Manor house and beach

This morning we welcomed Jorgen and Nicola on board who (until last year) owned another Nicholson 35, Andromeda. Since there were only 225 of these strong and  beautiful yachts ever built, there is a strange kind of bond between Nic owners. We found plenty to talk about.

Jorgen told us about the massive German yacht rally that was dispersing this morning. It's held by the shipping industry and apparently it's a networking opportunity bar none for the largest German companies and rival managers at various levels- but the man who started it 30 years ago, shipping magnate Peter Gast died very recently. 

After waving goodbye to our guests, we got back on the free island bus to go to the north of Aero to Sobygaard, a moated manor house. We were the only visitors.

It was peaceful and quaint. (See pics)

And it had an exhibition recounting the large number of traditional Aero schooners which had come to grief in foreign parts, (including Ireland) and the sad stories of their lost Danish crews.

We took the bus into Soby itself, best known for its ferries to Germany and wolfed a tasty lunch of meatball sandwich  and Aero pancake (very thick dough with sugar and gooseberry coulis). 

Bus home to the boat for our swimming gear and off we went to the local beach which is famous for its quirky and colourful beach huts.  No other idiot was in the water. We went in via a convenient bathing platform and boy, was it cold at first. But it was a bracing and energising swim. 

Refreshed by hot chocolate and cake, we are now settled in for the evening, braced for the big winds forecast overnight and tomorrow.