<\/p>\n
All Things Come to Those Who Wait <\/h2>\n
We took over the Hjort\u00f8 yacht (7 m long) on Saturday afternoon in the port of S\u00f8by on Aer\u00f8 Island, where we had got on a ferry from the \u201ccontinental\u201d port of Fynshav. We could have started sailing immediately. But the wind force exceeding 8 Bft filled the marinas with boats, which did not find it \u201cfun\u201d to fight with the natural elements. The same weather, if not even worse, even prevailed for the entire Sunday. However, these were not wasted days. We traveled through Aer\u00f8 Island by car and you must believe me when I say it is a beautiful place. The old fishing town of Aerosk\u00f8bing is really a delight for tourists.
\nAnd on Monday morning \u2013 all things come to those who wait \u2013 we woke up on the boat unexpectedly to a sunny and almost windless day, with a positive weather forecast for the entire week too!<\/p>\n\n\t\t
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The First Monday Sailing<\/h2>\n
Without hesitation in the morning, we set sail right after 8 a.m. I familiarized myself with the boat and its behavior in gentle waves for a while. It is rather a good boat. After two hours of sailing, we put down the anchor in the port of Drej\u00f8 Island. Sailing was problem-free, as long as we followed the shipping lines. There are a number of all kinds of floats, because the local sea is mostly shallow and the shipping depths are hard to find in the map.
\nWe took a break for lunch and an island tour on Drej\u00f8. Walking around, we could hear with our own ears what real silence sounds like, occasionally disturbed by the cry of seagulls and the hiss of the wind. After two more hours of sailing in the Svendborg straits, we put down the anchor for the night in the Vinerby marina, with the town of Svendborg in sight across the straits.<\/p>\n\n\t\t
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Sailing to Langeland<\/h2>\n
The Tuesday destination is the western coast of Langeland Island. More than 50 km long and only about 10 km wide, this Danish island lives up to its name. After two and a half hours of sailing, at the beginning again in the Svendborg straits, we settle in an old fishing port of the town of Dagelok\u00f8, presently redesigned into a pleasant marina with all necessary facilities, even with the possibility of refueling. It is only noon but when we see the beautiful local environment, the decision is made. We will stay here for the rest of the day and night. There is no need to hurry, as the weather forecast for the upcoming days is still favorable.
\nOur decision turned out to be a good one. The approximately 8 km trip across the island was worth it. And there was even a nice \u201cport tavern\u201d in the port. The sailing that we skipped today, we will catch up on tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, or …<\/p>\n\n\t\t
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To Something \u201cSmall\u201d? So to Stryn\u00f8<\/h2>\n
We have been sailing along the western coast of Langeland Island southwards for two hours. We can still see a high bridge in front of us, arching over the straits between Langeland Island and T\u00e5singe Island, and farther the land by Svendborg. Before noon, we laid the anchor right behind the bridge in a big marina in Rundk\u00f8bing, the \u201ccapital\u201d of the island. There we have a great opportunity to complete all necessary stocking up.
\nToday we want to stay overnight on \u201csomething small\u201d, on a small island with a small port. Stryn\u00f8 Island fulfils our wishes in terms of both the island size and the local port size. And it is not disappointing even during our usual evening tour.<\/p>\n\n\t\t
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Navigation Day<\/h2>\n
Why do I emphasize navigation, when a lot of shipping lines are distinctly identified and sailing is clear? The reason is we have decided to visit two islands situated somewhat off these \u201chighways\u201d: Hjort\u00f8 Island and then Avernak\u00f8 Island, where we are going to stay overnight.
\nIn order to get out of Stryn\u00f8 through the numerous shallow places, to avoid the islands we do not want to sail to and to hit the chosen ports correctly and in the right heading, we must read the coordinates of the advancing points from the map very accurately and very often and feed the GPS with them. We succeed in hitting both islands, so in the end, we are welcomed by the small Avernak\u00f8 Island port, formed by embankments from piled rocks. There is plenty of space; only a few local boats and several guest sailboats, mostly with the German flag, are anchored there.<\/p>\n\n\t\t
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Boast of Small Islands<\/h2>\n
It is not a coincidence that the area where we were sailing is called Inselsee or Archipelago. There are a number of small and even smaller islands there. We managed to visit only a few of these, but it was enough to see that it is an exceptionally lovely area of Denmark. And their names sound lovely, too: Ly\u00f8, Bj\u00f8rn\u00f8, Avernak\u00f8, Hjort\u00f8, Drej\u00f8, Skor\u00f8, Birkholm, … (note: \u00f8 is pronounced as \u201coy\u201d).
\nWandering from the ports to the island\u2019s \u201cinland\u201d areas is very pleasant. They are made for admirers of calm, almost deserted places. Do not expect any extremeness here in the form of coastal rock cliffs. You will be surrounded by slightly corrugated grassland or cornfields, rarely interrupted by a row of trees or bushes bent by the wind. But mainly the local villages with the same name as the island are very charming. Old houses, small chalets, as well as large farms with thick thatched roofs and meticulously tended back yards and front yards, remind you of scenes from fairy tales…
\nBut they are not fully separated from civilization. Most of them have a connection with the land thanks to a small ferry that operates several times a day, permanently and temporarily supplying the inhabitants with everything they need, from mail to building materials \u2013 and it also transports older children to school.<\/p>\n\n\t\t
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Return to S\u00f8by<\/h2>\n
I wrote the \u201cBoast of Small Islands\u201d on Friday afternoon, when we had to pass another \u201cHafentag\u201d. We woke up to \u201c8 Bft of north-west wind\u201d in the morning and there was no sailing. So we had a greater opportunity to explore Avernak\u00f8 Island.
\nWe were waking up repeatedly all Friday night, checking whether the wind had calmed down at least a bit. The weather forecast we listened to on the radio station from Flensburg indicated something similar. We had to get to the home marina on Saturday by 10 a.m. It was still 5 Bft in the morning but we set sail early in the morning anyway, getting to S\u00f8by after two hours of rather wild sailing. And when we then traveled on a big ferry from Aer\u00f8 Island to the continental F\u00e5borg in the afternoon, the weather significantly changed for the better.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Now we already know that the South Funen Sea has nothing in common with Finland. Ten islands visited, 14 hours of sailing and 120 km travelled have sufficiently convinced us that it is in Denmark. It was beautiful sailing, with all the essentials, including the vagaries of the weather. But that also belongs to the sea\u2026 and it should not discourage anybody.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n