Æbelø (apple island) is a tiny, apple-shaped blob of land in the Kattegat, connected to the north coast of Funen by a 1.5-2 km sandbar, i.e. the stalk of the apple. Along the coast are rolling clay cliffs covered in lush grass and forest. Æbelø has 2 human inhabitants in the summer, while in winter it is exclusively inhabited by wild animals and birds. On bright nights you can see the light from the island’s lighthouse from Juelsminde.
Saturday, 26 June, 10 am, my parents, grandma, and I sailed to Æbelø and dropped the anchor off its northern shore. We had a lovely trip over, with just enough wind to set sails and enjoy a softly breezy ride. The weather was peculiar — cloudy but quiet and warm, with a flimsy, magical sort of light. Amazing to be on the water again and smell the salt, hear the waves glide by, and enjoy some family quality time. My grandma told stories of her and my grandad’s trips to Æbelø back in the ’50s-’70s, when they and their friends would swim between their anchored boats and into shore to barbecue on the rocky beach.
We ate a lovely lunch in the cockpit — boiled eggs and shrimps, fresh lettuce and tomatoes, olive bread from La Cabra and hummus. Took a nap — some in the cabin, others in the cockpit. Read the weekend paper. Talked about the other boats passing by or dropping their anchor near us. As you do.
My dad and I then launched the SUP into the water, and I circled the boat on the board 3-4 times to get the hang of it again, and then made my way towards the shore of the island. The colours were amazing — the brown and green shades of the cliffs and vegetation, the clear, clean sea, the white pebbles on the sand floor, and the way the colour palette of the island, the sky, and the sun were dancing in the water. I went back and forth along the coast, slowly, with long, slow paddle strokes, chatting to our fellow anchored sailors and a few fishermen. After a while, my dad took over the board to practice his paddling. Eventually we both jumped into the water and swam around the boat and to the beach and back. So refreshing!
Back onboard De Gæ Nok, my mum had prepared water melon, banana cake, and rose wine.
Towards evening, we returned to Juelsminde, just in time to watch the second half of the thrilling game — on my dad’s phone in the cockpit in the marina — in which Denmark beat Wales 4-0 to enter the quarterfinals of the Euro 2020.
De Gæ Nok 