Baltic Sea 2019 Part 1

Tue 24.06.19 Bremen-Lesum -> Bremerhaven

Travel time/distance: 3h30m / 53 km

Weather: sunny, very warm, occasionally fresh SE wind

09:24 am Departure from berth in Bremen Lesum. Boat is fully fueled (diesel and fresh water), all systems checked and found to be in order.

Let's get started. Goal: the Baltic Sea, initially the Baltic coast of Schleswig-Holstein, then, if time and weather permit, the "Danish South Sea".

There is no fixed route planning, cannot be with the boat size and unpredictable weather conditions.

The first part of the journey is unproblematic: In glorious, with almost 30° almost too hot summer weather, it takes just over three hours downstream on the Weser River to Bremerhaven. At 1:06 pm the logbook reports: All secure in the Lloyd Marina Im Jaich in the "Neuer Hafen" (which is actually over 100 years old).

Wed 25.06.19 Bremerhaven -> Cuxhaven

Travel time/distance: 8h15m / 58 nm

Wind and weather: mostly sunny, warm, light winds

For this trip, the route "around the outside" was chosen. (The Hadelner Canal is not an option; as is well known, the lock at Otterndorf is being rebuilt and the passage is closed until further notice): The "regular" route, the main fairway used by large ships in the outer Weser, the Fedderwarder Fahrwasser. In the Hoheweg Rinne, at buoy A16, we then turned "right" towards the Alte Weser lighthouse. After that, on northern courses over the Norder Gründe to the outer Elbe.

About two to three hours after high tide in Bremerhaven, we set off, with the ebbing water heading towards the North Sea. At around 6 knots of cruising speed (without current), the flood should slowly set in when reaching buoy 1/Elbe, which will then push me vigorously towards Cuxhaven. And so it was. Around 4 pm, after a good seven hours of travel, I had the Kugelbake abeam to starboard and shortly afterwards we were securely moored in the Cuxhaven marina. A good feeling to have "achieved" it again. First of all, I need to recover: two days in CUX.

Fri 28.06.19 Cuxhaven -> Hamburg

Travel time/distance: 8h00m / 110 km

Wind and weather: initially overcast, 16°, later sunny, moderate NW wind

Originally, the plan was to sail from CUX to Brunsbüttel and then through the Kiel Canal to Kiel. Unfortunately, the weather conditions had developed in such a way that this plan was abandoned, especially since family members wanted/should come on board. Therefore, Plan B: Initially only "inland" up the Elbe and from Lauenburg into the Elbe-Lübeck Canal to Lübeck and Travemünde - and then we'll see how the weather turns out.

Low tide in CUX was at 04:01 am. So I thought, let's leave an hour later, then the flood current will push us nicely. So at 05:00 am departure from Cuxhaven, quietly and without bow thruster, sneaking out of the harbor to disturb the sleeping crews as little as possible. That worked quite well. Hardly had we passed the harbor entrance, the Elbe river caught me with unexpectedly high waves, a NW swell from the outer Elbe. Nevermind, we have to go through there now. The main direction was from behind, so it went reasonably well. Actually, I had expected a stronger flood current, but that was not (yet) the case. It wasn't until well over an hour later that the flood current became noticeable, and only when approaching Brunsbüttel was it really strong. From there, we continued at a "rapid" pace (up to 18 km/h) up the Elbe. There wasn't much traffic; only one overtaker and one or two oncoming boats, that was it. The journey was uneventful and fast. It became a bit uncomfortable in the Hamburg harbor area: The swell caused by the many barges, fast-moving tugs, and ferries is quite heavy for a boat as small as mine. But nevermind, "we have to go through there" - and finally, at around 1:00 pm, we were securely moored in the City Sporthafen.

Sat 29.06.19 Hamburg -> Lauenburg

Travel time/distance: 5h 45m / 55 km

Sunny and very warm!

The family is on board! My daughter with two adult sons. The two boys find the automatic life jackets "cool", so there are no objections to wearing them. Wear them on deck and in the lock, of course. In wonderful summer weather, we sail up the beautiful blue Elbe. Going through the lock in Geesthacht goes smoothly and without waiting. Two hours later we are at the WSC Lauenburg. I prefer smaller club facilities when I have the choice. A good decision, as later turns out, because there was an "beach party" with open air and live music in the neighboring marina in the evening. In the evening, dad picks up the two boys again, and the mom stays on board for the weekend.

Sun 30.06.19 Lauenburg -> Lübeck

Travel time/distance: 8h 45m (including locks!) / 68 km

Again lots of sun and very warm!

