Baltic Sea 2020

Part 1 - from Bremen to Kiel

Cruise report 2020 Baltic Sea and more.

First part: From Bremen-Lesum to Kiel-Möltenort.

Summer 2020. The Baltic Sea is calling. This time, however, we are heading east - not north like last year. The plan is to do the "big round": From the Weser River through the North Sea to Cuxhaven, then through the Kiel Canal to Kiel, and then along the coast to the east. The initial goal is the German/Polish border at the Oder Lagoon. Let's see how far we get. The actual route will be determined by the wind and weather. From the Oder Lagoon, we will then go back to Bremen via the "inland" route. This means going up the Oder River, more precisely: the West Oder, which turns into the Hohenstaaten-Friedrichstaler Waterway just after Stettin, running parallel to the Oder River. Then continue westward through canals and rivers. We would like to include the historic Finow Canal. The Werbellin Lake also entices as an intermediate destination. We will then reach the Elbe-Havel Canal via Oranienburg, Berlin-Spandau, Potsdam, Brandenburg, which leads to Magdeburg and then becomes the Mittelland Canal. Finally, in Minden, we will lock down onto the Weser River, which will take us back to Bremen. That's the plan. - Now we can get started.

June 16. We are ready to go. The boat is equipped and fully fueled at its mooring in Lesum. As always, the final preparations took a little longer, so we didn't leave until around 4:00 p.m. Before that, there was a small problem, the engine wouldn't start; the starter battery had suffered a power loss due to self-discharge. Oh no, not a good start! But it wasn't a big problem; just connected it to the charger for a short while and then the engine started running, which charges the battery during the journey. We won't go further than Elsfleth today, as we would have the tide against us afterwards, and we don't want that. So we docked at the city pier in Elsfleth and spent our first night on the boat - so close yet so far from home.

The next morning we take our time: The next tide (outgoing water) doesn't start until 1:00 pm. Since we only want to go as far as Bremerhaven, that works out well. On the Weser River, around Brake, we encounter a steep wave coming toward us due to the NNW wind 4-5 - as always when there's wind against the current - but the little Marex fights through bravely, and three hours later we are in front of the Fischereihafen lock. Yes, you read that correctly: this time we want to go to the Marina Nordsee Yachting in the Fischereihafen, instead of the usual Lloyd Marina "Im Jaich" in the Neuer Hafen. It's much quieter here in the Fischereihafen, we notice that right away, and somehow more attractive because the marina is located in the middle of greenery, which you wouldn't expect from the fishing port. Due to COVID-19, the showers are closed, but we have facilities for basic needs, and for showers, we simply use the onboard shower at the stern. Showering in the fresh air - quite nice!

In the lock, we learn the handy saying for locking in the Fischereihafen lock: "Like in the pub: "Half full in, and full out again!" Which means: We are regularly locked in every hour at half past, and locked out at full hour - Capito? Very practical solution: this way, the skipper always knows when to be in front of the lock: A few minutes before half past or a few minutes before the full hour.

In the marina, they assign us a very nice berth, right below the old lighthouse. It used to be located on the Brinkamahof mudflat island, but had to make way for the construction of the container terminal, and today it is THE jewel of the marina and has various purposes, including exclusive living ambiance.

June 18. Today we're heading out to sea! Yes, we're going "outside" to Cuxhaven, and we will take the Groß-Schiffahrtsweg in the outer Weser River. On the way, we turn towards LT Alte Weser, sail over the Norder Gründe, and thus reach the first approach buoys of the Elbe. Of course, we use the tide: Leaving Bremerhaven with outgoing water, outside we have still water, and as we sail up the Elbe, the incoming flood current pushes us from behind. That's the plan. The trick now is to choose the right time to depart so that we encounter optimal current conditions. I quickly calculate and decide on the lock at 1:00 p.m. By the time I'm outside, it should be about one and a half to two hours after high water in Bremerhaven. (You never know how long a locking can take). So we are just before "full" in front of the lock - and whoosh - at 1:15 p.m. we're done. Unfortunately a little too early, as we will later find out. Anyway, let's start sailing, then we'll see. Shortly after leaving, we cross the Weser shipping lane to buoy 61 and then follow the green buoys outside the fairway downstream. For small boats and pleasure craft, it is forbidden to sail on the "red" side along the container terminal. One sailor does it anyway and is repeatedly warned by the traffic control via radio to switch sides; unfortunately without success.

