Athene in the Baltic 1999

Two small scrapes were repaired and we were re launched by 2000 . Having kept the club well amused on a otherwise lazy , beery sunwracked Tuesday afternoon. Cannot recommend the RVR too highly to any of you heading up the Canal. Despite a swan fight to the death our exit from Holtenau by 1230 meant we should be able to make Fehmarn by nightfall. Wishful thinking unannounced German Military firings meant that we were diverted north under protest and after having our polite requests for peaceful passage turned down by our new masters. It was too rough to motor and other boats passing through downwind unimpeded , not to mention a forecast force 6/7 from the SW prompted one of my now well known and very pompous faxes to Her Britannic Majesty's Consul General at Hamburg to complain at our unique treatment . A passing German coast watch vessel agreed with our protests and also promised to report it. If I had a web site you would be able to read the full text . They also said they had no safety circuit and therefore could not stop the firings if they wanted to. That break's every rule in the book but I suspect it was just a lie in order that we should not hold everything up by tacking slowly to Frenharn. One they may regret. Perhaps because of the German Military forecast things improved and we motored through in a calm under Fehmarn Bridge in the early hours . Numerous unlit buoys preyed on the S kippers mind and resulted in David keeping watch at the bow in pouring rain. The first we saw of most buoys was when they were illuminated by our navigation lights. but the transit lights were very good and kept us out of trouble. The SW force 6 arrived a few hours later in time to sweep us down to Rugen at our now customary 6 knots . I thought: I will have to give up passage planning at 3.5 knots in future !. Some hope calm descended and we finished up motoring up the inside of Hiddensee off Rugen . Into not so sleepy Nuendorf for the night

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