Friday 8 July 2016 We had a potentially long day ahead so a prompt departure just after 0900 was called for and we motored out of the beautiful Schlei in a light westerly breeze and brilliant dazzling sunshine. The area is best likened to a large Poole harbour without islands, the fields come to the water's edge often with clumps of trees, a village sits on a promentary to the north and offers two safe havens with wide open stretches of shallow water - but th...

Our departure from Cuxhaven followed a little light rain but once into the Elbe we fiddled around for a few minutes with the sails but getting no help we motored for a mile or so and then tried again. The joy of push button sailing. Then with the engine off we sailed up the Elbe in the company of some very nice English in a large Dutch motor yacht and several other boats. A lovely sail in varingy light winds got us to Brunsbuttle where we stemmed the tide fo...