Svelmø and Hansebugten (Hanse Bay)

Lille Svelmø is connected to Svelmø by land. At the southern end of Svelmø, where the highest point is 15 metres above sea level, a long sand bar called Svelmø Trille (Svelmø Bar) reaches far out from the coast. For the many touring kayaks, this is a favourite place to pull up. The sand bar is marked with a red buoy (55° 01.957’N 010° 19.526’Ø), which is highly recommended to comply with, even though you might feel tempted to cut a few metres on the inside before shaping your course towards Faaborg or Svendborg. When rounding the bar, the many birds that rest there appear to almost walk directly on the surface of the water. That is because the settled gravel only reaches a few centimetres above sea level in most places.

Svelmø was first inhabited and cultivated in the 17th century. Originally, the island only had one farm, but in the 18th century, it was split up into two so-called “twin farms”. This was done by building three stone walls splitting the island from north to south into four equally large parts, and one stone wall was built directly through the courtyard splitting the large farm building in two. Twin farms are a familiar sight on several of the islands in The South Fyn Archipelago, including Bjørnø and Illum in Helnæsbugten (Helnæs Bay). The two farms remained split until they burnt down in 1976. After the fire, a couple of new houses were built. These are not used for permanent residence, but are rented out as holiday homes. A info board has been put up stating the rules of behaviour in the area, which is open to the public.

After rounding Svelmø Trille and sailing towards Faaborg, you enter Hansebugt (Hanse Bay), which extends all the way to Katterød Rev (Katterød Reef) and Grydeløbet. This maritime place name probably originates in the Hanseatic period when even the larger merchant ships of the Hanseatic League were able to sail close to the coast due to the rapidly increasing water depth.