For once the forecasts were in agreement and were correct. They predicted rain and a F4 from the SE and sure enough, that is what we woke to. A good wind for sailing back to Fehmarn but not pleasant weather. However, the Gods were smiling that day as by the time we'd got the engine started at 09:30, the rain had stopped and it stayed away throughout our sail and sail we did, all 25 miles bar the first and last 15 minutes as we manoeuvred into and out of harbour. Our maximum speed over the ground was 7.1 knots in the perfect sailing breeze and we thoroughly enjoyed this, our last main sail of the year.

Our destination was the small harbour of Orth, a little way past our 'home’ port of Burgstaaken, under the bridge that links Fehmarn to the mainland and then left across a wide shallow bay, home of numerous kite- and windsurfers . There is not much else to relate about the sail, other than we’d arrived and switched the engine off by 14:30, tying up alongside, immediately by the harbourmasters’ office. I was told, later in the day that we might have to move as he was anticipating the arrival of a 50 metre boat, but at the time of typing this, there was no sign of it.

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, Orth is a small harbour at the head of a wide, shallow bay. It isn’t situated on a river, it is entirely man-made, with embankments on both sides forming a several hundred metre long channel, occupied by boxes with yachts all the way in to the head, where there is another small area for yachts and a wider turning and berthing area for larger boats. It is here that we tied alongside, as we are too wide for the majority of the fixed boxes and anyway, there were no spaces.

Our primary reason for coming here was that, just like last year, we didn’t want to go to Burgstaaken too early and also, they have a good Greek restaurant in the harbour, one that has lashings of retsina, which I think I’ve mentioned before, we are partial to . So that was to come but firstly, we thought we’d go for a walk as the harbourmaster had disappeared so we reckoned it unlikely that the 50 metre boat would be coming.

The land hereabouts is very low lying, reminiscent of Norfolk and Essex again, with dykes and sedges and cattle grazing contentedly in the lush meadows. It is ideal walking and bike riding country, with paths all along the dykes for people to use. On the one we chose, on our left as we walked away from the harbour, was the extensive bay and the Fehmarn bridge in the distance and on the grassy slope of the embankment were lots and lots of beached kites and windsurfers, as the wind had mysteriously disappeared, with large threatening thunder clouds approaching from the west. Our walk then, wasn’t very long, some 45 minutes in all, but it did afford me a photo opportunity and a few are shown here.

Later that evening, we went for our Greek meal and it didn’t disappoint. We ordered a 2-person plate and there was so much meat, rice and chips + a side salad that we asked for a doggie bag and had almost too much meat for a salad the following night. We finished up with Greek coffee(s) and Metaxa(s) and went to bed, very relaxed!