Denmark
A route through Denmark
A note of caution: this page does not even pretend to cover Denmark - a very large pilot book would be needed for that. Instead, it outlines a route from north to south - Rügen to the Limfiord. I have made this journey twice - once on 2007 and back again in 2008.
I have included links to the relevant nv-pedia pages - these give sketches of the harbour and a good harbour chart.
The chart gives the route, and seven harbours are described. Each are within an easy day's sail of the other.
Hals
Above is Hals, just inside the Limfiord. The harbour has been there for some centuries - there are the remains of an old fort in the town. Now the harbour is mainly an artificial construct, and used mainly by the pilot boats who guide ships up the Limfiord to Aalborg.
There are a large number of box moorings to the left of the top photo, mainly for locals. However, there are various bits of wooden quayside which are pressed into service by visiting yachts. There is also some quayside in the far corner to port.
The harbour is well sheltered. Free wifi is provided from the harbour office! There is also a large and well stocked supermarket about 100 metres away - something always welcomed by the cruising yachtsman - and a small chandlery near the harbour master's building.
Hals on nv-pedia
Bønnerup
This seems entirely artificial, with two breakwaters projecting out at right angles to the coast, and then curving together to form the entrance. As a result, there is an intricate system of baffles (or so it seems to the first time visitor) which lead you, slalom-like, to the yacht harbour. The simplest rule is to keep to the right! The most conspicuous objects at a distance are the seven wind turbines.
There are four jetties with box moorings - the hammer heads at the end are a convenient place to tie up. There is not a lot of room for manoeuvre, and the harbour can become very full in the season.
There is fuel, and some mechanics ashore, but little else apart from a fast food/ice cream kiosk. Wi-fi is extra.
Bønnerup may be a convenient overnight stop, but not a place in which to linger.
Bønnerup on nv-pedia
Grenaa
Lighthouse at Fornæs just north of Grenaa
Grenaa is a large industrial harbour/ferry terminal. The yacht harbour is further to the south, and is obvious from the plethora of masts. Hard right after the entrance is some staging to tie against, but there is a notice: 'Reserved for boats >12m'. However, there are plenty of pile moorings.
The yacht harbour is some way from the town, although there are a few shops not far away, including a small chandlers. Next to the yacht harbour is a large aquarium, the 'Kattegat Centre'.
Grenaa on nv-pedia
Ballen
Ballen is a very attractive little harbour, but it can get extremely full in the summer (in the photo above, about twenty or more latecomers had to anchor off the beach!).
The approaches from the north can be slightly tricky: there are quite a few shoals some way offshore. It would be possible to go outside of all of them, but it would make something of a detour, and take you close to the shipping lanes. It is worth noting that in Denmark the lights on the end of the quay marking the entrance are fixed, not flashing. Approaching somewhere like Ballen in the dark can be tricky, since it is difficult to pick out exactly which red light marks the way in.
Inside, there are the usual boxes opposite the entrance, and a long wooden staging to starboard. There is a small grocer's shop on the quayside, but little else. There is not a lot in the town itself.
Ballen on nv-pedia
The Storebælt Bridge
The Storebælt is the channel between the islands of Sjælland and Fyn, and is spanned by the The Storebælt bridge. The section above is the western section, and is, apparently, 6,790 metres long. More importantly for yachts, the height for the span marked for boats is 18 metres (there are buoys marking the approach to the specified span). This section runs to the small island of Sprogø, then there is 6,611 metres of suspension bridge (see below). All the major traffic passing further down into the Baltic goes under the bridge.
And, apparently, at 254m above sea level, the east bridge's two pylons are the highest points in Denmark.
Although there are no tides in this part of the Baltic, there can often be quite strong currents - 2 to 3 knots - in the channel by the bridge.
Nyborg
Nyborg is rather hidden away - it is about three miles from the entrance to the fiord, just south of the bridge, to the town itself. The approaches are quite straightforward, although not terribly prepossessing - there is a chemical works to port near the town. However, it is all worth it once you get there.
There is a large yacht harbour to port beyond the chemical works, but as a visitor, you will probably be better off going into the inner harbour (photo above). Again, this is not terribly obvious - the answer is to keep on going in as far as you can.
As you can see there is a pontoon in the centre of the basin, or alternatively, you can tie up against the quayside - and there is a lot of it. Finding somewhere should not be a problem.
