On the Mighty Rhine to Holland

After 3 months and 2500km we are now back in the Netherlands. We left Minden in Germany on the Monday and made steady progress down the Mittelland Canal to the junction with the Dortmund-Ems Canal (DEK) where we turned right rather than the left where we had come from many months ago.

We were headed for Munster, in the opposite direction from where we wanted to go, but once we got onto the Rhine we would have no locks and a current of 6km/h to speed us on our way.
It is hard to believe that all of the old town of Munster was destroyed -totally- in WWII and that everything you see including the cathedral is only 60 years old. It has all been rebuilt exactly as it was before the war. In East Germany it would all have been bulldozed and concrete and steel buildings erected in their place.

It was market day in Munster and it was incredible. As good as any French market with the best fish we have seen in Germany. We bought some Kingklip, a South African fish, and had a lovely meal of fresh fish that night. For lunch we had that great Dutch speciality at the market of kibbelings - battered morsels of fish served with remoulade sauce in a box. There were stalls selling everthing including pumpkins, flowers, olives,spices and meats and chicken of all sorts.The next day we continued down the DEK to the junction with the Datteln-Wesel Canal. We turned into this very busy canal and over the enxt two days worked out way down 6 locks until we arrived at the Rhine. We turned out into the wide and busy Rhine and then a short distance downstream turned into Wesel Yacht Harbour where we stayed the night and topped up with fresh water.

The next morning we went for a long walk along the banks of the Rhine to an old railway bridge bombed in 1945 (or blown up) and never rebuilt. There was an small airstrip next to the yacht club where we were staying and there was a constant stream of gliders taking off and landing, with us mere meteres below as they headed down to land.

Then it was time to start the voyage down the Rhine. We headed out and were immediately grabbed by the current and propelled and 18km/h downstream. There were barges to the left of us, barges to the right, barges coming towards us and barges overtaking us. There were big barges over 120m long with three decks of John Deere tractors bounded for Rotterdam. There were scores of oil and gas barges heading upstream as the Rhine is the main route for oil and gas for Eastern France and Switzerland as well as Western Germany.

On we swept constantly looking out for 'blue flagging boats'. These are boats that fly a blue board to indicate that they want to pass starboard to starboard and not the normal port to port. They do this so they can crawl up the Rhine on the inside of corners where the current is gentler. It makes life hell with some boats wanting to blue flag, some wanting to do the normal passing, boats wanting to overtake and little ole us weaving a path through it all.

Then almost before we knew it we had passed the German border and were in Holland. Nothing to indicate the border at all, just a change in the language on the few boards that line the river.
A couple of minutes later we turned out of the river and into a delightful lake (Bijland Plas). It was a lovely day after the 5 days of grey (but dry) days we had just had. The lake was filled with hundred of boats all enjoying themselves in the warm sunshine. We anchored off a small island sheltered from the wind and relaxed in the sun before firing up a BBQ and watching the sun go down (8.30pm at present). A magical place and a magical night!

Today we contined further down the Rhine well into the Netherlands. The Rhine splits into three rivers in the Netherlands and we followed one of them the River Lek for a long waybefore stopping for the night. This week we will explore the area around Gouda and Utrecht.

Back on the Mittelland Canal

The week started with a side trip down the Lower Havel River to Rathenow. It is the most scenic part of the lower Havel and a good days run away. The weather was drizzly as we motored down and arrived early afternoon and tied up at the Town Harbour. It is not a really interesting town, but it had a Post Office and chemist which is what we wanted. There was a restuarant right next to the quay and we ate there that night on local fish. Very good value at 9 euros a plate.

Then back up to the Plauer See at the yacht club where we had stayed many weeks before. They still remembered us and we had a pleasant night looking out over the lake. Next day we left all the charm of the lakes and rivers behind, and with foot down started pushing to cover the 500km across to the other side of Germany.

On our way over we had gone down the Elbe for a way. This time we went through a 20m deep lock and exited out on the fantastic Elbe Aqueduct which took us across 918m , at 25m above the level of the Elbe. It is a work of engineering over 60 years in the making and has only just opened.

