Roskilde by boat

We sailed to Roskilde the first week of June 2015. Actually, most was done by motor because of
the wind — too much, too little, right in the face — and because of the narrow passages through
parts of the fjord. There is good advice in Danish only on http://www.roskildefjordudvalg.dk/.

Roskilde as you approach the town from the water.

The countryside is flat, and the ground is very irregular under the water. The charts show great variation,
with many shallow areas. The minimum depth is 2.2 meters, but some passages are deeper. Ships that draw
3 m should be able to pass when the water is at average level. The water level varies greatly with the weather.

There were a lot of swans. Birds love the shallow water as they can easily reach the sea floor for food.

Canoes and kayaks are very good ways to cross the shallow waters.

Kronprins Fredriks Bro opens every 30 minutes between 09.00 and 19.00 on weekdays, 06.30 and 19.00
on weekends. There are exceptions. It does not open often during weekdays between 14.00 and 18.30, nor
on the half hour 10.30 to 14.00 on weekends. See http://www.kronprinsfrederiksbro.dk/aabningstider/

Boats should fly the N flag as a signal for the bridge to open, and give one long and one short audio signal.
Most boats showed the flag, but we did not hear a signal. The bridge seems to open on schedule in any case.

There are 5 red lights on the structure to the right of the opened bridge. They start flashing five
minutes before the bridge opens, so you can prepare. You pass when the red lights stop blinking.

One thing to look out for are fish nets, especially if you venture into shallow waters.
There are both fixed nets, as seen here, and laid nets close to the preferred routes.

There are high tension lines between the bridge and Roskilde. The clearance is 21 meters.

You must follow the red and green markers. It is very shallow in many areas, and the passages
are narrow. Many of the recommended routes are marked on sea charts as only 2.2 meters deep.

We ran aground on the way to Roskilde. The place is marked by the arrow, the coordinates are in the
upper left corner. It was supposed to be 2,4 meters. Our depth gauge showed 0.8 meters when we hit
mud (the bottom is silt and mud so you land softly). It was possible to put the motor in reverse and back
off. The Roskilde harbor master explained that when it blows very hard from south or east, the water is
blown out of the fjord, making it more shallow.  When we hit ground the winds were 15 m/s from southeast.

When you arrive in Roskilde, you may see people out sailing in viking ships, arranged by the Viking
Museum. The duck is promotion for Roskilde to “go orange”. We thought the Dutch had invaded.

Roskilde marina at sunset. The small ponds in the foreground allow children to touch and catch small crabs.