Part 2
FOLLOWING THE HANSA
The towns near the mouths of the north German rivers formed themselves into the Hanseatic League (“Hansa” is Old High German for “defensive alliance”) in the Middle Ages. Although it was originally to control trade it became so powerful that it deposed kings in both Sweden and Denmark. Spindrift was lying in the Hansa marina in Lübeck which was the leading city of the League. It is also near Hamburg-Lübeck airport used by Ryanair, flying out of Stanstead. The new crew arrived by taxi shortly after 0900h on Thursday, 22nd May.
BYC member John Waddell had recently sold his Twister Joletta, in which he had sailed to St Petersburg so he was both an experienced yachtsman and old Baltic hand. Brian Duffield is a long serving crew member on Spindrift and well remembered for measuring out his length on Steve Shaw’s boat one Calais Rally. We had lunch together in the cockpit before Paul caught the bus to the airport.
There is so much of interest in Lübeck that it was not until the Saturday 24th May that we set off for our ultimate destination, Gdansk. We motored down river to Travemünde where we tied up at Böbs Werft again. It was to be a quick visit to the supermarket and ready for an early start next morning for Rostock, apparently another well preserved Hansa town.
But on Sunday the weather forecast was grim,. 5 to 6, occasionally 7 on the nose. So we stayed. It was a lovely start to the day in Travemünde but the weather deteriorated as forecast. It was Monday morning, 26th May, that found us motor sailing best course to windward. As we had missed a day we decided to stay at Warnemünde at the mouth of the river and not go up river to Rostock. Given the choice of the old marina by the town or the spangly new one on the opposite side of the river we went for the old one so we could see the town. The weather had been drizzly and as we approached the entrance there was a deluge so we were glad just to tie up. No sooner were we secure than the wind piped up to a good 7. The facilities were good, but housed in an old dockside building that made them difficult to find. There was an honesty box for mooring fees (10.50€) and a supply of envelopes to write the boat name on and put the money in. Warnemünde was itself an interesting town and some of the buildings showed that it was also Hanseatic.
Most of us can remember Orfordness, the narrow spit of land formed along the Suffolk coast with ideal sailing water behind it and a beautiful nature reserve on it. From ten miles past Rostock to Swinoujscie in Poland it is just like this but on a much grander scale. The Bodden or waterway behind the spit is 3 miles wide in places and it extends for about 20 miles with breaks through it which are as tricky as North Weir Point on the Ore or Woodbridge Haven on the Deben.
John was keen to go to Darsser Ort, a small harbour just round the headland 25 miles from Warnamünde in a wild life sanctuary on the outside of the spit. That day’s lesson was that although tideless the Baltic has powerful currents. Around the headland we found we were pushing into a wind generated current of 2 knots, with the Darsser Ort west cardinal buoy pushed over by the current. As we approached the harbour evening was closing in and we were all ready to tie up and have dinner after the slow progress against wind and current. It was another tranquil sunlit evening with just wilderness round the harbour. We were so disappointed as, although we could see the leading marks, there was a sand spit across the entrance and we could not get in.
There was no alternative but to press on. As it was, the coast is well provided with powerful lighthouses. (Do you remember them?) In the dark we had to cross a wide bay along a part of the spit called Zingst, steering east towards a lighthouse called Gellen until we crossed a narrow buoyed channel where we turned south. The buoys were in line until we reached the passage through the spit where we had to weave our way through. After Benfleet creek it was not too bad as the buoys are lit. But it was 0200 before we were tied up in the marina at Barhoft.
Barhoft is surrounded by woodland and a nature reserve. Although small, it has showers, a café/shop and a stall selling smoked fish. We had a day in Barhoft where we discovered butterfish and watched the lifeboat bringing in rescued yachts – it was very windy despite the hot sun. That evening I found myself sharing the showers with a very attractive young lady who did not want to be separated from her boyfriend.
On the channel going through to the Greifswalder is Stralsund, another major Hanseatic city, now a working city with medieval building mixed in with modern department stores. The waterfront has kept its old warehouses and above its roofs are the towers and spires of churches and the Rathaus. We spent a day looking at the city and I deliberately left some parts for the return leg as I was certain this city merited another visit.
Like the rest of the old East Germany, Stralsund has not benefited from English town planners. Unlike Chelmsford, they did not knock down their historic buildings or build a by-pass through the city. Many of the old buildings are dilapidated but are being shored up until they can afford to restore them. The St Nicholas Church is being painstakingly returned to its condition in 1350 with faded wall paintings now in vibrant colours whilst the St Jacob church is being used as an opera centre.
