Sunday 5th September 2004 Premnitz to Rathenow.

11.0° C. Sunny and hot again. We set off late at 9 a.m. as we only had just over 10 kms to go to Rathenow, A crowd of blokes from the flats across the road came and leaned on the

River Havel nr Moegelin - Wikimedia photo by Botaurus

railings to chat to Mike in German as we untied the boat. He asked them if the steam trip boat that used the rest of the mooring had stopped. They said it had. Followed Rosy down the river. A beautiful morning, sunny but still cool and fresh. There were a few fishermen along the banks and a couple went by in boats. A small cruiser went past heading upstream. A large cruiser was moored next to a stepped piled quay on the other side of the river just downstream of Premnitz at Milow. We decided to remember that one as a possibility for a mooring on the way back. Bill called on VHF to say he’d seen a large bird flying through the trees. We only caught a brief glimpse, but thought it looked like a buzzard. At K99 there was the remains of an old factory whose brick chimney had the tallest stork’s nest I’d seen yet, it must have stood over a metre and a half tall. Next to it was a new house, still under construction. Its green tiled roof and dormer windows were beautiful, but downstairs the walls were white

Canal section in Rathenow - Wikimedia photo by Botaurus

breeze block with just one small window. Maybe they’d run out of cash? At 10.55 a.m. we turned into the back water above the lock, Hauptschleuse, at Rathenow and followed Rosy down the weirstream into the town. We tied on the quay wall at 11.20 a.m. Rosy moored next to the pontoon. Connected up the electricity - someone had left credit on the meter. Filled the water tank, which took three 50c coins. Put the washing machine on. Mike went to get the car and I got on with the chores. He was back at 1.45 p.m. just as the washer finished its first load. Scrooging, we changed over sockets on the electricity post to use up what had been left in credit. Mike told Bill there was a library just around the corner and that the notices on the bank said that the mooring cost 50c/m per night on the pontoon - Bill said he’d move on to the wall overnight! Put a second load of washing in. Lunch. A large cruiser called Nautilus arrived. Mike went for a nap. Later Bill called to say he was moving Rosy on to the wall, so Mike gave him a hand to tie up. The third load of washing had finished. I made dinner while the men went in the bar

Havel in Rathenow - Wikimedia photo by Botaurus

opposite the quay to try the beer, which they said was quite reasonable and they’d paid 7 Euros for five beers.

Monday 6th September 2004 Rathenow.

12.5° C Hot and sunny again all day. Bill moved Rosy back to the pontoon. I did more washing, chores, lunch. After lunch we went to get some groceries - Bill said he’d prefer to shop at the local Plus and he was going to do some e-mailing - he’d found a bar with an internet PC. We called in the Obi (DIY) first and got two small canisters of propane for the mini blow torches, noted the price of paint, etc, and saw a very smart blue enamelled solid fuel cooker for sale - the type of thing Peter was promising to install on his new boat - 800 Euros (less than £550!) - I picked up one of their catalogues for him (he later found their UK agent and bought one in maroon enamel and is still using it to this day). Went in Marktkauf to get groceries. I was beginning to dislike Marktkauf as everything is disorganised and not laid out like “normal” hypers. With all sorts of stuff mixed up together it meant we had to walk round all of it so as not to miss anything. Back at the boat Bill had moved back on to the wall and was chatting to a man off a cruiser who had taken his place on the pontoon. Mike finished his jobs in the engine room.

Saturday 4th September 2004 Neuendorf to Premnitz

10.3° C overnight. Hot and sunny again. Set off at 7.10 a.m. across the northern end of the Breitlingsee, running west into the Plauersee. I made a cuppa and sat out at 8 a.m. as we

Plauersee - Wikimedia photo by Niteshift

turned north at Plau, heading downstream again on the Havel. The river forms lots of long narrow lakes and backwaters. Lots of small cruisers were moored in the gaps between the reed beds, their occupants were just starting to show signs of life. I made a pizza to cook with some little buns in the oven. (Mike’s idea - he likes freshly baked bread buns, called schrippen, so we’ve started buying part baked long life ones) It was ready to come out of the oven as we arrived at the big lock, Bahnitz. Mike called on VHF and the keeper replied. The lock was ready in a few minutes and we went in and sat alongside a workboat, tucked in the

Plauersee - Wikimedia photo by Botaurus

corner of the large chamber. Rosy came alongside us as we dropped down a little way - just the two of us - in a slightly sloping walled chamber, 215m long x 10m wide. We’d noticed that the weir above the lock was an old needle weir and had just a few of the centre slats pulled. The water level in the lock looked low. Mike asked the keeper what the drop was and he said 50 cms in summer, in winter it’s 80 cms. There was a cruiser waiting on the pontoon below the lock. Fanny needed to get off for a pee, so Bill stopped by the quay in Bahnitz which now had more bollards

Pritzerbe Havel -Wikimedia photo by Gregor Rom

and a small pontoon for little boats to tie to. We’ll remember that for a mooring on the way back! Tried the pizza. Mike had said it would be tough like old boots when he put the base to prove in the engine room - it wasn’t - gave Bill a slice to try, he agreed it was good. We passed several small fishing punts, one paddled, another with a small motor on its gunwale was propelled with a long shafted prop. We passed a scrap berth at Döbernitz and a small cruiser went upstream, after pulling out from an arm by KP 87. It was 11.45 a.m. when we moored on the old quay at Premnitz and Rosy came alongside. Two young men were fishing from the quayside,

