A SORT OF HOMECOMING
North Germany, that's where I'm from. Some years Baltic Sea, some years North Sea but always beach, water, wind, boats and people I understand because they don't talk so much. And a random border - with a little bit more luck we would not be North Germany but South Denmark, a tempting thought. My whole live I felt myself more related to the people 10km north of my home than the folks living south of river Elbe. The decision to skip Copenhagen and go south Skagen to Flensburg was spontaneous but stupid me, I should have known that I would not be able to resist when I'm near my home town. So it happened that we had a fine sailing trip of 20 hours with best wind arriving in Flensburg on the 30th of June right in time to celebrate my 38th birthday.
(Picture: on the way to Flensburg)
When young we were listening to a German band singing about home coming ... I'm back home ... the church is not that big anymore ... . Today I know that I never really had understood the text that times. But today I do. Coming back can be rather humbling like it was arriving in Flensburg. When once I thought Flensburg is the nicest town in the world now Flensburg seemed ok to me. The once long big shopping street seemed tiny. Elegant shops where once I didn't had the heart to enter can not compete with shops in Hamburg’s Moenckebergstreet. Outlets seemed sloppily and clothes out of fashion. What I remembered as a stunning night live in fancy bars was disappointing after years in Hamburg, Helsinki and other places. Fair judgment, no, of course not. Flensburg didn't changed, I did.
When young I lived almost everywhere in Northern Germany but hardly ever left Northern Germany. First, as child there were no reason. My family never went on vacation because my father was traveling all the time and we spend our summers at the beach house in Holnis near the cliff with own beach in front of our house and plenty of nature around. For a young boy it can’t get any better and until today I’m dreaming of the beach house I will have for my family.
When getting older it was basis necessity. I got support from my father but in order to live I always had to earn money. So for example when studying in Flensburg I was working at the same time in the administration and as store manager at Mc Donald’s and was also in the local town parliament as committee member. Time to travel – no way. I didn’t miss traveling but I was always sure that my travel time will come – I just couldn’t imagine how hard the travel bug will hit me. When coming to Flensburg that June I was some years ago that I visited Flensburg the last time. That’s the thing with me, once I’m gone I’m gone. For example with one of my best friends I had a great time at the North Sea in the town of Husum, spending 3 of the best years of our live there. Whenever this friend has a hard time he goes back to Husum. Renting a car or motorcycle and spend some days in a Hotel remembering old times. I have not been in Husum since 20 years. I don’t get what he wants to find. For me at least there is no romantic sugarcoated looking back or a homecoming and everything is like before. You can’t get the past back, places change, people change and you are changing, developing. I need all my power to focus on present and future and to live even harder. Sorry but there is little space left for the past.
(Pictures: Obstacles on the way, are we too careless? Bridge at night and sandbank in Danish South Sea, The anger about not considering is worse then the damage. I should have known and should have prepared the crew instead of devil-may-care attitude)
So why did I went back to Flensburg in the first place. Because some things don't change and I was just curios how it will be sailing with Summerwind the fjord of Flensburg, passing all the places I knew and of course visiting my father. And it's not going back to a past at all, rather the present (Summerwind) meets the past. For the crew it was also easier to change in Flensburg where no flying was involved so we called it a deal. But back chronological: We left Skagen without maps and I downloaded some info from the Internet. Also posted a question in Yacht forum if I remember right asking about the belts. The thing with the maps was the story of the trip, wherever we tried to get maps ad hoc they were not available, sold out and so on. But the trip itself was smooth. In order to avoid any risk we went trough the great belt and wondered about a bridge appearing in the middle of the night. In the Danish South Sea we almost got stuck on a sand bank but a Fisherman helped us finding our way. When entering the fjord we had 30 degrees, no wind and wonderful chilling time.
Later we passed by my fathers apartment in Gluecksburg and I saw him with his binoculars on the balcony.
And now here is how Flensburger welcome Flensburger: with a crate of cold Flensburger Pilsener waiting at the pier and 1minute after mooring Summerwind at the Hafenspitze, the "head of the harbor", 3 Sailors finishing the first bottle of Flensburger.
(Yes Jogi, Yes, Yes, Yes)
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