Rhine-Rhône Canal Ade, Grand Canal of Alsace here we come

We leave Mulhouse behind us, even though the harbor has a very central location, it lacks any charm. Apart from the exhaust system of the main train station, which created a roaring noise daily until around 1900, the squares are narrow and collisions are preprogrammed. We did not want to linger any longer in our exposed location at the entrance.

So we set off in good time, with 830 being the first lock and the last lock in the Canal du Rhône au Rhin lying ahead of us. After that, there were a few more kilometers to the port of Mulhouse, where Rhine ships can dock, hence the canal is developed up to Niffer.

We took the small lock together with another fun boat and were finally released onto the Grand Rhine. However, this is officially called the Grand Canal d'Alsace, which in our terminology is the Rhine-side canal; we are reminded of our past once again.

It's only a few kilometers to the Ottmarsheim lock (Ecluses EDF d'Ottmarsheim). The canal is impressive, a technical marvel of superlatives, beautiful is another matter.

Before the lock, we must wait; we'll inform the VNF. It is an outrage that there is no docking space for leisure boats above and below the locks. We paid tolls, so our French neighbors should take a cue from the Iffezheim lock, where for the first time we felt that leisure boats were welcome. We explicitly do not criticize the lock staff, who were polite and exceedingly courteous throughout the entire journey.

Because we were drifting for almost half an hour before the lock, we ended up catching a mooring line with the STB drive in such an unfortunate way that it blocked the rudder. We could then enter and exit the lock with one drive, but we shouldn't have to endure that state for too long. Below the lock, there's an industrial harbor with partly abandoned docks. There we finally dared to tie up to the wall.

First, we had to lower our dinghy, and lastly, I had to voluntarily, but also involuntarily, get into the water. The cooling off did me good, and after an hour and a half and several dives, the culprit was finally eliminated. There followed the anxious question of whether the drive had also taken a hit; to keep it brief, after two days of intense observation, I don't believe we sustained any damage. Ultimately, we will investigate this when Gustav goes ashore again in Mainz.

We still had one lock ahead of us, yet we still reached our harbor in Breisach at a reasonable time. The docking beer was more than deserved that day.