Berthed at
Orø’s boat clubAlongside
at HolbækHOLBÆK
Early on our fi rst morning, we left Holbæk Marina and nosed
into the fi shing harbour where all kinds of boats, traditional and
modern, lay at timber staging or rustic posts in typical Danish
style. It was easier to shop from here and we ambled round the
quays taking in the scene. The sun warmed the red and yellow
waterfront buildings, glowed on varnished masts and lit up a
row of sleek white motor yachts. A ferry bustled in through the
pierheads and cars and bikes streamed off – commuters from
a nearby island going to work.
At the supermarket we stocked up with Danish delicacies – jars
of marinated herrings, tubes of delicious smoked cod’s roe that
goes so well with rye bread, and slices of nutty Esrom cheese. Our
boat’s fridge could hold plenty of Tuborg Classics – in Denmark,
it’s usually the right time for a beer – and also a bottle of Aalborg
schnapps which, served ice cold in shot glasses, slips down a treat
with anything fi shy. Thus equipped with the essentials of life, we
set off down Holbæk Fjord in glassy conditions, following a trail
of slim red and green buoys towards a hazy horizon.DANISH FJORDS
The fjords in Denmark are nothing like those deep looming
chasms that penetrate Norway’s mountainous hinterland.
Danish fjords spread and divide through the rural landscapes
of a much softer country. For boating, these tranquil expanses
are like magic carpets that fl oat you effortlessly between
fascinating harbours, some tiny and quite shallow, others
big enough for ships and trawlers.
Together, Isefjord and Roskilde Fjord have over 20 charted
harbours, dozens of small grassy islands and many natural
anchorages offering peace and seclusion out in the wilds. Thenarrow entrance to this cruising area cuts into the north side of
Sjælland between Hundested and Rørvig before opening out to
a 10-mile width. Hundested was once the most important fi shing
port in Denmark, with direct access to the Baltic and a clear run
up the Kattegat to the North Sea. Rørvig is a holiday town with
some fi ne beaches, a picture-postcard harbour and a terminal for
the Hundested ferries.DOWN TO EJBY HAVN
At the mouth of Holbæk Fjord, we curved south and a touch east
for a distant west-cardinal buoy guarding a shoal. Open water
depths are generally between fi ve and seven metres and in some
harbours, we noticed a tidal range of maybe half a metre. Three
Danish charts cover these waters in detail and the south part of
Roskilde Fjord needs careful pilotage. Now, once we’d passed the
skinny west-cardinal, our track was straightforward down to Ejby.
Low timber jetties enclose this sleepy harbour, which was
diffi cult to make out until we were virtually opposite the entrance.
Then it was a dog-leg through the gap, a nifty U-turn and we
rounded up next to a one-man open fi shing boat. When the
engine stopped, this remote spot was completely silent until
a fi sh jumped, its splash rippling across the still water.
A few houses and red timber shacks fringed the harbour
but nobody was moving. Wandering ashore, we saw a miniature30TRAVEL
Copenhagen’s Nyhavn is
a daytrip from Roskilde