Today we became tourists and took the train from Warnemunde to Rostock and then the tram to the old town centre which was most attractive, clean and airy. We then walked to the waterfront which was a tad seedy with plenty of the remnants of last nights revelry in broken bottles, discarded food containers and burnt out disposable BBQs which few disposed of. A dubious lunch on a waterside café and coffee and kucken in the old square were a pleasant relief in th...

The Baltic is winds are different, we have had strong NE winds for days and while they eased yesterday it seemed to us that each day started relatively gently, despite a robust forecast, and then after lunch it turned to a real strong breeze, on shore, throwing spray over the harbour wall. The delights of a former DDR holiday resort had lost their glister and those who did good work for the benefit of the state were rewarded with "holiday coupons" which they ...

The forecasts were giving strong north easterly winds all week and that is the direction we were going in so there was no respite from head on. However a window appeared in a very small segment of the coast just where we wanted to go and this brief window gradually appeared in more forecasts; a study of actual winds last night showed some lessening and that was repeated again this morning on an early check. We paid up and set off at 0910 this morning and motor...

Wismar is a beautiful town with clean wide pedestrianised cobble or set streets and some truly fascinating architecture. Buildings from original designs have been rebuilt spledidly since the war and the whole atmosphere is one of afluence and confidence. The pictures in the album "In the Baltic" do a much better job of describing the wonder of it all than my vocabulary can. Casting off this morning from the nice West Hafen in Wismar we set off down the long ap...

It was interesting to see our lattitude decrease for the first time in a couple of weeks as we sailed south eastwards towards the old Hanseatic city of Wismar. Our departure from Burgstaaken on the island of Fehmarn was tinged with regret. The marina we were on was an old boatyard add-on and a little tired, ashore was just an old boatyard but once out the small haven there was a bustle of activity with fishing boats unloading and yachts coming and going. Comin...