We carried on under greatly reduced speed and finally reached Skärhamn, berthing in almost the same spot as before. We told the harbour captain of our problem, and he said he could arrange for a local diver to take a look. It turned out that the diver was tied up with a job further north, and we finally got one to come late the next day. The kids from the neighbour boats were fascinated with the diver when he arrived and took on his diving gear.
It took him a while to clear the prop of the remains of a large heavy gauge plastic sack which had wound itself around the propeller and shaft.
It cost us 700 Swedish kroner for the diver, but if we had continued, it could have cost us much more in engine repairs later.
The next day, the 3rd July, we set sail for Skagen direct, a distance of about 35 nm, which we covered in about 7 hours. Skagen is at the very northern tip of Denmark. When we arrived, Skagen was filling up fast, mainly with Norwegian boats who come for the cheap(er) booze and sandy beaches. We moored bows to the quay, with stern anchor out, but the next day we got an alongside berth when another boat left. Rie has a friend from schooldays living here, and we were picked up in their Jaguar and given a tour around old Skagen before going to their house for drinks.
While we were away from the boat, the harbour had filled up even further, and we found out that Skagen was gearing up for a music festival at the weekend. We stayed the next day as well, and walked up to Leif and Lilly's with our shopper full of dirty clothes to put in their washing machine.We left Queenie with them while we looked around Skagen museum, which houses many well known paintings by P.S.Kroyer , Anna and Michael Ancher. There just happened to be a special exhibition of Kroyer's works, which we greatly enjoyed. When we got back to Lilly's, the washing was done, and she had hung it up on the line! The day was really warm, and Skagen became more and more crowded, so we decided to sail next day. In the evening our washing was delivered in the Jag, and we had Leif and Lilly on board for coffee...
On the morning of the 5th, we woke up to a puzzle as to how to get out! The raft behind us had grown to 12 boats! Luckily we were 3 boats that wanted to leave.
After a lot of pushing and shoving, we all got out and left those behind to fight for our berth. We moored up to the fuel quay, and topped up our 2 diesel jerry cans. Then we set sail for Læsø in about 18 knots of wind, on a close reach. After a few hours though, it died on us and we ended up motorsailing in only 3 knots of wind. We found an alongside berth in a corner of the newly renovated basin in Vesterø harbour. The basin had only reopened that day! We met up with Laust and Lise Lotte soon after arriving, and drove in their car to their hired holiday flat. After a fine evening meal with them, we walked back to the boat.
The next day we spent on our own, but we had been invited to an evening meal with Laust and Lise Lotte. Læsø lobsters were on the menu - a local speciality. These are much smaller than normal lobsters - a bit like scampi. After feasting on these, we walked back to the boat.
We had arranged to meet up again the next day and take a tour of the island, and our first stop was Læsø Salt Syderi. Geologically, Læsø is rather special. The southern part of the island consists of saltings which regularly get flooded by seawater, particularly in the winter period. Below the saltings is a thick layer of clay which prevents the floodwater from seeping through. During the warmer months, the water thus evaporates and the salt concentration increases to some ten times the concentration of the surrounding sea water. This salty water is collected from wells and is taken to the working area, where it is concentrated further in several steps by heating in large pans until the salt crystals are produced.The pans are heated by wood fires, firewood being harvested from the nearby forests on Læsø.
Læsø salt contains many minerals, including iodine (from dead algae) and is widely sought by gourmets. The remaining water is used for treating skin conditions, such as psoriasis. A disused church in Vesterø has been converted to a treatment centre, in collaboration with Læsø Salt.
Læsø still has some farmhouses that are thatched with eel grass ( tanggårde), and our next stop was Læsø's museum farm. This thatch is unique to Læsø and is very long lived - so much so that the technique was almost lost. Recently, however a local thatcher in collaboration with the National Museum have worked out how it was done and have begun to re-thatch some of the farmhouses on the island. It takes about 35 tons of eelgrass to thatch a typical farm, and it lasts at least 100 years.
The eelgrass is harvested while still green, and dried like hay spread out on a field. It is then baled up for transport. The eelgrass is twisted into long skeins before being lifted onto the roof.The interior of the farmhouse and out houses are preserved as they were when last in use, and were very interesting. Danish farms were usually built around a central square courtyard, one wing being the house, and the other three wings being the farm buildings.
Our next stop was another farm, which is now used as an outlet for Læsø wool products. We saw some really fine work here, and bought a few items. We then drove back to the harbour again.
Today has been really warm. We have washed down the cockpit, done the washing in the harbour washing machines, and some more shopping. After lunch we visited the local maritime museum, which although small was very interesting. Being an island community, Læsø has a strong maritime tradition for both shipping and fishing. One Læsø captain made a lot of money after salvageing a ship and his son was one of the founders of the Læsø ferry company. This company still exists, and runs a frequent service to and from Frederikshavn, on the mainland.
This evening we have had Laust and Lise Lotte on board for an evening meal. The main dish was a locally caught fish (sej) which had been baked in the oven.
The next day (9thJuly) we teased ourselves out from the surrounding boats and set sail for Østerby on the eastern end of Læsø. We had to sail a fair distance northeastwards to clear the outlying reef before heading southeastwards again . The wind was a brisk 18 knots from the south west when we left, but going round to south east as we neared Østerby, forcing us to motor the last mile or so. Østerby harbour was even more crowded than Westersø, and it took a while before we found a gap that we could squeeze into. We moored up outside an older Swedish boat, so they didn't mind Queenie walking across their deck. A neighbour Danish boat offered us some Læsø lobsters, as he had bought too many and had a full fridge. So we had them for our supper - delicious with white bread
Unlike normal black lobsers, these are also red before being cooked.
There were an amazing number of Swedes here, Danes being in the minority! In the early evening, the heavens openedwhich sent all the grill mad Swedes diving for cover!
The wind continued to blow, increasing to 25knots in the evening and night, we had to sleep with a closed forehatch as the rain hammered down. Today, the 10th July, it is still blowing hard, but mainly dry. We took the free tourist bus back to Vestersø to have lunch with Laust and Lise Lotte. This proved to be a very popular bus and also allowed dogs.
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