Baltic Sea 2020 Part 5 (and End)

Tour Report 2020

Baltic Sea and more.

Fifth Part: From Stettin Lagoon Inland to Home.

July 13. Here we go: We're heading home. We leave the beautiful Marina Trzebiez early in the morning at seven, take one last look back: Goodbye Ziegenort! From now on, it's only inland waters. The first 20 to 30 minutes feel completely different: What? The boat isn't rocking anymore? It smoothly glides through still water. A bit boring, almost! But soon I get used to the new way of driving and enjoy the calm ride. It's a beautiful morning, the sun is shining, we are almost alone on the water, and the shores are lush green. This can continue. - Soon we approach Stettin and the scenery changes: harbor facilities, some unused, rusty cranes, shipyards that have seen better days. I was looking forward to passing through the city center of Stettin with its many bridges. Well, the sight is a bit sobering. While passing by, I see the Hook Terrace with the historical (rebuilt) buildings in the background. The whole thing reminds me a little bit of St. Pauli Landungsbrücken, a beautiful sight, without a doubt. But apart from that? A lot of confusion of new and old, highways and overpasses, I had imagined something different. But I'm just passing through, and on top of that, on the water. I'm probably doing Stettin injustice. One would need more time and leisure to see the sights. Anyway, soon I have passed the lowest bridge and also the last bridge and the whole city, and my eyes calm down again when looking at the beautiful river landscape. I peacefully drive up the Westoder. - By noon, we pass Mecherin and are back in Germany. An hour later, Gartz is also behind us. We continue a little further, now in the canal-like straightened Oder arm, which is now called Hohensaaten-Friedrichsthaler Waterway. In the early afternoon, we moor in the old timber harbor of Schwedt, now a quiet, cozy club harbor. In a nearby supermarket, we stock up on fresh provisions. It has to be done.

July 14. Schwedt - Oderberg. It is already early in the morning when you can tell: It will be a hot day today! Departure from Schwedt is at 09.30, and it is already a real midsummer day. Around noon, we reach the Hohensaaten-West lock and are soon lifted to the Havel-Oder Canal, which initially runs in the Alte Oder of Wiezen. An hour later, we have reached Oderberg and moored at the Old Bollwerk. The city has provided a small jetty for pleasure boats in addition to a passenger ship jetty. Very pleasing, we can moor here for free, although without supplies. I am alone there at first. Later, a large motor yacht joins me. They ask me to move a bit so that their boat can also fit at the jetty. No problem, of course I'll do it. In the afternoon, I visit the inland shipping museum and learn a lot about the history of the old boatman town Oderberg.

July 15. Oderberg - Marienwerder. Yesterday evening, a large passenger ship had docked at the jetty, very close to my stern. I don't have much space at the front either, as the large motor yacht is there. Well, then let's see how we get out of here. Just kidding, that was not a problem, with calm wind and bow thrusters! If this has thrown my boat neighbors out of their bunks at 7 a.m., I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do about it. These things just make a hell of a noise. - I had planned a trip through the historic Finow Canal, which branches off a few kilometers behind Oderberg from the Havel-Oder Waterway. We find the turn-off, a bit hidden and narrow, and enter the canal. A worried look at the water: The canal is completely overgrown. It doesn't take long for me to notice: the boat is suddenly braked abruptly, strange sounds from below, it immediately becomes clear to me: unclear propeller. Is it worth continuing? I decide: No! and drive out of the undergrowth again, with only 4 km/h, whereas normally at this rpm 8 km/h would be normal. So I crawl to the pleasure boat jetty in front of the Niederfinow Ship Lift, which is fortunately not far away. I moor and inform the lift via radio about what's going on: that I first have to clear my propeller. All clear, they tell me I should expect longer waiting times anyway. Well then: put on swimming trunks, put on a diving mask (which a boat driver from Berlin lent me, I didn't have my own, of course!) and dive into the murky canal water. I can't see much, but the sense of touch helps. Luckily, it was only floating plants, this thin, long stuff that you find everywhere, which could be relatively easily manually removed from the propeller. How lucky that it went so quickly, because a short time later, the lift announces: The pleasure boats can enter! Riding an elevator with a boat - always an impressive experience. Especially with this ship lift, built in the 1920s: an imposing steel structure. Next door, a new, larger one is being built out of concrete, but the commissioning is delayed, as usual with major projects in Germany. - In the trough, you can get out and look at everything. Meanwhile, the boat driver from Berlin tells me an incredible story: The designer of the ship lift took his own life the night before the inauguration because he thought his work wouldn't function. But it did. Tragic story if it's true. - I note: 10:30 a.m. pass the ship lift. The journey continues on the Havel-Oder Canal. At noon, we moor in the pouring rain at the Marina Marienwerder.

