The Dutch motor yacht Vryburg in Øresund

The Dutch motor yacht Vryburg going northwards in Øresund tonight.

I have always liked Dutch motor yachts, large and small. Tonight one of my favorites, the 17.55 m x 5.55 m "mini mega yacht" Vryburg passed by in the Sound. Regrettably I was not able to get a close up image, but on this page you can find nice pictures and a lot of information about this beautiful motor yacht. 

I think the brochure is not wrong when it states:

"Everywhere the Vryburg comes, she attracts admirers based on the beauty of her lines and her robust features."

Container ship Dettifoss in Øresund last night

It is always nice to see a ship carrying a lot of containers - like the Dettifoss (164 m x 28 m) on its way to Aarhus late last night:

Dettifoss in Øresund last night.

Work boat Frog Cygnus approaching Helsingborg

Work boat Frog Cygnus tonight approaching Helsinborg. A Danish sport fishing
boat in the background.

Frog Cygnus is a 20.3 m x 6.05 m work boat designed to operate coastal waters. The Gothenburg based boat was built in 1990 in Mariehamn, Åland. 

A walk down memory lane: Two signatures on Cat Cay Island in the Bahamas

The signatures of  Edward, the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Windsor on Cat Cay Island.

In 1981 I visited Cat Cay island in the Bahamas, an exclusive private club island accessible only to members and their guests. In one of the traditional club buildings I noticed two interesting autographs above the door, "Edward" and "Wallis Windsor". Whether the fish above the names was caught by Edward, the Duke of Windsor (or perhaps Wallis?), who in 1936 abdicated from the British throne in order to be able to marry Wallis Simpson. The couple's visit to Cat Cay island must have taken place during the WW II, when the Duke was Governor of the Bahamas (1940 - 1945). 

I can see that Cat Cay is still a favored location for American and international members. This is how the Cat Key Yacht Club describes the island:

Over the years the Cat Cay Yacht Club has managed to combine the best features of private island life with the infrastructure of a major resort. Many members own luxurious beachfront homes, play tennis or golf on well-maintained inland facilities, dock their yachts in the modern, protected marina and dine in the island’s first-rate restaurant.

This is how Cat Cay looked in 1981:

The use of private cars was - and still is - forbidden. Golf carts are the preferred
 meansof transportation.

In 1981 you could see several large yachts in the marina. Today they are probably even larger.

The Lady Elinor was one of the yachts in the marina.

The view when entering Cat Cay by boat.

Some golf carts were more luxurious than others.

A golf cart at the building visited by the Duke of Windsor and his wife.

The Etoile d'Azur - a gorgeous Moonen 84 "pocket-size superyacht" - in Øresund

The  Moonen 84 motor yacht Etoile d'Azur in Øresund this morning.

The Etoile d'Azur, a gorgeous "pocket-size superyacht", was this morning going northward in the Sound. The 26.25 m Moonen 84 motor yacht, launched in 2007, has just underwent a major refit. The Etoile d'Azur, which still is in the hands of its original owner, is now heading for the Norwegian fjords. 

Russian Imperial Navy auxiliary cruisers Don and Ural passing Kronborg castle in 1904

Russian Imperial Navy auxiliary cruisers Don and Ural passing Kronborg in 1904.

During the Russo-Japanese war in 1904 - 1905 quite a number of Russian Imperial Navy ships passed through Øresund on their way to the far away war zone. The picture above, by Kaiser Wilhelm II's favorite naval painter Willy Stöwer, shows the Russian auxiliary cruisers Don (ex-German liner Fürst Bismarck)  and Ural (ex-German liner Kaiserin Maria Theresia and Spree) passing Kronborg castle in 1904. 

In October 1904 Ural joined admiral Rozhesvensky's Second Pacific Squadron in the Far East. The Ural, which was the first ship to sight the Japanese fleet at Thushima in May 1905, was sunk by the Japanese. 

The Don survived the war and was later sold to the Austrian Navy and converted to submarine base Gaa. In 1919 it was seized by Italy and in 1924 it was reconstructed as liner San Giusto. 

The Greek crude oil tanker Delta Sailor going southwards in Øresund

This is the Greek crude oil tanker Delta Sailor (250 m x 44 m) in Øresund on Saturday evening. The ship was going southwards with empty oil tanks (which also revealed that it might need some paintwork!).

Three cruise ships and Kronborg

On this pleasant summer evening the guests on board cruise ships MSC Poesia, Mein Schiff 1 and Costa Fortuna were able to have a close look at Hamlet's legendary Kronborg castle:

MSC Poesia (294 m 34 m) meets a small cargo ship while passing Kronborg castle.

Mein Schiff 1 (262 m x 32 m) on its way to Kiel.

Costa Fortuna (272 m x 35 m) was heading for Geiranger in Norway.