Bahnitz lock in winter - Wikimedia photo by Gregor Rom

wandering up and down, spinning, catching the same perch (! derr...live bait!) and chucking it back in, while we tied up. They made no signs of moving off as we moored. I said it’s like being back at Condé with our “friend” David fishing round us (and sending us scatty)! They left at midday. I made some lunch. Then Mike went to get the car (he went out and bought a loaf before he left). Glyn ‘phoned, he’d been on holiday in the lovely Shropshire countryside - off to his Mum’s in Weston next week. Our new debit cards had arrived, so had the insurance

Havel nr Doberitz - Wikimedia photo by Botaurus

demand for the moped. Mike was back at 4.30 and I helped put the cover on the moped. The roof was too hot to touch and the cabin side burned my skin through my thin cotton skirt when I leaned on it. I carried on getting the log up to date. Mike had a moan about computers and clacking keys and went to sleep. I did a letter to our insurance broker in France to go with a cheque for the moped insurance, plus an envelope to send the certificate to us in Werder, poste restante. When Mike woke up we went out in the car to post the letter and ended up posting it in Rathenow as there was no sign of even a post box in Premnitz. Had a look at the mooring by

Havel from quay at Premnitz - Wikimedia photo by Clemensfranz

the Stadtschleuse in Rathenow while we were there. It was basically the same as last time we were here, but with lots more notices. Two couples were hauling two canoes out and packing up to go home. There was a home-built trip boat moored at the one end of the pontoon (which still had electricity posts and water - all coin in the slot, plus a new item - a pump out!) so we decided it looked like a good mooring for a couple of days. The Post Office had a stamp printing machine outside so Mike ran off a few stamps, then we went back to the boat via the scenic route, out towards Brandenburg then across to Pritzerbe and back via a diversion through Premnitz.

CLICK HERE for a map of today's route along the winding Havel river

Friday 3rd September 2004 Schmergow to Neuendorf.

9.2° C overnight.Clear blue skies, sunny and hot. Off again at 7 a.m. heading down the Havel. 

Brandenburger Stadtkanal. 2013

I went out with a cuppa at 8 a.m. as a very large hotel ship, the Euro Diamant, went past heading upstream at KP 42 and a small wedge shaped cruiser/speedboat overtook us as we turned right into the Fliederhavel and went round Arkenbude island. There was a small yacht at anchor in the entrance and two small cruisers with their bows to the bank and anchors out from their sterns. A large flock of geese took off from the middle of the channel as we approached them. Further round the island three 

Steinturm abv Stadtschleuse Brandenburg. 2013

larger cruisers were moored, two were anchored and one had its bows in the bank. We went straight across the main channel of the Havel, intending to go around the next large island, Lange Reine to the north of the river, at KP 47 on the Wesertamerhavel. We were in the lead and I was steering when Bill called on VHF to say “I’m stuck!” We’d got a few inches at least under the bottom! Mike backed off past Rosy, who was stuck not far from the main channel, just as two loaded commercials went upstream followed by several cruisers. The water was swirling around the entrance to the side arm in an anti-clockwise direction. We went past Rosy sideways. Did it again and I threw a tow rope to Bill and we pulled Rosy off the sand. It was the first time Bill had ever been on a boat stuck on the bottom! We crossed that arm off as unnavigable (we think) and stuck to the main channel after that. I made some tea as we turned left into the Stadtskanal into Brandenburg. A small powerboat overtook us as Bill was pausing to let Fanny off for a pee at the mooring by the

Low bridge abv Stadtschleuse Brandenburg. 2013

fabric shop. We followed the little boat down to the lock. The cruiser had tied on the right hand wall of the lock, so we went in alongside on the left. The lock is only 22m long, so there was just enough room for Rosy behind the little boat. Three young men were on the lockside, the one with the pipe and cap must have been the keeper - he didn’t speak, but the other two did. We turned left heading away from the town centre, but we could see the pontoon mooring which had several cruisers tied to it. An osprey flew over us, shadowing the boat, watching carefully for stunned fish! It was midday as

War memorial by Stadtschleuse Brandenburg 2013

we went out on to the Breitlingsee. Police boat No 16 had just overtaken us, its crew smiling and waving. At the northern end of the lake there was a concrete wall we’d noticed when we were here before but not investigated. We went to have a look. It was higher than the cabin roof and had the remnants of wooden fendering which was rotting away, lots of bolts were sticking out along the waterline at the left hand end, but the ones along the right hand edge had been removed. We moored carefully between the ends of H girders which poked out of the wall by about half a metre, hung a tyre on one by our stern. Found a ring to tie the bows to, and another for the stern. Bill brought Rosy to moor bows to bows along the wall, fitting neatly between the H girders. It was 12.20 p.m. by the time we’d lashed the boats to the wall. I made some lunch then Mike went for a nap. I dozed in the heat. Later Mike went for a walk, on reconnaissance. The large area above the wall looked like some former military base or factory. The buildings had been demolished, leaving lots of sand tracks and concrete roadways. By the gates there were some abandoned buildings still left standing, but nothing to identify what the area was used for. I read while Mike was out. It was hot, over 35° C in the cabin. The wall behind us was acting like a storage heater, absorbing the heat. It