There is electricity on the quayside, but the circuits can only supply a limited current - a kettle tripped it out.
There is no internet in the harbour, but there are free terminals in the library (bibliotek) at the top of the town. There is a Netto supermarket about 200m away. It is about ten minutes walk to the yacht harbour, when there are mechanics, a fuel berth, and a reasonable chandlery.
Nyborg was obviously quite an important settlement in mediaeval times, and there are some impressive ruins of an old castle at the top of the town. It was obviously a major port, although probably killed by the coming of the railway.
As you can see from these pictures, the town is still quite impressive, even if slightly faded, and certainly well worth spending some time looking round.
Nyborg on nv-pedia
Stubbekøbing
Stubbekøbing has two harbours: the leading line takes you to the industrial harbour; to reach the yacht harbour you have to turn 90º to port, and keep close to the breakwater, before a 180º turn takes you into the harbour.
The only user of the industrial harbour seems to be a large sand dredger, and the conveyor belt and heaps of sand rather dominate that part of the quayside. You can tie up in other parts of the harbour, but it doesn't really cater for leisure craft, and you may be moved on if your place is needed. It might come in handy for an overnight stop.
The yacht harbour (see above) has the usual box moorings - visitors can take the moorings to starboard as you come through the entrance. This is more suitable if you want to stay a day or two.
The town is quite pleasant, if a little shabby. There is a useful and well stocked DIY shop on the High Street, which has odds and ends which may be useful on board. There is a small chandlers close to the quay. In addition, there is a supermarket a little further down the High Street, which is adequate though nothing special. Internet is available at the library, and all of these are within easy walking distance.
The industrial harbour. The entrance and approach channel can be seen in the distance.
Stubbekøbing on nv-pedia
Klintholm
Klintholm is an attractive harbour close to the chalk cliffs of Møns Klint - visible in the sunlight for twenty or more miles away. It has a fishing harbour as well as a yacht harbour.
As you come through the entrance, you will see the fuel quay ahead of you, and turn to port for the yacht berths - fairly evident from the masts.
This is, apparently, a very busy harbour in the season. As you can from the picture below, it also has the Danish equivalent of a 'marina development', in the form of lots of holiday homes. There is little else in the place, however, other than a Spar grocer.
Klintholm is a good jumping off point for several places: German, Poland and Sweden are all within a day's sail.
Klintholm on nv-pedia
The Limfjord.
There are three ways into the Baltic: the Kiel Canal, the Skagerrak, or the Limfjord. Coming from Scotland or north east England, the Kiel canal would be a long way, and something of a dogleg. The Limfjord is much more sheltered than the Skagerrak, but if you've already travelled 300 miles across the North Sea, you might not be worried about that. It will save you 50 or so miles if you're going into the Baltic proper. However, the Limfjord is well worth a diversion, as it is an excellent cruising area in its own right.
The five harbours I visited are circled in red. Also marked is Ålborg, one of Denmark's largest cities, and Grenaa, a good jumping off point if coming up the Baltic. From west to east, we have Thyborøn, at the North Sea entrance, Nykøbing, Løgstør, Ålborg, Hals, at the Baltic end, and Grenaa in the Baltic itself.
There is some tide at Thyborøn - perhaps a range of half a metre. As a result, there will be some tidal current in the North Sea entrance, but these will drop away quite quickly as you get further in. There can, however, also be quite strong wind driven currents. The pilot books will tell you these tend to flow west to east: when I went through, going east to west, I was lucky enough to have current behind me almost all the way.
These notes are made from my personal experiences of visiting the harbours. I will assume you have the necessary charts and pilot books! Brian Navin's book "Cruising Guide to Germany and Denmark" covers the area well. The Delius Klasing Chart Pack Number 6 is really essential - this is not an area to cruise without large scale charts, and this pack covers the Limfjord and the Jutland coast.
I made the passage in May 2007, and was lucky enough to have good weather [a rarity in that wet summer]. Although the sun blazed down, there was little wind, and I motorsailed much of it. At the time, my plan was to head back to England, and I had rather itchy feet during the passage, which took three days. My overnight stops were at Løgstør and Nykøbing. On the second day, there was a light breeze, and so I sailed this section, which is why it is shorter than the other two legs.
The Baltic Entrance; Hals to Ålborg.
