Denmark

I lose count of the days. I think it was three, waiting for conditions to improve at Thorsminde. On day three local retired fisherman Ole and his wife Esmerelda found and took me in. That was nice. Getting fed was nice, but the company was what I most welcomed. Thorsminde had been feeling a solitary place: bleak weather keeping locals behind doors, visitors keeping to self-contained groups, my choice of camping location - hidden from the wind but also from view.

Frustrating. Onshore wind and waves have me pinned on the Danish coastline.

At times it looks OK to sail and perhaps is, but with no landing options between Thorsminde and Hvide Sande this next 43km might as well be an open sea crossing. I came within a whisker of leaving today - suited up, board next to the water - then had a final test of the rig against the wind and thought better of it.

An early morning dash in a narrow weather window got me to the Danish island of Læsø. Overnight had been windy so the Swedish side of the Skagerrak / Kateggat Sea was confused and lumpy - but he angle was just right to sail high in reaching mode, thereby heading into the waves rather than accelerating down them. That keeps speeds down and means control is less of an issue. By the middle things had calmed down enough that I had the confidence for a spot of filming in the shipping lanes. The aircraft at the end of the clip circled a few times for a good look.