Stadtschleuse Brandenburg. 2013

should keep the temperature up overnight! I made some pasta with a German-bought bottled sauce (made by Campbell’s!) for dinner. Mike did the engine room jobs and two young men came over to chat. They spoke good English and explained that we were moored at the former coal unloading quay that served the Junkers Aviation factory. They said we (the Brits) had tried several times to bomb the factory and missed. It had been built in the thirties and produced planes, including the

Junkers coal quay. Breitlingsee. 2013

famous Junkers bombers, but also sea planes which they launched down the concrete ramp (which is still by the lakeside further north) into the Breitlingsee. They also made the first German jet planes there. The concrete roads were actually the remains of runways. All the equipment and machinery was stripped out by the Ruskies and shipped back to Russia after 1945, then they demolished all the factory buildings and blew up the runways and that’s how it has remained to this day. They

Precarious mooring Junkers quay. 2013

confirmed that the large squares of concrete at each end of the quay that Mike had Bill had been examining earlier were indeed anti-aircraft gun emplacements. What a fascinating bit of local history! The sun set on the far side of the lake, turning it crimson.

CLICK HERE for today's route map

Wednesday 1st - Thursday 2nd September 2004 Phöben to Schmergow.

Wednesday 1st September 2004 Phöben shopping day.

10.8° C Sunshine and white fluffy clouds. Went out at 9 a.m. in the car to do some shopping,

Werder on the Havel - Wikimedia photo by Andreas Steinhoff

taking Bill with us. Turned right in Werder to look see what they’d built along the Potsdam road. A new shopping centre with a Kaufland supermarket and a DIY store next door had sprouted next to a Shell garage. We went into Geltow to the Hellweg (a very large DIY store almost on par with Castorama in France) and bought two new 12v fluorescent tubes and some nylon strapping for Mike to make a rim tape to protect the inner tube in the moped’s back wheel. Back into Werder to get the groceries from Edeka (Bill wanted the Post Office which was located in the store). Mike went to get some cash from an ATM in the town as there wasn’t one in the supermarket. He

Havel at Phoben - Wikimedia photo by Botaurus

came back without any money - his Nationwide card had expired! For one minute he thought he’d cut up the wrong card, but realised the last new card he’d had was Lloyd’s. I gave him my card, then he noticed my card was dated the same as his and had expired too! (We were sure we’d set them up so that they didn’t both expire at the same time, Nationwide must have changed that and we hadn’t noticed) He took my Abbey card and went back to get some cash. (When we got back on the boat we did a cheque to transfer cash from Nationwide into the Abbey account). Got the groceries and called in the town centre to find a ‘phone shop, as Bill had been looking for an O2 shop to get someone to explain to him how set up various functions.

Schweilowsee nr Geltow -  - Wikimedia photo by Botaurus

There was a Vodaphone shop, so we parked the car and he went to find someone who spoke English. The young lady in the shop didn’t speak much English and wouldn’t use Bill’s ‘phone to listen to the options in German for him. He couldn’t find out why she wouldn’t do it! Back at the boat at 12.30 p.m. Stashed the food away and made some lunch. Mike tried ringing Glyn, his phone was engaged, or so we thought. After lunch he tried again and the WWTelecom system had changed, we had to change to our new NAC number. Then the system wouldn’t ring us back! We’re doing well today! Bill came over to find out what we were going to do over the next few days. We decided between us to have a look at the Havel lakes and backwaters. I cooked a stirfry for dinner. Later a small masted yacht tied up overnight on the other side of the pier. Mike tried ringing the USA again, WWT still wouldn’t ring us back.

Loaded boat on Havel nr Ketzin   - Wikimedia photo by Botaurus

(Note from 2014, ten years on we are now so glad to have a mobile connection and access to Internet banking which saves all the bother and we’ve also changed our callback provider to a Canadian firm called Alliance Call who seem to us to be the best and it’s the cheapest way we’ve found of making calls back to the UK from wherever we are)

Thursday 2nd September 2004 Phöben to Schmergow.

A chilly 8.1° C overnight. We thought Autumn had arrived early! It was only 10° C when we

Car ferry at Ketzin  - Wikimedia photo by Clemensfranz

set off at 7.15 a.m. following Rosy (but only as far as the end of the bay, then Bill waited for us to go first). Mist was covering the surface of the lake and the moon hung low in the sky like a great silver penny in a blue, blue sky. An empty 80m commercial was coming down the Sacrow-Paretzer kanal as we joined it, he overtook us as we entered the first of a maze of small lakes and backwaters that make up the Havel. I set the ‘fridge defrosting and got on with the chores before the day warmed up. Dredging was in progress mid-channel, where a guy was digging sand from the bottom of the river using a JCB on a workboat called Puma. At Ketzin the town quays were all piled walls surrounding a silo, at least one of which was still in use as an empty 80m was moored there waiting to load. The Ketziner Havel was very

Sacrow-Paretzer kanal  - Wikimedia photo by Botaurus

tortuous and we did a complex double figure of eight around four islands, Burgwall-kaveln, Bodüren, one with no name and Mittelbruch leading out into a large lake called the Trebelsee. The Kleine Havel was difficult to find as there were lots of unmarked arms leading off to the north on our right which weren’t marked on our chart. The echo sounder’s display went blank as we found the channel into the Trebel lake, less than 0.9 metres under the bottom (Note from 2014 –ha! On UK canals we were pleased if we had a foot under the bottom – sometimes we only had inches - and here we are in 2004 getting a touch worried about three feet!) A loaded 80m barge was trundling upstream on the main channel of the Havel, followed by a