During breakfast, we already see several boats heading towards the lock. So we set off as well. In the ELK, it's best to travel in convoy. Individual boats are not locked due to low water levels. So at 08:15 am, we cast off. It's only a few hundred meters to the lock. Unfortunately, we arrived a little late: the boats were already gone and the lock gates were closed. We were just about to tie up at the waiting jetty when a piercing whistle: someone in the lock house waved us to come over. Could it be true? Yes, the lock keeper had seen us and opened the lock gates again just for us! Of course, we were happy about that and thanked him. - In the convoy, we then trundled along nicely at 10 km/h behind the other boats. At the next lock, the lock keeper asked who wants to continue to Lübeck and who does not. Those who have time like to make a stop in between, e.g. in Mölln. We wanted to continue to Lübeck, which meant another "eight-hour day". - In the famous-infamous Donnerschleuse, there was a little shock moment: the lock was full, we came in as the last boat, and the lock keeper pointed to a spot on the right next to the wall. But when I approached, I had doubts, the spot was too narrow for me and I wanted to move over to the other side where there was more space. But at that moment, the lock keeper had already initiated the locking process and the lock gate came up out of the water behind us. Only a quick burst of gas ahead could prevent a collision. Phew! That was close! - In the last lock before Lübeck, there was another big scare: we had moored alongside a larger flybridge yacht. When the lock opened, we waited for the boats in front of us to exit. Suddenly, the skipper of the flybridge yacht just took off, even though we were still moored alongside. Fortunately, we had the lines loose in our hands, otherwise he would have taken us with him. That was a shock! - Finally, at 5:00 pm, everything is securely moored in the beautiful new "New Port" marina right in the center of Lübeck.

Mon 01.07.19 Lübeck -> Travemünde

Travel time/distance: 2h 30m / 28 km

Mostly cloudy and not as warm anymore

We wanted to get to the Baltic Sea as quickly as possible, so the next morning we headed straight to Travemünde. The weather had turned slightly cloudy, but at least it stayed dry at 22°. After just over two hours of travel, we were already in the large, beautiful Passathafen. And for the first time again moored in a typical Baltic Sea style: aft with two lines to poles, bow towards the jetty. It's handy to have an open bow pulpit - and a small step for the transition to the jetty if the bow is too high. We had chosen a spot that gave us a beautiful view of the Trave River and the PASSAT. We also got to watch the arrival and departure of the large Baltic Sea ferries (Peter Pan, Nils Holgersson, etc.) for free and almost up close. - In the afternoon, in quite windy but always sunny weather, we crossed over to Travemünde with the Priwall ferry and completed the mandatory program: enjoyed delicious marzipan cake with coffee at Niederegger.

Tue 02.07.19 Harbor day

Windy day! Northwestern winds at 5, gusting up to 7. As a small motorboat sailor, it's better to stay in the harbor. Especially since the (working) daughter wanted to "sign off" again anyway - the job! In the afternoon, Plan C was developed: Due to prevailing unfavorable weather conditions, instead of going out into the Baltic Sea, we decided to go back to Hamburg and then make a new attempt on the Kiel Canal and the Baltic Sea.

Wed 03.07.19 Travemünde -> Mölln

Travel time/distance: 7h 30m (including locks!) / 60 km

With cloudy skies, western winds at 4 and fresh 16°, we headed back. Without a stop in Lübeck, we went straight to the ELK. After a short wait in front of the Büssau lock, we sailed in convoy again, this time with only four boats, always nicely disciplined, from lock to lock. The Donnerschleuse is rightly named: the water really comes bursting in and splashing up between the boat and the lock wall, so you can get wet feet if you're unlucky. At 4:00 pm, I managed to snag the last available berth at WSV Mölln. Once again, it's time to go shopping at the nearby Edeka, and when that's done, I enjoy a peaceful evening on board in an idyllic setting.

Thu 04.07.19 Mölln -> Lauenburg

Travel time/distance: 5h 15m (including locks!) / 37 km

Actually, I wanted to "make progress" today and go all the way to Hamburg if possible, so departure from Mölln was at 6:30 am. Unfortunately, there was a delay in front of the Witzeeze lock (really called that!) because two commercial vessels were being locked. Well, it's not a big deal, you always have to expect that. We passed Lauenburg around noon and headed out onto the Elbe. But by now, a strong west wind was blowing, and on the Elbe, the boat had to struggle against an unpleasant, steep wave (wind against current!). That got too much for me, so after fifteen minutes, I simply turned around and moored again at the friends' place at WSC Lauenburg. Anyway, it fit quite well into my plans because I had to leave the boat alone for a few days to take care of things at home.