Denmark
July 2024: Egå to Heikendorf
In July 2024, we set sail from Egå with Tranquila for the first time. Our destination? Gran Canaria! We had to be there by the 10th November to make it in time to cross the Atlantic with the ARC! It seemed like plenty of time but when doing the math on how much ground we had to cover plus scheduled boat work - it was really really tight!
Our first four days at sea we explored the picturesque islands of Tunø, Fænø, Helnæs, and Svelmø, Tranquila's first voyage with her new family! We sailed through Middelfart and as it describes, is the middle of Denmark, but the kids had a new word for days to come… “fart” - which is Danish for “speed”. Here, we picked up Ants parents who would then remain aboard until Gran Canaria to help us aboard and spend some family time together!
Our sailing journey in Denmark was short but sweet. We were lucky enough to have sunny days and perfect sailing conditions down to Germany - including some of the most incredible sunsets! We apparently got really lucky with the weather but had an incredible time sailing through the islands nonetheless!
After just a few days, we were already across the border and into Germany - we couldn’t believe we had already made it to another country. Our final sail through Denmark towards the Kiel Canal was a 50nm “champagne sail” to Heikendorf, Germany. Not going to lie, but a bit of uncertainty and anxiety over what the North Sea would be was looming in the air as we got ready to enter the canal. We’d heard all the stories about the tough conditions, bay of biscay, tides and currents etc so we were really about to find out very soon!
Our life summed up in 4 bags! Can you tell we prioritise kite gear over clothes in this family?
Our friend Julia greeted us in Copenhagen with a traditional Danish flag welcome at the airport!
We spent a night in Copenhagen to recover from the 30 hour flight and 9 hour jet lag, but also to rest before a 3 hour drive to Egå!
We arrived to sunny skies and our first glimpse of Tranquila at the marina.
Next, it was time to unpack and start to make the boat more "homey".
We brought the kids' toys, knowing we'd be busy unpacking, provisioning, and working on the boat for a couple of weeks so their Lego kept them entertained!
We hit up IKEA a few times to stock up the boat on the essentials and some grab some storage solutions!
Egå marina was well equipped with free trolleys for us to use - trust me, the trips to and from the car add up so these were a time saver!
We very quickly adapt the Danish soft serve ice cream culture - daily! ;)
We were very pleased with the marina in Egå as it was very cosy, had restaurants, playgrounds, laundry mats, ice cream shops and a supermarket not too far!
The beaches nearby were also beautiful!
Adapting to the sun "sets" was challenging for the kids as they were very late but also felt like it never quite set in total darkness - soon enough though, we bought them eye masks and exhaustion caught up with them for bed time!
Antoine in the engine room beginning to familiarise himself with the boat - the first of many times spent in this room!
The kids loved playing around the boat as we did "boat jobs" and got used to their new home!
We took Tranquila out for a sail with the previous owner and after 2 weeks on the dock - it was both scary and exciting to be out at sea from our comfort zone at the marina!
Crab fishing was a 10/10 hit with the kids! They loved baiting mussels and catching crabs (no hook needed).
Leaving Egå was bittersweet - it very quickly felt like home and we were sad to leave but very excited for the adventure ahead!
A very happy Captain Antoine on our first solo sail on Tranquila!
We got lucky with the weather and had sunshine the entire time we sailed - but still rugged up on days where it was windy!
That has never stopped Antoine from swimming - the water was "just" 17 degrees!
We had the most amazing sailing experience in Denmark and wish we'd know sooner so we could have planned to spend more time exploring!
Calm water and sunny skies was a great start to our life at sea - especially with 2 kids!
Some of the most amazing sunsets and evenings we experienced!
Some days were colder than others but the good news was that we were on a timeline to keep moving towards Portugal so we didn't get the cold for long!