Kehl, the base for an excursion to Strasbourg

The next stage takes us to Kehl on the Rhine. We had registered with NC Kehl, and they took great care of us beforehand; the harbor master even called us again to inform us of our final berth.

We intended to stay several days since we had visitors coming, but ultimately we had to adjust our plans; the water level in Worms was dropping steadily, so we had to anticipate insufficient clearance on our arrival in Erfelden.

We continued to keep an eye on our STB drive, as we felt there might be a slight oil leak.

On the way to Kehl, we covered 65.81 kilometers; according to Navinaut, we should find 3 locks on the route. When my first officer checked in at the second lock, we received the instruction to enter directly behind the freighter, which we did. We were already behind the freighter Servais when entering the Rhinau lock, and of course, this ensured a smooth passage since freighters always get a bit of preference. So we lay on the port side against the lock wall at the second lock, and then nothing happened for a while. The lockkeeper even came personally to us, as there was no radio contact with the locks that day.

Yes, this is not how it works; we had contacted the next lock by phone, so he couldn’t have known. He accepted that we were lying half beside the freighter, and the automation continued its course.

So instead of 3 locks, we had to tackle 4, but thanks to the freighter, we could simply enter and made excellent progress.

In Kehl, we then disengaged, headed to our harbor, and secured our vessel. There is a restaurant right in the harbor that we can highly recommend.

In the harbor itself, we encountered a floating weed removal machine, a repurposed device, similar to a wheel loader but floating, which filtered grass from the water. At first glance, it seemed successful, but afterwards, we had to clear the border inlets of grass every day. The only downside: the harbor, the sanitary facilities, the restaurant—highly recommended. The harbor has a gas station, which we also utilized upon departure. 24-hour service, but only in €150 increments.