The entrance into the fjord from the Baltic is along a channel surrounded by shallow sandbanks. However, the channel from the Hals Barre light, four miles offshore, is well marked. A chart of the harbour can be seen at the NV-PortPilot website. There are some box moorings, or alternatively you can use the quayside in the north west corner. There is an excellent supermarket not much more than 100 metres away!
It is about 15 miles from hals to Ålborg. The waterway is quite straightforward, deep and free from any hazards. You may meet some commercial traffic. (It also represents the furthest north I have been in the boat - 57ºN, which is about the same parallel as Aberdeen.
As you approach Álborg, the surroundings become more built up, then there is a lifting road bridge, and just beyond it, a rail bridge, which is open most of the time. To indicate you wish to pass through a bridge, you are supposed to fly flag N.
Road bridge at Ålborg
In practice, you follow the locals! Not far beyond the bridges there are three yacht harbours.
It is then about 25 miles to the lifting bridge at Aggersund. This is a tricky stretch: there might seem to be a lot of water, but much of it is less than a metre deep. The channels are narrow and winding, but well marked, and you will need your chart and a good pair of binoculars!
One of the many wind farms to be found in Denmark.
The bridge can be called up on the VHF, and the bridge keeper will tell you the next opening time. About 2 miles beyond the bridge is the harbour at Løgstør. [marinas.com link - a good aerial view of the harbour.]
There are box moorings near the bridge, which is about 500 metres down, or you tie up on the quayside. You may have to raft out when it is busy.
I had a walk round the town, but didn't see anywhere to buy provisions.
Løgstør to Thyborøn
After Løgstør, the fjord opens up into a number of quite large lakes. The shortest route to the North Sea is about 50 miles, but there are many diversions worth exploring. Again, a large scale chart will be needed.
Sailing in the Limfjord. The island of Fur is in the background.
There are many small towns and yacht harbours available for an overnight stay in all these lakes.
Above is an early morning picture of the harbour at Glyngøre. In the background is the bridge between the mainland and the island of Mors. The complex of lakes and inlets narrows down at the Oddesund strait, which has a lifting bridge:
Waiting for the bridge:
From the bridge, it is about another 15 miles to Thyborøn and the entrance to the North Sea. The last few miles up to the port are along a long, sweeping and rather narrow channel.
The North Sea Harbours of Jutland.
This coastline is not at all hospitable, and there is very little in way of facilities for yachts in any of the harbours. The coastline is lowlying, with sandy benches, and very few landmarks of note. The entrances to the harbours which face directly onto the North Sea will be dangerous in strong westerlies [the prevailing wind!]. Even those hidden behind islands are problematic, since the entry channels between the islands can be dangerous too. Strong tides flow through these channels, and they would be even more hazardous on the ebb, with wind against tide.
Horn's Reef is something of a dividing line from the tidal point of view. North of here, there are tides, but not with a very great range [say 0.5 - 1.0m]. South of the reef, however, tides are very much larger, and the currents correspondingly stronger [Esjberg in particular].
From north to south, we have Thyborøn, entrance to the Limfjord, Thorsminde, Hvide Sand; then, south of Horn's Reef, Esbjerg, Nordby and Rømø.
All are fishing harbours with little or no other commercial traffic (there is a ferry between Harwich and Esbjerg, running two or three times a week), and few facilities for yachts.
These notes are made from my personal experiences of visiting the harbours. I will assume you have the necessary charts and pilot books! Brian Navin's book "Cruising Guide to Germany and Denmark" covers the area well. The Delius Klasing Chart Pack Number 4 is also very useful.
Thyborøn
The entrance channel from the North Sea is quite wide, and well buoyed. If you are coming up through the Limfjord, the final channel is narrow and rather winding, but well marked.
The harbour entrance is about a mile or so down from the sea, and quite obvious. On entry, you turn hard to starboard [watch for fishing vessels on the move] and head right up to the top, where the yacht basin is. You can up tie in boxes or along the quayside (leave some slack in the lines - tidal range is about half a metre). There is electricity, but the hose is in one corner.
The town doesn't have much to offer: there are some reasonable shops within walking distance, and banks, but not a lot else. The town exists for the fishing, and that's about it.
The yacht basin at the northern end of the harbour.
Thorsminde
This has an 'interesting entrance! It appears straightforward to begin with, but as you go between the breakwaters, you see what appears to be a blank wall ahead of you. This is a sluice. Be very wary if, as in the photo below, one of the gates is open. This can produce a current of 3 to 4 knots, and in either direction. If it is taking you towards the sluice - beware!
