We left the yard this morning with some sadness as many of our friends were still there enjoying fitting out in the sunshine. We knew we were in for a lively sail as F6 winds were blowing outside. We are unable to head towards Poland as the wind is coming from that direction as it has been for the last 2 weeks and for the foreseeable future, so we are heading south to the north coast of Germany. We are now anchored in a totally sheltered lagoon with only a small entrance to the south in just 2/3 meters of water. We have only traveled 8 NM today compared to the last 3 years when we have covered 60 NM on our first day. Our plan this year is to go slowly and not be rushed.