Buzzard on a navigation sign - Havel 2005

tug pushing an empty pan. I made some tea as we went across the deep lake and found our way into the shallow channel, round an S bend into the Schmergower Havel. We crossed the main channel again as a cruiser went past, followed by a Stettiner barge. We crossed into the Kirchhofshavel, entering through a very narrow gap at the end of a long spit of land separating the Havel from the Z shaped Kirchhofshavel, made a sharp right turn by a six kph speed limit sign and a bright yellow NSG (nature reserve) sign and found ourselves in a large placid tree edged lake. Mike tried ringing Glyn again and kept getting “invalid number”. I finished defrosting the ‘fridge and replaced the contents as we went north again and back around

Fishing boat on the Havel 2005

Budüren island and back into the Trebelsee. We’d spotted a mooring place alongside a very old concrete quay in a small oblong basin with a track leading to a road and the village of Schmergow. It was 10.45 a.m. I caught a grasshopper in the grass by the bollard we tied to and Bill caught a small toad. A light brown pickup with a caravan on the back was parked in a corner under some trees, its occupants were out in the middle of the lake in a small blue day boat. Mike unloaded the moped and went off to retrieve the car from Phöben. I did the chores and made some lunch. Mike was back at 1.05 p.m. he’d called in the Edeka supermarket for some beer for himself and some sausages for Bill. He’d asked for the ‘phone number of the Post Office so Bill can ring to see if his post has arrived - he’d asked Veronica to send his mail off, which she was going to do today or tomorrow. We chatted with the couple with the caravan, not easy as

Mike and Bill enjoying a BBQ at Schmergow
(on the return trip in 2005)

they spoke no English at all. They told us that the empty bungalows by the harbour had once been used as a children’s summer camp during the days of the DDR, but now they were in ruins. Sad to see such a waste. I was tired, I dozed while Mike fixed the wiper motor control for the car’s rear windscreen. It’s had an intermittent fault for ages. It turns itself on and wipes a dry screen for a few strokes then stops, but today it wouldn’t stop until the wires to it were disconnected. Had a BBQ outside on the quay. Bill had done a double portion of curry the day before, so he ate part two outside with us when we had our grilled to perfection sausages and chops. A couple arrived in a car opposite and set up a tent, etc, and went fishing. Their light tan coloured bull terrier dog wandered up and down, but stayed on the far side of the basin. Earlier in the evening Mike had been throwing a tennis ball to the far side for Fanny to run round and fetch, but he stopped throwing it over there as the bull terrier dog was almost twice Fanny’s weight in sheer muscle, though its legs were a lot shorter! There was a lovely view across the lake, the setting sun changing the colours reflected in the water from powder blue to dusky pink. Bill went in at eight, he said it was getting cooler, we agreed, packed up and went in to watch TV

CLICK HERE for today's journey through the Havel lakes

Tuesday 31st August 2004 North of Spandau to Phöben.

12.2° C Sunny spells, squalls, very windy with heavy rain showers. I pressed the button (on

Junc Spree & Havel - Wikimedia photo by Axel Mauruszat

the end of the steigers for sport boats to tie to to wait for the lock) to call the lock keeper at Spandau lock and I got a reply in rapid German, not a word of which did I understand. The lock filled and we went down 2m, just the two of us again. Below the lock there was a pusher tug, called Jessy, waiting to go up. It was very windy running south down the Wannsee (Berlin’s playground – a beautiful long lake, now on the Untere Havel, UH) with a strong south westerly blowing. Only a couple of yachts were brave enough to venture out in the very high winds. The trip

Wannsee (Berlin Havel) - Wikimedia photo by Times

boat at Kladow set off as we were passing and the skipper shouted something. Mike said it was probably get out of the way! Though why we should be in his way with all the space there was on the lake we had no idea. I made a cup of soup to try and warm us up - it was 14.8° C outside. There was no let up with the wind as we entered the narrows leading into Potsdam. Mike called Bill on Marine VHF to tell him there was an easily accessible low grassy bank by the flats where we’d moored last time we were there, where Fanny could jump ship for a pee. I made a cuppa and baked some buns for Mike’s lunch. It started to spit with rain as we went

 

Templinersee - Wikimedia photo by Botaurus

into the Templinersee. Faces into the wind on a lake running southwest-northeast, then we were sheltered from the wind by the railway embankment which virtually cuts the lake in two. As soon as we passed under the railway bridge and went into the southern half of the lake we got the full blast of the wind again. Made some lunch as the first of several squalls hit as we went into the narrows at Caputh. Our course then changed to northwest and, as we crossed the northern end of Schwielowsee, we caught the full brunt of the wind on our port side - which made for an

 

Passenger trip boats Potsdam - Wikimedia photo by Botaurus

uncomfortable half an hour’s run due to the corkscrewing motion caused by the waves. After we’d passed under the bridge at Geltow into the Großer Zernsee we were more sheltered from the wind by the higher ground (Mirenberg all of 52m (!) high) to our left. As we approached Werder, situated on a hilly island, we could see the next squall racing towards us down the lake, mist obliterating the view of the town as the rain hit. The water bus/trip boat Berolina (which moors at Spandau) went by, overtaking us as we went under the A10 motorway bridge. The next brutal squall hit as we were tracking around the bend just before Phöben. The wind

