Strong winds come to the rescue of algae-hit tourist attraction
Frederik VII’s Canal in North Jutland has been closed for two weeks due to algae. Paradoxically, bad weather means it has now reopened.
Frederik VII's Canal can now once again receive sailing visitors. (Photo: © Limfjordsmuseet) 39 minutes ago
- We have had to disappoint a number of visitors.
That is what Anders Bloksgaard, museum director of the Limfjord Museum, says.
Summer is usually the high season for a boat trip on the historic Frederik VII’s Canal near Løgstør in North Jutland.
Normally, over 500 passengers per week board the tour boat, but for the past two weeks the canal has been closed for boat trips because it was filled with algae.
Read also: Historic canal hit by algae: Museum must suspend popular sailing indefinitely ( https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/historisk-kanal-ramt-af-alger-museum-maa-indstille-populaer-sejlads-paa-ubestemt-tid )
Now the Limfjord Museum can once again open the canal to visitors. While many have probably not appreciated the strong winds that have hit North Jutland in recent days, the museum is very pleased.
- We have had a bout of really bad North Jutland weather, and it has given the canal artificial respiration. The algae have been blown away and out into the Limfjord, says Anders Bloksgaard.
--------------------
Frederik VII's Canal
--------------------
* The canal was built to guide ships around the Løgstør Grounds, a shallow and difficult area in the Limfjord where many ships got stuck.
* The canal is named after King Frederik VII and was put into use in 1861. It was dug by hand by 400 German workers.
* The canal stretches along Løgstør and is 4.4 kilometers long. When traffic was at its peak in 1899, around 3,000 ships sailed through the canal.
* The canal lost its importance when a shipping channel was created in the fjord, and it was closed at the southern end in 1913.
* The Limfjord Museum is working to reopen Frederik VII’s Canal for mast-carrying ships, so that one can sail through the Limfjord as was done in 1861.
Source: Limfjord Museum and others
----------------------------
The problems do not stop here
----------------------------
The algae can, however, quickly return when it gets warm. According to Anders Bloksgaard, it could actually get even worse in the future.
This is what it looked like a while ago when the canal was affected by algae. (Photo: © Sofie Gade Hedegaard/Limfjordsmuseet)
He has worked at the Limfjord Museum for more than 20 years and has never experienced anything like the algae that have been in the canal this summer.
- We first saw it last year, and it has just intensified this year to a degree we have not seen before. This means we need to invest in a new vessel, he says.
The old diesel boat used for visitors cannot withstand sailing in the canal if there are too many algae. Therefore, the museum is working on buying a new electric tour boat so that it is not dependent on wind and weather.
It will cost around one million kroner, and it should ideally happen before next summer, says Anders Bloksgaard.
- It is not so good for the museum's finances, but on the other hand it is good for the environment.
Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=undefined )
Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.