6th July Koge

I was in no rush to move as I’ve learned that people tend to set off around 1000, so arriving before then one may find one’s next harbour still full from the previous night.

My intention was to try Koge which the book says is unlikely to have any available berths. I had a lovely weekend breakfast of bacon, eggs, fried left over potatoes, mushrooms and toast washed down with coffee and orange juice. Once that and the blog had been sorted out I weighed anchor, unrolled some genoa and, in lovely calm water, sailed towards Koge in 12-15 knots of breeze at about 6 knots.  There was a little fishing boat just astern of me as I entered the harbour which is split into 3 sections. As I didn’t know where I was going to find a berth and some possibilities were appearing at the first area I came to I stopped and he overtook, I crept into the first area and there appeared to be several suitable berths. However, looking at it, it was a long walk from this area to the main marina so I thought I’d look to see if there was anywhere closer in. I went into the next, main, bit and there, again, appeared to be several suitable berths.  By the time I’d decided on one I was not in a good position to make an approach, the selected berth was a normal marina berth,  as I manoeuvred to make an approach a kind chap appeared at the berth to help take my lines and  soon I was alongside and secure.

Having paid I looked for a washing machine but there is none on site. I topped up with water and  plugged into the shore power but, as it was sunny decided  I might as well get free electricity for the time being  and didn’t turn it on, one pays by the joule here. I had a look at the fuel pump which seemed to be very expensive and an automatic one working on a bank card.

Not being able to do the washing I went for a shower. Lovely. I had already been to the loo and it was a single loo for all genders and abilities and didn’t require the key card to get in, there were two doors beside this marked as showers. When I went for a shower I found that actually the two doors further down were loos and showers and basins, all beautifully clean with appropriate hooks and seats and so on to make showering a pleasant experience, Scottish canal staff could do with a look around here.

Once beautifully clean and sparkling, I walked into town which is a beautiful medieval one with many old buildings and most of the modern ones built in sympathy. I had a felafel for lunch and went into an art exhibition underneath a lovely old water tower but wasn’t particularly inspired by anything, I think a couple of the artists were manning the entrance. I bought, in Ireland, as a souvenir, a picture from a local exhibition which I was pleased with at the time but less so now.

Having absorbed, in lovely weather, the sights and sites of the town I wandered back via a Netto supermarket, to the boat, the Netto didn’t have any pastry or bacon joints, the two things I was particularly looking for but did have crisps and peanuts, which I wasn’t but bought anyway.

A couple of hands of bridge on the boat followed and then I went to ‘Stacy’s Diner for a beer and burger dinner which was great.

Looking again at the fuel it now seems to be normal price so I’m not sure what happened earlier and going to the loo this morning it appears that of the two showery sections one is for ladies and one for gents and I mistakenly used the ladies, luckily no one else was in to be offended at the time.

Koge, not a single shoppping trolley in the river and more beautiful memorial gardens.