The marina was huge and almost empty. We were clearly out of season and enjoyed the luxury of plenty of space. This was good as most days we had hot sunshine. During the school holidays this place must fill up quite rapidly.
Friday, 29th May was the day for visiting places, especially the supermarket and laundrette. John and I went over the Gorch Fock I, a 3 masted barque permanently moored in Stralsund. That evening we decided it was time to eat out. We could have had Pizza as there was an Italian restaurant by the marina but thought it would be interesting to eat regional food. In the Alt Markt opposite the Rathaus we found a restaurant built in the 14th century. It was very traditional inside, with attentive staff and good food. The local beer is excellent. They have lagers (but with far more body and flavour) as well as excellent dark beers. We hardly ever drank wine. That evening we paid 76€ for the 3 of us to have a main course and pudding with (we had a good time) 11 big beers.
After that it took some effort to be up and cast off 0715 to be ready to pass through the bridge just south of Stralsund. There is no reason not to open it more as they have recently built a new high level bridge so that traffic is no longer interrupted but they still only open it 3 times a day.
Peenamünde is the site of a huge WWII complex where the V1 and V2 rockets were developed. This is where the Doodlebug that John remembered so vividly from his childhood was developed and also where the Space Age started. The little marina seemed to be a local improvisation, but it did have toilets and showers and the natives were very friendly. We spent Sunday (1st June) going round the museum.
You have to be up early to go from Peenamünde to the Haff as there are two bridges to pass and they open infrequently. We got through them and passed the remains of a third, which had a delightful marina next to it where we stopped for lunch. Afterwards we enjoyed a good beat to windward in the Haff, or freshwater lake, intending to stop at Uekermünde. It took some finding, however as the town is up a little river with a very narrow entrance. The river leads (these tideless rivers don’t seem to flow) through reeds and we would not have been surprised to see Mole and Ratty row past. Round the corner and it was like the upper reaches of the Thames. We were made most welcome, shown a box to moor in and invited to use the Yacht Club.
The town itself is a small replica of the larger towns, with its square with cafés and other interesting buildings such as a 19th century “institute”. In Leigh a courtesy ensign had cost £14.50. Here my Polish one cost 3€80. Everything in the chandlers was so much cheaper, except the Mustos.
It was a warm and sunny lunchtime on Tuesday, 3rd June. There was just a light breeze so off we set for Poland. I should have checked the weather forecast but I am glad we didn’t as we would not have gone out. In the Haff, with very little fetch the 30 kt wind was exhilarating as we beat to windward with the fresh water spray being thrown up by the bows quickly drying in the breeze.
At last we were in Poland. I proudly looked up at the white and red flag fluttering from the crosstrees. We had waited until we were out of the wind in the Kanal Piastowski before venturing out of the cockpit as the wind was so strong. There were flocks of cormorants roosting in trees. I had to look at that again as they looked like huge starlings, not the seabirds we are used to. As we motored into Swinoujscie the wind which had calmed down as we entered the river caught us full on the bow. Our year old chart gave us a desolate patch of wall in the town as the mooring. Not a comfortable place. There was only one yacht tied up. Looking at the freebie guide to Polish marinas there was another marina nearer the mouth of the river. The wind was so strong it took the co-operation of others in the marina to get us alongside. Despite what was in the pilot and CA guide, no, there were no immigration formalities on entering Poland the harbourmaster or ‘Bosun’ assured me.
We had two days of strong winds so we stayed at Swinoujscie trying to work out how to pronounce it. The marina facilities were excellent with clean shower block and toilets and a couple of bars round the basin. The shopping was interesting and supermarket beer was excellent and cheap. The town itself was run down with big blocks of flats but the refurbished holiday resort near the beach was very smart. There is a big park with lovely trees which they will eventually smarten up. Soon this place will be too expensive for a retired teacher.
At Swinoujscie we left the inland area of rivers and lakes to work our way along the 200 miles of Polish coast. Each place we stopped was different and interesting. Some places were holiday towns and others were industrial or fishing. Still, with the Easterly wind still blowing, though we had fine weather we were using diesel to make progress.