Each day we have been doing about 70km which at 11km/h takes about 6.5 hours. Add in waiting time at locks of about an hour a lock and it is a long day (at least compared with what we had become used to). We passed by the VW factory at Wolfsburg we had visited on the way through and made steady progress to Hannover where we stayed the night. The rain came down over night, but in the morning it had lifted to blue sky. We set off early and got to Minden where the Mittelland Canal crosses the River Weser by mid afternoon. We wanted to watch the closing ceremnony of the Games and by now we could receive UK satellite TV once again. So we pulled up just over another long aqueduct and watched the finish of the games. Then we went for a walk ove the old aqueduct and crossed underneath it and came back on the new aqueduct (one on left) that has only just opened this year.
It is good having British TV again after only having news channels like Sky News and CNN for months (and of course the Olympic channels recently). This week we head to Munster and then down the mighty Rhine to the Netherlands.

Last Tango in Berlin

Once more we are anchored on a beautiful lake just off the River Havel near Brandenburg. Warm and sunny and very peaceful. We have left Berlina nd have started the long journey back to Holland.

This week we started by cruising to the Scharmutzelsee, a very big lake south east of Berlin and more famous for the spa town of Bad Saarow. We found a lovely free mooring at the entrance to the lake and stayed there the night before heading out onto the lake the next morning. The wind was blowing strongly up the lake and the waves getting bigger as we ventured further up the lake. We were hoping to tie up on the landing stage of a restaurant at the top end of the lake that looked like it was in a sheltered place. We couldn't find it anywhere and when we did eventually see it it was very exposed to the big waves and strong wind, so we headed back down the lake and luckily our free mooring was still available so we nipped in there and spend the rest of the day there. It had a supermarket nearby so we could get fresh food and bread.
We decided the next day to start back to Holland and go via Central Berlin. It was a lovely day as we made our way back through the interconnecting lakes to Schmockwitz where we had stayed just the week before. Then the next day, a beautiful day,

we cruised slowly once again through central Berlin soaking in all the lovely sights - the Dom, the Bode museum, the Reichstag, the hundreds of trip boats, the remnants of the WALL. We waved to our tramp as we motored past and he waved back. We wanted to stop at our favourite place in Berlin alongside Schloss Charlottenburg gardens. Unfortunately it was full when we got there, but Wendy spotted a yacht that might be leaving and sure enough it was soon and the space was just big enough for us, so we tied up and went for a long walk in the Schloss gardens.

We had a nice Italian meal by the Schloss that night.

For most of the week we had been enjoying the Olympic Games on satellite TV. I had found by chance some hidden 'streams' that BBC 1 Sport use and so we had 7 channels of Olympic games available with full expert commentary in English. It was (and is) marvellous. We managed to see the NZ golden Saturday triumphs in the rowing and viewing it with the BBC was great as there are no adverts and a really comprehensive coverage albeit UK orientated. Still ...
The following day was rainy but we decided to head over the Wannsee and tie up at Potsdam and spend the day watching the Olympics. Coming into Potsdam we got pulled over by the Wasserschutzpolizie and told we had gone too fast under a bridge. They fined us 15 euros and send us on our way. Unfortunately for some reason (probably the rain) we couldn't get those BBC streams at Potsdam though we could get all the German languauge Olympics. We stocked up with fresh food to last us the long trek across the North German Plains and the next morning headed along the Havel in lovely weather towards the Elbe. At Plauersee instead of turning off to the Elbe Havel Canal we decided to continue on the lovely River Havel for a few more days to a place called Rathenow as it has a post office we need to send a parcel off.

That brings us to the lovely lake we are now, sipping wine in the early evening sunshine, watching the moorhens and eagles. I shall fire up the BBQ tonight and cook some pork kebabs we bought in Potsdam and then watch the Olympic highlights.

Circumnavigation of Berlin

The day before we had started on our circumnavigation of Berlin, a journey of some 150km and had reached Potsdam after some delay in Spandau Lock. The weather was not good in Potsdam; not wet but very windy with gusts of up to 80 km/h. We were quite sheltered so we ventured out in the afternoon and went for an hour. When we turned the corner of a lake we really hit Force 6 winds and waves. So we turned back and tied back up at Yachthaven Potsdam and went for a walk into the Sans Souci Schloss grounds.

The next day we headed along the Teltow Canal - the quickest way to get to South East Berlin which has another superb lake area. It was still quite windy but we made good progress. Then in the only lock on the canal while we were tied up, a yacht with its mast stowed on board couldn't tie on to the lock and the mast crashed into our canopy over the steering position, making a large tear in it. We could have cried. We swapped details with the other boat and Nick patched up the tears with some duct tape and we threw on a bucket of water and nothing came through. So fingers crossed we should make it back dry to Holland where we can get it sorted out properly with hopefully the yacht's insurance company paying for everything.

