The North Sea Harbours of Jutland.
Nicholas Hill
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.