There is a WSW wind force 3, which later increases to 4 and turns to the west or even WNW, which is directly against us. Soon, an unpleasant wave builds up for our boat size (again wind against current!) and the little Marex is bouncing quite a bit. After about two and a half hours, we turn towards LT Alte Weser, and now we have the wave more from the side, making the ride somewhat more pleasant. We follow a sailor over the Norder Gründe who is also bouncing quite a bit, as he is sailing close to the wind. Other sailors are coming towards us, rushing past us at full speed with the favorable wind for them. The crew, fully dressed in sailing gear, sits in the cockpit and enjoys the wind in their face. Sporty!

I can't take pictures because the boat is moving too wildly. Finally, at 5 p.m., we pass the Scharhörnriff-West buoy to port and turn into the Elbe fairway - again outside the buoy line. Now we have the swell directly from behind, and the boat is working and yawing heavily. Hard work for the helmsman. He has to compensate for every wave so that the boat doesn't go sideways. At least soon the flood current starts (unfortunately later than expected, but still!) and pushes us strongly from behind. Miss Marple rushes up the Elbe at 8 knots (around 15 km/h). A record! Finally, the Kugelbake comes into view and the rocking becomes less. A little later, at 9 p.m., we moor in the marina. Done! Eight hours of non-stop sailing. That's enough for today. - It might have been a bit faster if we had left Bremerhaven an hour later, then we would have caught the flood current on the Elbe earlier. Well, it worked out anyway, and: Nobody is perfect!

June 19. North German gloomy weather with rain and only 16° in the early morning. So we wait a bit before departure. Our destination Brunsbüttel is only about two hours of sailing away, and we have to wait for the flood tide anyway. The rain stops at 10 a.m. and we set off. First, to the right, outside the buoy line, close to the green buoys, always on the lookout for an opportunity to switch sides, as recommended by the Elbe pilots for pleasure craft, because there is more space. As usual, the crossing doesn't work immediately, as there is too much traffic on the Elbe. Finally, we find a gap that allows safe crossing, and now we sail in a relaxed manner on the north side upstream. - Relaxed? Suddenly, I encounter an excursion boat from Cuxhaven that had overtaken me shortly after Cuxhaven. It's coming towards me on a slightly crossing course to port and is crowding me. Does he think I'm on the wrong side and wants to show me? He doesn't make any effort to go to starboard to give me room. In the end, I have no choice but to make a hard turn to starboard, almost as a "last-minute maneuver". But in doing so, I end up in the marked fairway, where I don't belong. Luckily, there are no vessels coming towards me. I'm about to grab the radio and tell the bully on the excursion boat what I think of him. But I force myself to calm down and let it go. It won't change anything. Later, on the north roadstead before Brunsbüttel, where there used to be plenty of space, it's quite busy now. Due to work on the deepening of the Elbe? There are pontoons, dredger barges, and work vessels everywhere. In between, giant tugs are crossing, and their intentions are not always clear. So you have to be careful and give way, and there's no such thing as "relaxed" sailing. But that's finally over too, and we safely arrive at the waiting area in front of the locks and learn via radio that the lock for pleasure craft will continue shortly. Together with a large tug and half a dozen other pleasure boats, we "master" the lock without any problems. Now we deserve a break, and so at 1:30 p.m., we finally dock in the small marina right next door. That's enough for today! I will stay here overnight. At 5:30 p.m., as announced, the friendly harbor master collects a whopping 8 euros berth fee. He also takes the 12 euros for the canal passage. Very convenient, then I don't have to go to the cash machine in Kiel.

June 20 to 21. The Kiel Canal from Brunsbüttel to Kiel-Holtenau is about 100 km long. A bit too much for one day for a pleasure boat. So we always plan an overnight stay halfway. One of the marinas in Rendsburg would be suitable. We decide on the berth in front of the lock at the Gieselau Canal. There you can be calm and idyllic in the green at the jetty. It used to be a "hidden gem", but now it is becoming more and more popular among pleasure boaters, and you have to arrive early to get a berth. We set off from Brunsbüttel at 10:30 a.m. and at 3:00 p.m., we can choose a berth in Gieselau. In the evening, the jetties are fully occupied. Yet it will be a quiet night. No party atmosphere on the canal!

Early the next morning, we continue. In changeable weather, alternating between rain and sun, we complete the journey through the canal, pass the Kiel-Holtenau lock at noon, and finally moor in the Kiel-Möltenort marina in "imperial weather" (sunny, 25°C, fresh wind from the west). The harbor is well-filled, but we find a spot for the little Marex. Later, we study the weather forecast from the DWD, check the coastal weather report from the BSH, and also consult the Windfinder app. After all, we want to go east, destination: Heiligenhafen, directly across the Hohwachter Bay (more on that later). It doesn't look so bad: Western winds at 4, later increasing to 5. That should work. We are excited.