July 16. Marienwerder - Werbellinsee. We set off early in the morning. The air is fresh, the sky is overcast, but it stays dry. We tackle the two locks together with a sister boat from Berlin, also a MAREX Consul. As luck would have it! Only 102 of this type were built. - After a short stop in Marienwerder to replenish water and dispose of waste, we continue on the Havel-Oder Canal. Canal trips are usually uneventful, there's not much to tell. At 2:30 p.m., we pass the Lehnitz Lock, the terror of the local boaters, because you usually have to wait a very long time here. This time I am lucky and it goes quickly. After that, we cross the 2 km long Lehnitz Lake, and soon after, the turn-off to Oranienburg appears. We chug up the old arm of the Havel and moor in the Schlosshafen at exactly 3:30 p.m. I have been here before. I had also visited the castle with the botanical garden, no need to do it again. So I stay comfortably on board for coffee.

July 17. Oranienburg - Potsdam. We continue on the Havel-Oder Waterway. "Waterway" because we are no longer in the canal here, but on the Havel. A beautiful, varied trip: sometimes on the river and sometimes on the lake-like extensions. It's the weekend, and many "pleasure boats" with partygoers are out and about. - Want to hear a few names of the places we pass? Hennigsdorf, Niederneuendorfer See, Valentinswerder, Spandau, Wannsee, Grunewald, Schwanenwerder, Pfaueninsel, the famous Heilandskirche of Sacrow, Glienicker Brücke, Tiefer See, ALDI (yes, no joke, there is a special jetty for boaters who shop at ALDI. Of course, I do it too). - In between, a special experience: On the wide, lake-like Havel near Gatow, a sports paddler suddenly races towards my boat at full speed from an angle. I wonder what he wants? When he rides very close to starboard aft on my wake, it becomes clear to me: He wanted to be towed for a while. OK, why not, if he can do it. The guy really had it, he paddled effortlessly behind me the whole time until Wannsee, about half an hour. Quite impressive endurance! At Wannsee, he turns left and called out to me, "Thanks for the ride!" And so I continue alone, past Potsdam to Lake Templin, where I drop anchor in a bay called "Hinterkappe." We (Miss Marple and I) treat ourselves to a peaceful night at anchor.

July 19. Potsdam - Brandenburg. I wake up at 6 a.m. The lake is smooth as a mirror in the morning sun. Heavenly quiet, almost dare not start the engine. But an hour later, the anchor is up, and we slowly leave the bay. The Havel flows through several well-known lakes here, you don't feel like you're on a federal waterway, rather in a lake scenery: Templiner See, Schwielowsee, past Werder/Havel, then Großer Zernsee, Kleiner Zernsee, past Ketzin, through Lake Trebel, and further through the landscape conservation area "Brandenburger Osthavelniederung." Then we are in front of the suburban lock Brandenburg and are lowered by 1.20 m. We reach our destination, the jetty at the Slawendorf in the middle of Brandenburg, at exactly 1 p.m. I have been here several times. The city of Brandenburg has a lot to offer. It is a pleasure to see familiar things again.

July 20 to 25. The journey continues from Brandenburg along the idyllic Stadthavel, then through Lake Breitling, Lake Plauer, and the subsequent small Wendsee. After that, it's just canal, canal, canal, mostly expanded for large push barges, so lots of straight stretches, "deactivated" bends, and fortified banks. Like a highway for pleasure boaters. Not much to report. In Genthin, we refuel our diesel tank. We tackle the large Hohenwarte locks together with commercial shipping. We cross the Elbe on the trough bridge of the Mittelland Canal. Behind the bridge, there is a small jetty for pleasure boats - at the old Rothensee Ship Lift. There I want to moor and spend the night. When mooring, it happens: A sailboat that had been following me the whole time wants to imitate me and also moor. The skipper miscalculates and drives into my side. Damn it! I can do without something like that. Coincidentally, the water police arrive and take note of the accident. That's always good for insurance settlement. But still: I've had it! Among other things, the canopy frame is totally bent and the canopy is hanging askew. I can't continue like this. I decide to shorten the trip and drive directly home. I had actually wanted to stop by Hamburg, but that's now canceled. On July 25, at half past eight in the evening, I moor Miss Marple again at the home dock on the Lesum.