SUP tour Svendborgsund and Svendborg Harbor

The tour starts from Christiansminde Beach, which is a cozy recreational area just east of Svendborg. From the beach, you paddle towards Svendborg Harbor with the forest and Christiansminde Path on the right side until you pass Svendborg Rowing Club. From there, you continue paddling into the harbor area.

Svendborg Harbor

Svendborg Harbor is an exciting harbor to paddle around, with many cultural activities rooted in the city's maritime heritage and new urban spaces alongside businesses, education, and housing.

As you sail into the harbor, Frederiksø is on your left and Frihavnen is on your right, a smaller harbor with several small boats. At the bottom, there is a kayak and SUP launching pier. Just behind Valsemøllen is Lifeplan Kayak & Outdoor, where you can rent SUP boards and kayaks and also participate in guided tours of the area.

The tour continues along Østre Kaj, the former active industrial quay with industries, commercial buildings, grain silos, and the old silo warehouse. On the left-hand side is the Shipyard Petersen & Sørensen and the 140-meter-long floating dock, Den Blå Dok. The Blå Dok is adorned with a giant mural in street art style depicting steel ship production with shipyard workers in blue overalls shoulder to shoulder, a giant ship propeller, cranes, bowl ships, and welding flames. The artwork pays tribute to the shipyard workers who have toiled at the city's many shipyards over time, making Svendborg a city with proud shipbuilding traditions. The two artists behind the gigantic work are Nigel Thomas and Søren Østerkjserhuus, and from the water side, you have a view of the massive mural.

Frederiksø

The tour continues along Jessens Mole past the veteran ship Helge, moored at the quay just before Frederiksbroen. On the opposite side, you find Boat Rental, where you can take a guided boat tour or rent a boat and explore the South Funen Archipelago yourself.

Frederiksø lies like an island in the middle of Svendborg Harbor connected by a bridge that you paddle under during the tour. Frederiksø was home to many of the old shipyards in the past. Historically, Svendborg is a shipyard city with nearly 30 shipyards along Svendborgsund over time. Today, there is still some industry and business on Frederiksø, but it coexists with the many new cultural offerings and activities that have emerged. Once you pass under the bridge, Kammerateriet beach bar is on the left-hand side. It's possible to moor at the raft in front of Kammerateriet if you want to take a break at the harbor beach bar.

The tour continues along the quay past the raw and authentic shipyard buildings, the Rundbuehallerne, where concerts and events are held year-round. There are working workshops in the old industrial buildings adjacent to the Rundbuehallerne, and Denmark's Museum for Recreational Boating is located here. A recreational area with petanque courts and a skatepark has been constructed on the quay.

The Mud Hole and Wooden Ships

Once you're clear of Frederiksø, you continue to the right along Sejlskibsbroen, also called Træskibsbroen, where several older, preserved wooden ships are moored at the quay. The small historic harbor behind Træskibsbroen is locally known as Mudderhullet, a name that probably stems from the time when untreated wastewater was discharged here. Today, it's a cozy place to paddle into, and at the bottom, you can see the houses remaining from the original city structure with narrow gardens right down to the water's edge.

The Circular Marina

The tour continues along the waterfront, past Gasværkshavnen, where the former Svendborg Gasworks was located. Today, the area is probably as close as Svendborg gets to a fishing harbor. After Gasværkshavnen, you come to a small beach, where the kayak club and sailing club are located. Next to the beach is the Circular Marina, Svendborg's large marina with many permanent berths, and in the summer, many yachtsmen exploring the archipelago. From there, you paddle across Svendborgsund to Vindeby Harbor on Tåsinge. A crossing of about 500 meters, but as there are many sailors and ferries, and often strong currents in the sound, you must be extra careful when crossing the sound.

Tåsinge

From Vindeby Beach and the small harbor, you paddle along the coast to the natural area Skansen, the outer grassy headland on the northernmost tip of Tåsinge with grazing cows. From there, you have a view over Svendborgsund and to Svendborg Harbor and the Blå Dok on the opposite side. Continue along the coast of Tåsinge until you reach the bathing jetty at Svendbrogsund Camping where you cross the sound again and return to Christiansminde Beach.

Be aware of

Svendborgsund, the waterway between Fyn and Tåsinge, is approximately 10 kilometers long and about 400 meters wide at its narrowest point. It is therefore important to be aware that Svendborgsund is a narrow waterway with a risk of strong currents.

Svendborgsund can be challenging for beginners due to the currents. If you do not feel safe crossing the sound, you can paddle back the same way to Christiansminde Beach. It is not allowed to stay in the fairway, which is marked with green and red buoys. When crossing, it must be done perpendicular to the fairway, and it is important to be aware of the cross traffic.

The Gateway to the Archipelago

Svendborg serves as the gateway to the archipelago with ferries to several of the islands in the South Funen Archipelago, Skarø, Drejø, Hjortø, and Ærø. On the opposite side lies the beautiful old harbor warehouse. The quay here is called Honnørkajen, and this is where the royal ship Dannebrog moors when it visits. Right after that is the ferry dock, where the ferry to Ærø departs, and next to it is the small ferry Hjortøboen, which sails to Hjortø. At Pakhuskajen in front of the Yellow Warehouse, built as a grain warehouse in 1858, Svendborg Museum's fine ships, the customs cutter Viking and the former mail boat Hjortø, are moored at the quay when they are not on the water.