 

Wind whipping up the lake at Caputh
Wikimedia photo by Botaurus

bent the brolly and the torrential rain had us soaked in seconds without its shelter. As soon as the wind dropped and the rain eased off, Mike ran into the bay at Phöben and we could see the old wooden landing. The first time we moored there the landing was F-shaped - the top edge of the F extending several metres to the left. Now the top of the F was detached and almost completely rotten, sections having fallen into the water and the second landing was rotting from the end furthest from the pier. We backed very gingerly into the space by the second landing and Bill brought Rosy alongside the

 

Mooring at Phoben - Wikimedia photo by Botaurus

set of stern posts which run parallel to the landing, backing up to the pier. There were two sets of stumps, put there originally for little fishing boats to moor bows or sterns on, while the opposite ends were attached to the wooden landing. The rain eased up as we moored and we just about had time to tie up, pack away the gear and get in the cabin before the next downpour arrived. Mike changed the engine oil. I put the Mac on and did the log while he went for nap, having decided that the showers were showing no signs of stopping. At 6 p.m Mike decided to fetch the car after all. Meanwhile Bill decided he’d rather be on the other side of the rotting landing

Hermannplatz U-bahn station
Wikimedia photo by Lienhard Schultz

next to us rather than be alongside the stumps and came in bows towards the pier. Mike set off at 6.30 p.m. to retrieve the car from Treptow on the far side of Berlin. He was back at 9.30 p.m. having done remarkably well negotiating the city streets (he’d marked the names of the underground stations along the route into Berlin as far as Hermannplatz (where we caught the tube to get the car from Spandau) in maker pen on the moped’s fuel tank, then he already knew the route back to the car from there because we’d walked it. We put the moped back on the roof in the dark, treading very carefully on the boards. Mike had a very late dinner at 10 p.m.

CLICK HERE for a map of today's route through the lakes to Phoben

Monday 30th August 2004 Treptow through Berlin city centre to North of Spandau.

Winter at Unterschleuse on Landwehrkanal
Wikimedia photo by Lienhard Schulz 

14.4° C. Sunny spells and clouds before we set off, heavy rain showers all morning and evening, sandwiched between was a pleasant sunny afternoon - after we’d tied up. Bill went to get some groceries before we set off at 9 a.m. Passed a WSA boat in the Urbanhafen, mooring N° 9, where a hire boat had tied up overnight. The fish restaurant was still there, but the theatre boat was now derelict. Several trip boats went past, their crews cleaning and polishing, getting ready for the first passengers of the day. I made some tea just before the rain started pouring as we entered the heart of the city centre. Through the Tiergarten with the Zoological garden on our left and we arrived at the lock under the S-bahn. The gates were open on the

Houseboats in the weirstream by Unterschleuse
Wikimedia photo by Lienhard Schulz 

Unterschleuse, but the red lights were on. Mike brought the boat alongside the sport boat waiting area and I pressed the button for the lock. The red light almost immediately turned green. Just us two narrowboats for the drop of 1.3m. Below the lock there was still a long line of wooden floating sheds (houseboats) in the weir stream by Charlottenburg gate. We arrived back at the junction with the river Spree having completed a circle of the city centre. Crossed the river heading north on the connection canal, the Charlottenburger Verbindungskanal. A commercial was catching us up, it overtook Rosy as we turned right on

Junction R Spree & Landwehrkanal
Wikimedia photo by Lienhard Schulz 

to the Westhafen canal and  it overtook us as we approached the docks, where a tug with two empty pans had just set off and turned south on the Hohenzollern kanal. We turned left under a bridge and joined the same canal, but heading north. The moored ex-working boats turned houseboats were still moored on the corner, although some of them were now looking a bit dilapidated. Just the two of us again for the next lock, Plötznsee. The keeper leaned out of the control cabin window in the lockhouse and waved. There was a short lull in the rain as we worked through the lock. I made a cup of soup as we went along the Spandauer Schiffahrtkanal. A couple of cruisers going in the opposite direction passed by. We turned left at the end of the canal, on to the Spandauer

Westhafen docks - Wikimedia photo by ThoKay

Havel, went under one bridge and moored at the new moorings opposite Spandau new town. The long mooring had a trip boat landing stage in the middle. The concrete topped piling had a small wooden landing stage for us to tie to with lots of bollards. A path for walkers, cyclists and joggers was separated from the river’s edge by a low concrete wall and, from the land beyond it, by a high, patterned concrete wall. The ground behind the big wall had been leveled into several different sized rectangles ready to build more houses, probably like the blocks of flats

Spandauer See Brucke
Wikimedia photo by Alexrk2

on the opposite bank. We dried off. The rain stopped and the sun came out. Planes were taking off from Tegel airport and flying directly overhead. I made some lunch. I got on with the chores and Mike went for a nap, as he’d decided to leave the car for a couple of days at Treptow, where it should be OK parked by the flats. Bill and Fanny called to find out what time we were starting next day. Mike opened a bottle of wine and we chatted for a while, then he showed Bill the video we’d got of Eisenhüttenstadt as someone had told Bill when we were moored at Treptow that EHS was not a good place to stay for the winter as it was “un-reconstructed”! (Whatever that’s supposed to mean! Probably means it’s not been tarted up!)

