Copenhagen

We intended to rise at 0700 and set off at 0800 for Copenhagen - a distance of about 35 miles.

However, having listened to the wind howling around the boat since about 0430, and rehearsed how we were going to get out of our long box mooring umpteen times, I 'accidently' woke Jo up at about 0545. As we were both awake anyway(!) I suggested we set off without further delay and we left Gilleleje harbour at about 0700.

It sounds easy when you put it like that - as if we just released the lines and gently moved off. Yeh, right! Box moorings (have I mentioned them?) have their plus points, but entering or leaving them with a strong crosswind is not something you look forward to. To leave, you have to let go of your bow line and reverse between two telegraph poles - deftly removing your lines from the poles as you go. The trouble is that as soon as you engage reverse on Cyclone she heads off to starboard - i.e. she doesn't go backwards in a straight line - until you've got a bit of speed up. Speed is something you really don't want when undertaking this manoeuvre. It just means you hit things harder! But that's the least of your problems. If you have a crosswind, as soon as you let go of the bowline the bow just blows sideways. So what you need is a rugby forward on the bow with a long line to slip who can hold the bow in line with the posts as the boat is slowly pulled backwards on it's stern lines. Now I appreciate that those who don't know Jo have yet to see her without her sailing coat on. Suffice to say that, by the time she's removed that coat and the 25 thermal layers that are usually in place beneath it, she bears little resemblance to the required forward! This time we were fortunate to have a line strung by the berth's resident between the windward post and the pontoon, so Jo's task was 'simply' to hold onto this having slipped the bowline and walk it through her hands as the boat went backwards - thereby keeping the bow in line. Well full marks to Jo "the gorilla" for effort! With a cloud of smoke, copious revs and some shouting, we made it through the posts successfully, if not exactly elegantly! Phew. .......and we left Gilleleje harbour at about 0700.

The sea was quite flat for our trip but with winds of over 30 knots at times, we were glad to see Copenhagen loom into view. We'd booked a berth in Christianshavn Canal which meant we had to pass under yet another lifting bridge. As usual, we arrived soon after the opening time and so spent 45 minutes motoring around in circles until it was next due to open. Ho hum.

Trekroner Fort off Copenhagen

Bridge opening to give us access to the canal

Christianhavn Canal - rather like Amsterdam

Our plan was to spend 4 nights here and have a good look around. We started with a walk around Christianshavn itself which includes an area known as Christiania or Freetown Christiania - a self proclaimed autonomous neighbourhood of some 850 residents covering 34 acres. It was started by a group of hippies and is, well, a bit different!

Christiania

Christiania art

... and more art.

We then waddled over to the other side of the river and followed a self guided walking tour which took in many of the sights - see pictures for a flavour of the place:

Bishop Absalon who founded Copenhagen in 1167. You don't mess with the clergy in these parts!

Nyhavn - the old port

Amalienborg Palace - home of the Royal Family

The Marble Church....

... and its impressive dome

The golden onion domes on the Russian Orthodox Church

Some bird with a tail on a rock

Rosenborg Palace - the Crown Jewels are in there

The Copenhagen Synagogue - sadly now under armed guard since a man was killed by a terrorist in February 2015 whilst protecting others

One of the Tivoli amusements

The picture below shows Our Saviour's Church, Christianshavn. You'll notice it has a sort of spiral tower and, if you look closely, that there is a railing running around it. You can climb the tower and go outside to climb that spiral staircase too - with the handrail to save you from certain death!

Our Saviour's Church. Note spiral staircase outside the tower.

Now I've mentioned before that I'm not a great fan of heights, but this was something else. It was blowing a hoolie up there! What if the handrail gave way? What if there were too many people on the stairs and they gave way? What if the wind blew the tower over? Oh pull yourself together man!

Well I did, and I took the pictures below too (except the one looking down - Jo took that!), trembling knees and white knuckles or not!

View of the canal. Cyclone's down there!

Another view

And another

Ooo errrr! Look at the size of those people! And where the safety net?

Just so you don't think this sailing lark is all glamour (is there any?) here's the inside of a launderette. It seems like Jo's led a charmed life - even before she met me - as she'd never been in one before this trip!

That it should come to this, eh Jo?

Tomorrow we head for Ystad in southern Sweden.