories for fish oil extraction and fish meal production. The yacht basin is at the western end, close to the sea wall so it is easy to keep an eye on the weather. A combined tourist information centre and toilet and shower facilities for yachts is close by as well as several fish restaurants with different standards of interior design. As far as we could ascertain they all served first rate sea-food dishes, with the “Stjerneskudd” quickly becoming our favourite.