Tag Archives: boat

Whereever the wind takes us – a film about an old boat

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Missing summer? Maybe I got something that can bring you back. Imagine sailing where the wind takes you in Atinga, a wooden boat built 51 years ago that has been passed down for three generations.

Dänische Südsee from Lut ze.

I came across this amazing video of three guys on a boat sailing in the Danish South Sea – our corner of the Baltic Sea. The film on vimeo is just titled “Dänische Südsee” and that’s about it, so I got curious. I asked the filmmaker Lutz a couple of questions:

Can you introduce yourself?

I am originally from Berlin but currently I am living in Göteborg, studying Interaction Design. This city is just perfect for sailing. Lots of wind (sadly even more rain), many beautiful little rock islands in front of the coast and almost more boats than people. Until this year, I was only sailing on lakes, which is just not the same as sailing on the sea. Besides sailing I love many other outdoor sports. like climbing, hiking, biking.

Who are the crew and are they always the same?

We were three people on the boat, my sister Karola, our friend Tilman and me. It was our first trip together. Tilman was our skipper, since he had the most experience on the boat, but we were switching roles all the time.

Tell me about the boat in the video?

The boat is called the “Atinga”. It belongs to Tilman’s dad, who himself inherited it from his dad. I don’t know so much about it, but it is a real beauty! Kind of slow, but really comfortable and really good tempered. Everything is made out of wood, even the hull and the mast. We had quite heavy winds, and the boat was squeaking and moaning all the time. It’s a self constructed boat as far as i know, about 50 years old, but I don’t know who exactly build it.

Where did you go on the trip we see in the video?

We started in Høruphav, going wherever the wind and rain blew us. 🙂 Since we only had 5 days and the winds were already pretty strong, we stayed south of Fyn to avoid the huge waves.

Where else do you like to sail to?

I really would like to make a longer trip when I finish my studies. Probably down to the Mediterranean Sea – if I can find the time. Until then I will just make some daily and weekend trips in the skerries off Göteborg and Bohuslän. My University has a sailing club that owns two really nice “Albin Express” boats, which are a lot of fun to sail in.

How did you film this? Do you often make film?

Actually it was my first try in making a short film in years. I used a Pentax k-7 dslr with two wideangle lenses. Most of the shots were done handheld. But I am planing to do some more stuff. Right now I’m working on a small video project for an university course, which will be about a quite ambivalent street here in Göteborg. And I’m planning to shoot a climbing movie of some spots in the region around Göteborg.

Do you have a website I can link to if people want to know more about you?

Not yet. At least not for my filming stuff but you can check my Flickr page. I recently discovered an old Rollei 35 and Contax from my grandfather, which I use a lot and I post some pictures to Flickr from time to time. And I’m on Facebook.

Great video and story, Lutz and thank you for sharing!

The same day I got another email from Jens from Lüneburg, who is owner of the boat and father of Tilman. He wrote more facts about the boat Atinga.

Constructor: Ernst Lehfeld
Built in 1961
Type: Knickspannt Kielkreuzer
Material: Plywood
Length: 8,00 m
Width: 2,50 m
Depth: 1,05 m
Weight: 2,5 t
Mast: 9,00 m
Sail : 25-35 square meters
Engine: Nanni Diesel 2 cylinders
Speed 10 PS

Take the Flensburg-Glucksburg ferry

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Sonderborg lies in a region of islands and fjords. Water is a dominant feature of the area, making travelling by boat a realistic and practical, not to mention pleasurable, proposition.

MS VIking

A pleasant ferry ride in the region that is less about the transport and more about the pleasure goes from Flensburg to Glucksburg. The ferry M/S Viking, leaves from the Flensburg pier and arrives in Glucksburg, close to the Strandhotel. From there you can decide to either laze on the beach or walk up to the castle, around 20-30 minutes away.

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On the way from Flensburg to Glucksburg the ferry takes you around the ‘Okse’ islands, close to the Danish side of the fjord while the way back is along the German side of the fjord. I have only done the Glucksburg-Flensburg part of the trip, following a visit to Glucksburg castle, but look forward to doing the Danish side of the trip!

The ferry ride costs 6€ one way/9€ for a return trip. You can also take your bike along to explore the area around the fjord for 3€. Tickets are simply bought on the boat so don’t worry about finding a ticket booth before hand.

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Flensburg Nautics 2012

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The coming weekend, 17th to 19th of August, it’s time for the biennial Flensburg Nautics – a celebration of the city’s maritime history. There will be big sail boats visiting and a lot of things going on.

Some of the big ships that are scheduled to visit are:

You can even get on a sail boat yourself to experience first hand the historical activities on a traditional ship. There are short trips (1-2 hours) and long trips available (6 hours). Booking can be done from the page here.

On the harbour you can go see traditional crafts like rope makers, net weavers and carpenters and by some of them you can take part in them their craft. There will be all sorts of foods and drinks you can try. Plus live music from a couple of stages.

Friday the 17th August there will be a ‘parade’ as all the ships arrive and on Sunday around 3pm-4pm they will all leave again in another parade.

Friday night at 11pm there will be a 30-minute fireworks display, which you can enjoy good views of from all around the port.

From what I can tell from the website it might be even bigger than the Rum Regatta we went to earlier this year and that was a great experience.

Viking for a day – Help launch a viking warship

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Spring is in the air and if you had been living around Roskilde Fjord some 1000 years ago you might have been preparing a warship for this season’s raid. Luckily you don’t need a time machine to experience this because we have a local viking ship in Augustenborg.

Sebbe Als, as the boat is called, is built as a replica of wreck number 5 found in Roskilde Fjord, where it sank sometime in the 11th century. It is a fast warship with a long and slim body with 24 oars and a relatively large sail. It can fit up to 30 people.

The ship is owned and operated by an independent society (PDF in English), who built the boat in the period 1967 – 1969, a few years after the finds in Roskilde. The ship, which was launched and named Sebbe Als in 1969, was built according to the drawings of the original ship and by using the same tools as the “old vikings”.

You can take part

Every spring Sebbe is checked, repaired and prepared for the season and this is where you can get a taste for what it’s like to work with a boat like they did in the age of the vikings. There are two dates coming up where you can go see the boat, meet the people building and sailing the boat, help out and maybe even join the crew.

21st of April starting from 9am Sebbe is getting a new coat of paint on the bottom. Come and get up close to the ship.

28th of April at 9am Sebbe will be launched into the water. This is done purely by manpower so they can use any help they can get in pulling the 2 ton boat in the water.

Sunday Ann and I cycled out to see if we could find the “naust” where the boat lives in winter and at the end of a gravel road we found it. Two very friendly ladies were painting a smaller boat called Ottar outside and they were more than happy to give us a tour of the facilities. The tranquility of the place was amazing we had brought a lunch pack with us so enjoyed that while soaking up the sun and enjoying the atmosphere.

Read more about the boat on SebbeAls.dk. To get to the home of Sebbe Als look for Hesselvej 10 by Augustenborg. To get there on bike it’s a nice 20 minute bike ride from central Sønderborg, in a car you need to follow this path and park by the manure tank. Check the map below for the exact location.

Photos by Steen Weile, chairman of Sebbe Als.