Narrow channels

We departed Rodvig (for a second time) into a day of blue skies and strong south westerly winds which whipped froth on the tops of waves. Sadly the wind was in our teeth as we ploughed south into the bay until we reached the really shallow stuff you have to traverse to get into the small port of Kalvehave.

And here we began to feel we were back on the English east coast, motoring carefully between red and green buoys which marked the safe channel.  The lowest depth under the keel was 0.9 meters or about 3 feet. We had seen worse in the Netherlands.

For a good part of the journey we followed a beautiful traditional wooden boat (see pic) which we had first spotted in Helsingor. We felt very kindly disposed to it, because on board were a young couple and their small baby who was held in a kind of bouncer suspended from the wooden boom. His stroller was perched perilously on deck. 

After two hours of buoy- hopping we finally arrived in the sleepy former fishing harbour.

There are swallows everywhere and a row of nests under the bathhouse eaves with tiny swallow mouths peeping from the dark holes. We are puzzled by the timing of these broods - aren't the parents about to fly to Africa? 

We explored but found everything closed apart from the local food shop and an unmanned book exchange. The Danes went back to school and work last week and even the local ferry has stopped running. There's an 800 year old church 2 miles away but it too is closed according to the website. So we sit in the cockpit, warm in the sun as the wind still wails through rigging and watch the swallows' switchback aerial displays.