Monday 16th August 2004 Liebenwalde to Tiergarten.

Lehnitz lock on the OHK (a very busy lock) - my photo from 2013

9.8° C Hazy sunshine, brightening up later and getting warmer. Set off at 9.30 a.m. with the Markon connected to do the washing after Bill returned from a cycle trip into the village for supplies. As we set off a very large police launch full of dignitaries on an inspection trip went up Liebenwalde lock. Did the chores and then the ironing, made a cuppa and sat out on the stern an hour after we set off. Rosy was catching us up. Two small boats were overtaking us as we were approaching the lock at Lehnitz. Another Berlin cruiser with a striped awning went by - this one was called Waräger - with five other boats which came up the lock. Three were waiting

Brick works basin - my photo 2013

on the area for sport boats and the two which had just overtaken us joined them and there were four more catching up with Rosy. The old loading basins that served the brick works, where the prisoners at Sachsenhausen worked, were having a tidy up - a gang of workers were pulling up weeds etc. Two of the emaciated concrete statues remained on the bank of one of the basins. We went into the big lock, Rosy came alongside and Mike held the string while I went in the cabin to make another cuppa. Bill had a go at setting off with his stern rope still attached to

Statues in brick works basin - my photo from 2013

us and the yacht behind us ran into our stern before Mike had untied the rope. More paint to clean off! The skipper apologised and said he thought we were moving. The armada steamed off into the distance down the Lehnitzsee. The yacht anchored in the first small cove, Mike said he’d stopped to inspect the damage - we’d got his white paint on our oaks. Another similar Berlin cruiser with stripes around its cabin went by, this one was called Semnone. On the bank were a dozen Canada geese - I’d just written to Yvonne saying we didn’t get Canadas here! Must be escapees from a Berlin wildlife park. A small luxemotor went past in the opposite direction to us, called Ruud it was less than 15m long and German registered. The washing finished as

Rosy being overtaken by WSA tug and pan
Ruppiner kanal

we arrived at the right turn on to the Orianenburger kanal, so we paused while Mike took the pins out to disconnect the Markon. The canal was edged with white water lilies and was clear at the sides, so we could see the sandy bottom, but the water looked dark and peaty. We were overtaken by a small cruiser called Why not and we waited for Pinnow lock behind it on the new silver and yellow posts below the lock. The cruiser took the middle of the right hand wall, so we took the left and Rosy came alongside. Had lunch going along the canal. Turned left on to the Ruppiner kanal following the cruiser, which was waiting for us in Tiergarten lock when we got there. The quiet middle aged keeper

WSA tug and pan of sand Ruppiner kanal

worked the lock and we rose 0.8m. There was a new quay edged with tree stumps above the lock, beyond the waiting areas. It was 3 p.m. so Mike suggested we stopped there - Bill had just paused to let Fanny off. Trouble was the trees were in the way of the dish for accessing the satellite. We fiddled about for well over an hour, trying to get a picture on the TV, ending up with our bows next to Rosy’s stern and a pole out at our stern. It was very hot and sticky, so I went and lay down for a quiet half hour and went to sleep until 8.15 p.m. Mike did dinner, cooking spuds and reheating some minced beef and carrots out of the freezer that I’d defrosted earlier.