CLICK HERE for a map of today's trip through Berlin

Friday 27th August to Sunday 29th 2004 Weekend at mooring N° 10 Treptow, Berlin.

Friday 27th August 2004 Mooring N° 10 Treptow, Berlin.

15.2° C Overcast, heavy rain in the afternoon. Passing boats started at 8.30 a.m. Bill went by tube to visit the Bode museum. He was back at ten. Mike went to see who was making a

Footbridge over the Landwehrkanal Berlin
Wikimedia photo by Leinhard Schultz

noise on Rosy and was surprised to see him back so early. The museum was closed, he said, possibly because there was a concert or something on - there were lots of chairs set out in the gardens. Ran the engine and I did some washing and ironing. Bill was chatting to a young lady with a dog. He told us that the woman, called Miriam, off the small cruiser (with settee) in front of us, had asked how long we were staying as another boat was due. Bill told her we might move the next day or stay until Monday, we hadn’t yet decided. She replied “It is a 24 hour mooring you know!” Bill was speechless. Lord knows how long she’d been moored where she was, she was certainly there when we arrived and the Rastas said they knew her well. He should have asked her if she’d got a special arrangement with the WSP! Bill went to the internet café to do some more e-mailing. Five minutes later the rain started pouring down. When Bill came back he came on our boat and we formulated the plan for our route. Bill didn’t want to move back to Spandau as Mike had indicated might be a good idea - we weren’t happy with the fast trippers that were constantly passing by, and the pushy visitors. Bill said he’d like to stay as the mooring was Fanny-friendly and he’d ward off the visitors for us as he was on the inside. I sent Peter a text which he replied to by ringing back, rather than read it, as he was driving a 38 tonner from the Midlands down to Orpington in Kent with wheat flour for a bakery (his current agency contract) – he’ll be doing supermarket supply runs next week. He was on the M1. He

Footbridge over the Landwehrkanal Berlin
Wikimedia photo by Leinhard Schultz

said he was thinking of calling his boat “Grr” so he can growl at people who ask what his boat is called. Their new dog, Sandy the boxer, is yampy! He said she bowls kids clean over from a few feet away, making them land on their heads! The ‘phone dropped out, Peter called back as Mike returned and they had a chat about boat engines, props and batteries.

Saturday 28th August 2004 Mooring N° 10 Treptow, Berlin.

14.7° C Overcast, sunny spells, showers. First boats through again at 8.30 a.m. Mike went in the car to get some petrol and bread, plus change his parking spot by the flats (we don’t like to leave the car too long in one place, especially in towns). Even more trippers were out doing the circuit today. Lunch. Peter sent a text to ask if we wanted to play HF. Mike put the wire up and called on 40m as I sent him a text with the frequency. Just as he called there was a knock on the cabin - it was George with some tickets for a reggae party. I had two tickets off him at his insistence, although I said we wouldn’t be going as Mike’s not into loud music and dancing. He said he’d be back later. Mike had got a contact on 40m with a guy in the Netherlands, called Leo, who gave him a good signal report. We could hear Peter just about, but he couldn’t hear Mike. He ‘phoned. No good on HF. Well, we were over 1,000 kms away.

1920's pastel of the Landwehrkanal Berlin by L . Ury
Wikimedia by Andraes Praefke 

He said he was off to work soon anyway, but would be taking his HF rig with him. He asked what happens to QSL cards via the Bureau if you’re not a member of the RSGB - we told him - they go in the bin! You have to be a member and send your local QSL manager a supply of stamped addressed envelopes so he can send your cards to you. (He joined the RSGB after learning that!) Mike fetched the wire down again. Bill knocked to say he was going to run Rosy’s engine to charge his batteries, then George and Cesar turned up wanting me to take photos as mementoes, as Bill had already taken photos of George and had his address to send him copies.

Sunday 29th August 2004 N° 10 Treptow.

13.6° C Overcast, it poured with rain most of the day. The trip boats started later than the rest of the week at 9.45 a.m. Mike cooked Sunday brunch - the first for ages - almost the full works, sausage, eggs, mushrooms, baked beans but had to substitute luncheon meat for bacon. It made a very nice change to toast and marmalade. Bill knocked to find out what time the F1 was on and what time we were leaving the next day. Ate our brunch at midday.  Mike set up our other dish for analogue TV to watch the Formula One Grand Prix from Spa in Belgium on the French station TF1. Later Bill went out visiting some people he’d been chatting to earlier, he said it was the first time ever that Fanny had been in a house.

CLICK HERE for a Google Earth map of this area of Berlin

Wednesday 25th August 2004 Mooring N° 4 Mitte to N° 5. Thursday 26th N° 5 to N° 10 Landwehrkanal. Berlin

Wednesday 25th August 2004 Mooring N° 4 Mitte to N° 5.

13.8° C Sunny spells, breezy, showers. Up at 8.30 a.m. and moved down to the mooring opposite the museum island. A large cruiser was just about to set off - the skipper said if we

Bode museum Berlin - Wikimedia photo by Manecke

waited ten minutes we could have his mooring place. It was half the space we needed. The crew on a hireboat were up and moving about, so we asked if they would move into the other bay where the boat had just left so that we could have the gap between the dolphins. They moved and we got our mooring and Rosy came alongside. Bill was going on the free guided walk around the city centre starting from the Brandenburg gate at 2.30 p.m. He went off to do his guided tour at 1.30 pm leaving his key with us to let Fanny out for a pee. When Bill came back, he said he had enjoyed his tour but it took longer than three hours as they had stopped halfway for people to have a break and get a cup of coffee.