We stopped the night at Schmockowitz on the Langer See in a quiet little basin. In the evening we went for a walk and were amazed to see how little developed everything was, being part of former East Germany. I was thrilled to see my first gaslight on a street with the mantle glowing away. It looked like a scene from turn of the century London.

The next day the weather was much better but we had to return to the Tegeler See for Nick and Monika to pick up their car and return home. We sailed through lake after lake and along the very pretty Muggle Spree lined with lovely houses and manicured lawns with a sprinkling of fine restaurants along the way. Then down the Spree further and soon we were in the heart of Berlin, passing the great sights of the Dom, The Museums and the Reichstag.

We stopped briefly for Cindy the dog to goto the toilet at the spot where we had first stayed in Berlin and where our friendly tramp looked after the boat. He was there with his mates and helped us tie up and was rewarded ith a cold beer for his troubles.
Then back to Tegel and a meal in the yacht club and a lovely evening on the deck drinking wine and watching the boats come and go. The girls tried their hand at some fishing.
The next morning Nick and Monika and the Leslie and Vivienne left for home in Erlangen and we headed through Spandau lock, the scene of the ramming boat just a few days before. We called in at the Shell Bunker Boat and took on board $2000 worth of fuel. Ouch! Then back along the Spree to Schloss Charlottenburg where we tied up for the night. It was the hottest night we had experienced for many years, not falling below 28C.
We continued through Berlin past all the great sights of the day before last and stopped in the Langer See for the night. From there we have headed south into the Markishe Wasserstrasse a magical series of lakes interconnected by the River Dahme (a tributary of the Spree).

We have enjoyed watching the Olympic Games this weekend and NZ winning their heats in the rowing, and losing in the football to Brazil.

I know I have mentioned lakes and lakes before, but the area around Berlin has so many lakes (over a thousand) and a good percentage are navigable and inter-connected, that it is hard to comprehend without visiting it. It's like having the Rotorua lakes multiplied 100 fold and spread out and interconnected over the Central North Island from Hamilton to Palmerston North, with Berlin in the middle of it all.

Another week in this area and then we slowly head back West.

Ramming Stations

We left the Mecklenberg Lake district with great sadness as it is one of the most spectacular boating areas in the World! It was getting hotter by the day as we wound our way down the sinuous River Havel, south towards Berlin. We stopped for provisions in Zehdenick and shortly after joined the Havel Oder Canal which we were to follow for the next few days in order to see one of the great engineering wonders of the waterway world - the Niederfinow Boat lift (but more on that later).

We turned off the Havel Oder Canal onto the oldest canal in Germany, the Finow Canal, which has only recently been restored as the main Havel Oder Canal replaced it many years ago.
It was first built in 1620 and followed an old river that went down to the Oder. It has 12 locks, and as only 'sports boots' use the canal, the lock keepers are very friendly. Unfortunately a couple of hours into the canal we were told that a lifting bridge was 'kaput' and it might be 2 hours, 5 hours or 2 days before it was fixed. We hoped it would be 2 hours and so it turned out to be and we continued on our way until the locks closed at 5pm. The next day was very very hot, a continuation of the heatwave we had been experiencing and we pulled out of the Canal and turned upstream to tie up at the base of the Niederfinow boat lift. This massive structure can carry huge boats vertically up 36m, the equivalent of a 14 story building, in the space of 10 minutes. The boats waiting before us has been waiting for 2 hours as there are many Polish barges that take up the whole lift. Fortunately we only had to wait one hour and then we were tucked in at the back behind a large barge and trip boat. 10 minutes later we were 36m higher and on our way back along the Havel Oder canal. We stopped for the night and a couple of cold beers at a marina about 20kms away. Then it was off to Tegel to meet with Wendy's brother and family who were joining us for a few days cruise to Potsdam.

The glorious weather had gone by now, but it wasn't too bad, certainly a lot cooler though. After a great rolled pork roast cooked on our super Cobb BBQ we left at 10am on Sunday on the trip. Unfortunately again we suffered more delays. In Spandau Lock, near where Rudolph Hesse was imprisoned for 45 years we went into the lock. We were followed by a vintage motor boat with a one cylinder engine. It suddenly went beserk, rammed a small motorboat near us, missed up by a couple of metres and then went head on into the lock walls and gate several times. There was commotion everywhere. Soon the Wasserschutzpolizei were there and the lock was closed. We waited for several hours for the police to take statements, and for the lock to be tested before making our way onwards to Potsdam, rather late but only slightly shaken.