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.
No comments:
Post a Comment