Thursday 26th August 2004 Mooring N° 5 Mitte to N° 10 Landwehrkanal.

Muhlendamm lock - Wikimedia photo by Beek 100

14.4° C Grey overcast and cooler. Sun out at 10.30 a.m. We set off at 9 a.m. Lots of boats moving, plus loads of trippers up and down. Mike said he thought that the Bode looked like it was under reconstruction - we could see ladders and builders gear through the windows. A bunch of trip boats came out of the left hand chamber of Mühlendamm lock - the gates were just closing as we arrived. We’d been too busy looking at all the bullet holes and shrapnel damage on the museum walls to

Muhlendamm lock - Wikimedia photo by Beek 100

notice that they’d made an area for sport boats to wait for the lock on the left hand side below the locks. A tripper was coming down in the right hand chamber, when he came out we went in, just us two and rose about a metre. The Dutch barge Reserve V was moored next to the historic boats in the weir stream - the actual mooring N° 6 was out of sight further down the weir stream. A Transbode Polish tug from Wrocław, pushing an empty pan, was waiting above the lock, but moved over for the trip boat Belvedere to have the chamber we’d just left. I made a cuppa as

U-bahn Berlin. - Wikimedia photo by Leinhard Schultz

we went along the Spree. We were overtaken by another Polish tug and pan. The tug dropped his pan on the piling in the middle of the river (which used to be the old east-west border) as we turned into the lock down on to the Landwehr canal. The gates were open, but the red light was on, so we backed up to the sport mooring to press the button and call the keeper. He saw us just as we got there, gave us a green light and called us in. Moved over to the right hand wall, then Belvedere, now loaded with passengers, came into the lock, the bottom end gate rotated to fall to the bed of the canal, we dropped down just a few inches and followed the tripper out on to the Landwehr. Bill tied Rosy on the corner beyond a small cruiser with a settee on its

View down the Landwehrkanal -
Wikimedia photo by Michael F Mehnert

cabin roof. We winded and tied alongside Rosy. It was 10.45 a.m. Mike had decided to use the underground to go back to Spandau to fetch the car. I went with him for a train ride. We walked to the station at Hermannplatz and got the U7 to Spandau. It cost us 2€ each for a trip from region A to B. Twenty seven stops, which took forty five minutes. We walked back through Spanau old town, crossed the Havel bridge and collected the car from the station car park. Drove down through Potsdam to Werder. Mike remembered when we got there that the Post Office was in the Edeka supermarket. Both the packet and letter Glyn

Cesar - one day he will be President of South Africa

had posted had arrived. Back to the boat via the longer, but faster, route on the A10 motorway Berlin ring, then north on the 96a to Treptow. Signs for parking for the weekend Haven fest were all around the town. It was 4 p.m. when we got back. The kids were just coming out of the Kita nursery school by the boat. Bill went off to find the internet café that a passer-by had told him about - the last time he went someone broke the PC! Wonder who that was? We had a very late lunch, a sandwich at 4.30 p.m. When Bill returned we had an invasion of Rastas! George was fascinated with the boat and called his friends Billie-Jo and Cesar over to check it out. We chatted, Bill gave them a beer. They were all from Gambia. Fanny knocked Bill’s beer over, breaking his glass. George helped by mopping the whole roof down! He wanted to see inside the boat so he had the tour of Rosy and then

George and Cesar from Gambia

ours. Young Cesar (who had spent some time in the USA - and couldn’t you tell it) was a very radical young man, he’s going to be the f****g president of  f*****g South Africa one day, he said. He invited us to chill out at his truck, (which turned out to belong to his German girlfriend, who was a TV camera assistant) so we took two bottles of wine and followed George. It was a small lorry with a converted Luton body, which had been fitted out (by Karin) for living in when filming on location. The lowered tail gate made a “balcony”. We sat and chatted to our new young Gambian friends. They smoked ganja and drank our bottles of wine. Karin arrived at 9.30 p.m. stayed for half an hour and went off to her apartment close by. When the guys started casting around for cash to buy some beer, looking at us for a major contribution, we said it was time we went home, we’d got no money! Billie-jo stayed at the truck, while the other two went in search of a cash machine (with Billie-jo’s card) and some beer. What a strange end to the day. Berlin.......

Tuesday 24th August 2004 Spandau to Berlin N° 4 mooring at Mitte.

