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.