Klintholm, Denmark

When Sam rose at 5.30am for his early-morning ablutions I couldn't resist a peek outside. All the fog had vanished and it was a gorgeous morning.

Barhöft is a passage port, a convenient jumping-off point for yachts heading north and west from Rügen, and numerous people were already up and about and getting ready for sea. By the time we left at 7am we were in the middle of a flotilla of departing yachts, but the vast majority turned left out of the channel, heading westwards towards Warnemünde, Lübeck and the other ports we've just visited. Only one headed, like us, north towards Denmark.

It stayed warm and sunny, with very light easterlies, all day. We managed an hour's sailing while we had lunch, but otherwise it was all motoring. A north-going current gave us a bit of a lift, and we reached Klintholm on the island of Møn by 2.30pm and were able to go straight into a space in the little marina.

So, a new country, and although Sam once lived in Denmark for a year this is the first-ever visit for Ben and Camilla. For Camilla, it's the first country she has sailed to without ever having visited it beforehand by other means. It also means new currency - no Euros here, so we had to visit the bank to stock up on kronor. On the other hand, our pontoon here features a couple of Swedes, two or three Dutch boats, a dozen Germans and possibly one Dane, so the mix is pretty similar to Germany.

Klintholm is another passage port, but a pleasant location with a little fishing port, a nice beach, various holiday homes, a Spar supermarket, a delicatessen selling local delicacies and smoked fish, some cafes, and even a bank (only actually open on Tuesday and Friday mornings). What else could you need? For the first time on this trip we have managed to be in a place with a beach at the same time as experiencing beach weather - Ben and Camilla even went for a swim. So we have decided to stay here another night to help us acclimatise to Denmark.

We have a bit of a problem from here. We have to be in or near Copenhagen by the 12th for Ben's flight, and for a few days beforehand so we can explore the city. We don't have quite enough time to go the long way around Møn, and anyway Sam and I may go back that way. So we may explore a bit to the north of Copenhagen, or even cross to Sweden for a brief visit. We'll have to see what the weather does next.

Miles covered today: 39.