Entrance complete with dredger
Sluice gate is open
Past the breakwaters you have to turn very sharply to starboard - through more than 180 degrees - to go into the dredged out harbour, which is off to the side. The sluice leads to a large inland lake, not the harbour. In there, you will find four large jetties with nowhere in particular for yachts. These are very substantial affairs, and quite high. You will need to get your fenders rigged correctly before tying on. Find an empty spot and hope you're not moved on. Leave some slack in your lines for the tide.
There is a kiosk by the sluice, and a small museum, but little else in the town.
I would suspect the entrance would be very uncomfortable - if not dangerous - in much over a F5. Reflection from the sluice gate might set up an interesting wave pattern!
Inside the harbour - one of the four jetties.
Hvide Sand
Very much a fishing harbour. Like Thorsminde, it lies along a flat, featureless coast - the only giveaway are radio masts and some low buildings. Go through the outer breakwaters, then there is a second pair of breakwaters, bfore turning into the basin to starboard. To starboard again are two pontoons for visiting yachts, although one was taken up by fishing boats on my visit. The main asset to the town is a couple of supermarkets within easy walking distance.
Hvide Sand. Hardly conspicuous.
A similar caveat would apply to the entrance here, although it is a little wider. The sluice is very much further in.
Esbjerg
Horn's Reef windfarm
In any sort of weather, it is a good idea to give Horn's Reef a wide berth. There are inshore passages, but make sure you have large scale charts - and beware the windfarms! The reef marks the end of the string of islands that starts off the Dutch coast, and runs along the German North Sea coasts and Denmark. Tides north of the reef are also a good deal weaker.
Esbjerg is a good example of how much stronger the tides suddenly become: from the entry buoy to the harbour is 8 or more miles, and the tide can run at at least 3 knots on the ebb. Fighting the tides here will not make your day.
The yacht harbour is in one of the large basins, and is quite easy to find [even at night]. The berths are protected by a floating 'breakwater', as you can see in the picture below.
The town is relatively recent, and caters to fishing boats on an industrial scale. There is a good supermarket within walking distance, but otherwise it has little to offer.
Like quite a few Danish harbours, it has an 'honesty box' where you leave your mooring fees, in case the harbour master hasn't got round to you. I suspect he doesn't seek out visitors: I don't think he gets many!
Opposite Esjberg is a harbour on the island of Fanø, with a harbour at Nordby. This is relatively shallow, and if you are deep draught, best approached near high water.
Rømø
The harbour at Rømø was developed in the 1960s for fishing. It was well protected, lying behind the island. The approach channels are good and well marked, but you would need to be very careful with the wind onshore at much more than F5 - and preferably not on the ebb. The main channel runs almost at right angles to the coast, although there is another small channel leading out to the south. Again, not to be used if it is at all rough.
The German/Danish border runs down the middle of the channel, and it winds somewhat, but is well buoyed. The island of Sylt lies on the south side.
The harbour has a double entrance: the picture below shows the inner entrance:
The yacht pontoons are by the wall to starboard:
They look somewhat homemade! In fact, they probably are homemade.
There is a visitor's pontoon, although I wouldn't berth on the starboard side.
The yacht club will give you a key to use the ablutions, which are inside the club itself. They don't charge for this [although there is the usual 'coin in the slot' for the showers]. They don't take the harbour fees, either - there is an 'honesty box', or you can walk over to the harbour office to pay.
There is very little in the vicinity of the harbour other than a kiosk. There are some fish restaurants, but the one I tried seemed overpriced, and the food was nothing special. The nearest shop is about a kilometre and a half away.
A ferry runs over to the German island of Sylt, in case you want to visit without taking your boat over.
I found myself trapped in the harbour during the bad weather of June/July 2007. One gale produced a storm surge in the harbour - partly, I suspect, by water being pushed down the channel from the sea into the bay between the island and the mainland. I took this picture at the height of the storm:
If you look at the picture of the pontoons further up, you'll notice something odd has happened to the walkway!
All photographs copyright CNH. Please ask if you wish to use them and please acknowledge the source.
^ click here to go back to the top of the page ^
All photographs copyright CNH/COH. Please ask if you wish to use them and please acknowledge the source.