What happens to the Aafarten tour boats in winter?

As many of you may have noticed, in winter you will no longer be greeted by the sight of Aafarten’s iconic red pedal boats at the entrance to Munke Mose. And those who are awake may also have noticed that 2 of Aafarten’s 3 tour boats no longer float safely at the edge of the river in front of Filosofgangen.

Don’t worry, the end of the season is officially marked when Aafarten removes their tour boats, pedalos and canoes from the river. But why is Aafarten removing the tour boats from the river? And what will happen to them until next season? Read on to find out!

Why is Aafarten removing the tour boats from the river?

When the leaves begin to fall from the long branches of the trees, it’s time to remove the tour boats from the river. Every fall, the tour boats are easily and elegantly lifted by crane and transported to the workshop.

The workshop is a safe place to store boats, where they are locked and sheltered from the cold winter months.

The tour boats are cleaned and painted over the winter, and the engines are repaired as needed. These months make it possible to improve the boats, and Aafarten is working on introducing electric motors instead of gasoline engines for the 2023 season.

Why are only 2 out of 3 tour boats removed from the river?

Aafarten has 3 tour boats named Aladdin IV, H. C. Andersen and Riborg Voigt.
Aladdin IV got its name when it sailed the canals of Copenhagen. H.C. Andersen is named after the Odense-born author Hans Christian Andersen. And Riborg Voigt is named after the young woman H.C. Andersen fell in love with and described in several poems. H.C. Andersen and Riborg Voigt never got together, but in the summer, the two tour boats lie side by side in the company of Aladdin IV.

Every fall, Aladdin IV and H.C. Andersen from the Odense River, but why is Riborg Voigt left on the river? The explanation is actually simple enough, the workshop only has room for 2 tour boats as it also stores 20 pedal boats.

Over the winter, Aladdin IV and Hans Christian Andersen are refurbished in the workshop, and on the other side of the winter, Hans Christian Andersen is replaced by Riborg Voigt, which is also refreshed before the season starts in April. As Aladdin IV is a smaller tour boat,
it is stored in the workshop from the end of the season to the start of the season.

We look forward to seeing you next season!