Kolobrzeg - the marina is a long way both from the entrance and shopping facilities. Surrounded by industrial estates, the marina is overlooked by a fort, where they had a concert with beer and burgers. We left early in the morning to gain maximum distance before the strong easterly wind reached its full vigour in the afternoon.
Darlowo has just a quay to moor alongside in the holiday part of the town. The facilities were good with a Bosun who was very helpful. We got here early enough to have lunch out but I learned an important lesson about eating out in Poland. We had fish and chips. As the cod was cheaper than the fish ordered by John and Brian I admit now that I did feel just a bit smug that my portion was quite a lot cheaper and bigger than theirs. But when the bill came mine was far more expensive than the others although it was cheaper on the menu. So be very careful in Poland: the price on the menu is per hundred grams and you have no idea what the portion size and hence the price will be that you actually have to pay.
John and I had to catch a mini-bus into the main part of the town to do the shopping for dinner. I am glad we did because it seemed untouched by developers.
Having had no contact with the authorities so far along the Polish coast it came as a surprise to be challenged by a soldier both entering and leaving Darlowo.
We motored through fog for most of the way to Leba, a well designed holiday village with caravans and camping as well as a good chandlers. They had the Nationals for Toppers as we arrived. John treated us to dinner in the restaurant where the service was excellent, even though the waiter really wanted to watch the football on TV. The marina is well laid out with pontoons. The only problem is a lack of water – Spindrift ran aground going into her berth.
At last, as we left Leba the wind went south and then west and we were sailing.
At Wladyslawowo we were in the fishing harbour. A visit to the loo required a uniformed escort. You have to report to the gatehouse and a uniformed official comes with you to unlock the loo and stands outside to lock up afterwards. We found a working men’s club on a huge trading estate where they served food. We ordered the beetroot soup and randomly chose a dish from the Polish menu. The way the soup was served was as unexpected as the soup itself. I can best describe it as beetroot flavored Bovril and it came in a special two handled cup without a spoon or bread. The main meal was immense. The people in the place were very friendly. I went to the bar to get in a round of drinks and another customer was very keen to try out his English.
It was Hel. I sent my sister a card and wrote on it “Wish you were here”; I knew she would get the joke without taking offence. Next day we wanted to get on but all afternoon the wind made it prudent to stay in harbour and no one else was moving. By the evening the wind was abating so we dressed in wet weather gear and set off for Gdansk, our destination from Lübeck. With 2 slabs in the main and a well rolled genoa we sped across the bay southwest wards with a brisk west wind. The sun was setting as we entered the river and we passed docks where men were hard a work on ships or docks where parts of ships were left incomplete and rusting.
A big canal forms a chord to the wide bend in the river and opposite where the two rejoin a small tributary joins. We motored up it in the twilight. There was dereliction and I imagined we would have to moor up by some rusting hulks. Had we sailed over a thousand miles for this?
And there were lights! We turned the corner there was a city of floodlit spires and towers, the green copper sheathing of the spires contrasting with the rich red of the towers’ brickwork. The silhouette of the skyline as it had been hundreds of years ago picked out against the purple of the dusk sky; and the old crane floodlit in the middle. Along the riverbank were the lights of the cafes and restaurants and as we looked in amazement the marina opened on opposite bank so we had front seats for this spectacle.
Next day we were even more amazing to see the city. This was the second city of the Hansa and controlled all the Baltic trade of Poland. It was immensely wealthy and the great merchants had highly ornate homes. There were huge granaries built on an island, presumably to protect its stores from vermin. And as we had seen all along this coast everything was built in brick but here stone, a rare feature in Hanseatic towns, was embellishing the brick buildings.
Shopping was restricted to a small local supermarket and we had to make an educated guess what was in tins as our Polish is very limited. Opposite was a small bakery and beer shop, but at least the outdoor bar by the marina was very cheap.
We found the National Art Gallery, the Church of Our Lady – huge, and in a more central position than the Cathedral. There were so many interesting buildings to see in the city. The harbour master or “Bosun” was a really attractive young lady with excellent English who was most helpful and knew her sailing. (I would have swapped my crew for her on the spot.) The evening before they flew out with Ryanair, John and Brian treated me to dinner in a top restaurant and it was magnificent. Thank you chaps.
I gather that even the taxi ride to the airport was memorable; the taxi driver had not learnt about taking your foot off the accelerator or using the brakes.
Gdansk
Darlowo
Swinoujscie Marina
Holstein Gate - Lubeck
Ferries at Travemunde
Lubeck Marina