14° C Hazy cloud, breezy, rain later. Mike was up early (6 a.m.) in case the delivery of

New lock at Charlottenburg - Wikimedia photo by Biberbaer

heating oil came first thing, I didn’t get up until 7.30 a.m. The fuel man arrived at 7.45a.m. We had 409 litres at 46,90c (+VAT) = 54,4c per litre. Mike collected our empty gas bottle from the car and we set off, downstream to collect some gas. We each had a bottle to refill. Refilled the water tank too. Bill went in to pay and came out having paid 15,60€ for the two bottles. We think he was only charged for one bottle. Bill also bought two Camping Gaz miniature blow lamps - he gave one to Mike. Winded the boats, went back up the Havel and turned right on to the Spree. A loaded boat called Saale

Old lock at Charlottenburg - Wikimedia photo by Biberbaer

overtook us as we went past a Polish Bizon tug and pan moored at the entrance to the docks on the Ruhlebener Altarm. By the arm to the power station there was an old, part-converted Luxemotor mouldering away. Shame. Another Bizon tug was moving a pan of coal from the right bank to the left to be unloaded at the power station. A small yacht overtook us as a trip boat went past heading downstream. The arm into the huge Siemens works had been cut off and the canal had been straightened leading to a brand new lock at Charlottenburg, which was for commercials only from 8am to

Reichstag dome from the river.
Wikimedia photo by Alex Wacker

8pm. All pleasure craft have to turn right and use the old locks. A Crown Blue Line cruiser was coming down in the right hand chamber. The yacht, which had overtaken us earlier, was tied on the waiting place, so we hovered in the middle of the lock cut. We followed the yacht into the chamber and Rosy came alongside us while we rose 1.1m. Rosy lead the way through Charlottenburg. The Dutch barge Reserve V was moored by the Schloss at N° 2 mooring. Trip boat Luna was loading passengers and another, called Sansouci, was coming downstream. We followed Rosy on to the winding section of the Spree, with Berlin suburbs Moabit to the north and Tiergarten to the south. Two small cruisers overtook us as we passed mooring N° 3 which was completely occupied by two large cruisers. Two more large cruisers went past heading downstream. A tripper called Elfe

Front of the Reichstag
Wikimedia photo by Norbert Aepli

overtook us at Lessingbrücke and Luna overtook us before the low arched Moabitbrücke. He went very slowly through the bridge as the boat squeezed through with inches to spare. Under the railway bridge with trains coming and going from the main line station at Bellevue, which was on our right. Under another brick arched bridge, Lutherbrücke and found Rosy drifting on a wide sweeping bend while Bill had nipped inside to get his lunch. A large cruiser, called Blue Chip, went past heading uphill and a tripper called Pankow came towards us downhill, he did one long and three short hoots, then winded directly in front of us causing Mike to put the boat engine into reverse. Bill said over the radio “What a prat!” – there was no real need for that! A tripper, called Brasil with a wide flattened bow, overtook us as another one came past heading downhill. Suddenly there were trippers wall to wall. The prat Pankow was at the mooring outside the House of World Culture and set off as we were passing, so Mike stopped to let him out - then speeded up to get out of the way of three more which were coming up behind us. The building site at the canal junction by the Reichstag was

Pergamon museum - Wikimedia photo byNikanos

getting smaller and a new station complex was being born on the left bank, new buildings and a futuristic footbridge crossed the canal. We went under the Marschallbrücke and entered former East Berlin. Trippers were everywhere! A tug pushing an empty pan came through the railway bridge by Friedrichstraße station with a tripper overtaking it. There were four cruisers on mooring N° 5 - it was full! Waah, we were going to stay there! The largest cruiser, called Kleopatra, at the downhill end of the mooring, decided to leave as we hovered by the mooring. The ropes came off and he went into reverse, crashing hard into the dolphin behind him. He’d got a big dent in his swimming platform and some white paint missing - it was on the old piling dolphin! The space he left wasn’t big enough for us or Rosy, so we went to the upstream end, beyond the mooring signs, and Rosy tied to the bank and we went alongside. It was 1.30 p.m. We’d gathered quite a cro

Nefertiti - Wikimedia photo by Nina
currently in the Neues museum Berlin

wd on the walkway at the top of the quay, watching us knitting ropes to tie up. Shortly afterwards Reserve V came past us and went up the lock. He came back a little later, mooring N° 6 in the weirstream of Mühlendamm lock was full, so he tied on the wall beyond us. Mike and I both voiced the opinion that the WSP would be along shortly and tell us to move after the Dutchman had further extended the impromptu moorings. At 3.45 p.m. as predicted police boat N° 24 arrived. Its two man crew, plus lady steerer, first shifted the Dutchman, he winded and went back up the lock. Then they came and told us we couldn’t stay there as the trippers turn round there. Which was true, but we weren’t causing them any problems. Nevertheless, they said we could moor at the former N° 4 mooring by Marschallbrücke, but only overnight. We said we’d have to wait for Bill to come back - he’d gone to the Pergamon museum looking for Nefertiti. Another cruiser had left, so we were waiting on the crew of a large hireboat moored in the other half of the gap to return so we could get them to shift, then we’d have the space between two dolphins for the two of us to moor side by side. No such luck. They didn’t return and a small yacht came and occupied the half space. When Bill returned he said the queue outside the museum was a long one, so he had a walk

Brandenburg gate - Wikimedia photo by James F

down to the Brandenburg gate and back, then went straight into the museum. But there was no Nefertiti! We moved the boats down to the old N° 4 mooring (the signs had been turned around) where there was bags of space, at least four times the length of N° 5 - no idea why they weren’t using it as a mooring any more. We singled out and staked the boats down. It started to rain. It was 5.50 p.m. We’d got a view of the dome of the Reichstag behind us and Friedrichstraße station in front. The trippers continued up and down like yo-yos until late into the evening. Thunder rolled around twice and then the rain really poured down. Did a few chores. I was too hot and tired to cook. Later I made sandwiches.