20240725

Baltic Sea Challenge Part 1/4

Birth Of A New Challenge

It was a longtime dream of Koos Winnips to have a coastal raid spanning multiple days. The Raid NL brought back good memories but this time the trip should be on open water.
At the end of the 2023 Koos, Hubert, Bert and Ingo Muller discussed the possibilities of a five-day raid on the Bodden in German Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Each day would be a friendly competition with a new destination 40-50km away. We limited the new event to only 10 boats and sent out invitations to potential participants. Soon we had 10 committed entries and a similar number of boats on the waiting list.

The final line up consisted of:
Ingo - Lettmann-based EM2 sailing canoe 'Galactica'
Bert and Ingo E. - Pirat dinghy 'Merirosvo' (Finnish for 'pirate')
Hubert - Norwegian pram 'Hatseflats'
Koos - Artemis canoe 'Wolf'
Sybren and Tineke - Randmeer yacht 'Fuut'
Mark - Wenonah Prospector
Ladia - Goat Island Skiff 'GISWerk'
Vincent and Inge - Ilur 'Aries'
Frits - Mirror 'Bubbels'

Wednesday 24 July

On the eve of the Baltic Sea Challenge we assembled at the EM2 campus for the skippers briefing and brought out our maps to discuss the global plan. Many skippers had purchased the Juebermann TA6 for canoeists and bikers, but some had bought the maritime charts for the Bodden as well.
The global plan: Given the wind directions for the next few days we would not sail towards Peenemuende but sail past Stralsund and explore the northern Bodden area. The tentative goal for the first day would be Barhoeft which allowed a last minute decision towards the western or the eastern Bodden.

Thursday 25 July

We left the EM2 beach and assembled before Neuhof to meet Sybren and Tineke with their yacht 'Fuut'. Rene, Danny, Kristin and Tobias were waving good bye. Everybody was ready. I blew the horn as our start signal and we were away.
The first part was an upwind leg to the railway bridge at Altefahr. I had put in a reef on Hatseflats and sailed at the end of the fleet. Frits on Bubbels was no more than an orange speck in the distance. After Devin I got better speed and closed in on Frits who was trying to find a good spot for crossing under the bridges. I saw that Ladia and Vincent already sailing at the other end of the bridges. Frits disappeared under the bridge. I went under the bridge at the highest point. The turbulence around the pillars held me back and Hatseflats drifted sideways. I just made it through in time. The second bridge was easier but it was still a nervous time. After the bridge I tacked towards the waterfront of Stralsund to get out of the waves. As we neared the Kubitzer Bodden I passed Frits and found the the sailing was getting easier. I sighted Sybren and Tineke anchored off the marine training base near Parow and asked if they were OK. Behind me Frits went onshore despite the warning signs and was promptly reprimanded and seen off by an officer from the marine base.

Meanwhile I had turned the corner and met the others at a lunch spot in the reeds. From there on we saw the 'Fuut' and 'Bubbels' pass in the distance. We broke up and started across the Kubitzer Bodden towards our new destination of Vitte on the island of Hiddensee.
I was chasing Ladia, Mark and Vincent but they were too quick again. When I got on a broad reach in the shipping channel I could finally pass Mark. This gave me time to take off my glasses and look at my GPS and map to check my position when 'Bang!' I managed to sail Hatseflats into one of the red buoys in the shipping channel. A scary moment, but no leaks as far as I could see.
In the distance I saw Ladia and Vincent entering a harbour when I got a message from Koos that we should not sail all the way to Kloster but to 'Vitte', the village in the middle.
On Hatseflats I changed course and arrived at Vitte at 1830 ahead of Mark, Vincent and Ladia. I moored alongside the Pirat of Bert and Ingo E. and put up the boat tent for the first time while afloat.
Frits was nowhere so Tineke decided to call him. It appeared that Frits had not checked his messages and had sailed all the way to Barhoeft. He decided to sail to Vitte instead of waiting it out. Once moored at the jetty I could not see any damage on the bow of Hatseflats.
While we had pizza on the terrace and I confessed my mishap in the shipping channel, Frits was still completing his personal Odyssey towards Vitte. He arrived at 2145 hours, happy after the long sail despite the stop at Barhoeft. The fleet was complete once more and the sun was already nearly down.
There was talk of a 'sundowner' party and prize giving on the beach but I guess they had all fallen asleep. I had a quiet borrel on the beach with Sybren and Vincent and slept for the first time under the new boat tent.

Distance: 41km
Winner: Koos (check this)