Thursday 12th August 2004 Altenhof on the Werbellinsee back to Liebenwalde.

Werbellinkanal - Wikimedia photo by Ralf Roletschek

17.7° C overnight. Hazy sun with mackerel clouds, cleared mid-morning to give another hot and sunny day. Very late in the evening we had heavy rain. Before we left, Mike took a walk to take a photo of the wreck of the cruiser that burnt the night before. We set off with the pins in again to do some more washing as we went down the last of the Werbellinsee. I did the ironing. Paused the washing while we waited for the lock at Eichorst. The young man working the lock didn’t appear until Mike hooted and he took his time to work the lock. Did the rest of the washing and ironing as we went along the canal to the automatic lock at Rosenbeck. Mike turned the pole and the

Eichhorst lock - Wikimedia photo by EvaK

lock filled. He’d just turned the pole to empty it when a cruiser came into view. Too late! Two men (grasscutters) were in the lockside cabin having a break, so he asked if they could stop the gates from closing. No, the computer works the lock. Sorry! Back through the little lakes onto the OHK as a loaded Polish pusher was passing. We nipped across to Marienwerder yacht club basin on the far side of the canal and stayed in the middle of their basin until the next pusher had gone past. It sucked

Below Eichhorst lock Wikimedia photo by Ralf Roletschek

the water out, then it came back in and Mike brought the boat alongside the end wall. He asked if we could have some drinking water. Bill had followed us across, after he’d said he didn’t need water, muttering something about pumping fuel, but he winded again and went off towards Liebenwalde to secure a mooring place for us both. While the water tank filled Mike chatted to the crews off several cruisers who had stayed overnight in the basin. Mike gave the youth we’d spoken to 1 Euro for the water. As we were filling the water tank the water pressure suddenly increased and shot the hose out of the tank spraying water up the inside of the

Rosenbeck lock Wikimedia photo by Ralf Roletschek

cabin wall - luckily the HF radio set had got its cover on. I dried it off. It was 10.30 a.m. as we backed out into the canal - the next convoy was passing, heading for the Oder. The last of the previous lot heading for Berlin was still in sight and beyond him Mike could see Rosy through binoculars, maybe five kilometres away down the straight. The canal was very busy too with sport boats in both directions. Arriving at Liebenwalde we moored next to Rosy at the top end of the quay – cruiser Melian had moved to the far end of the mooring (hmm, we must have been right, he's here for his hols!). We were surprised that the big cruiser was still there. It was 1.15 p.m. hot and sticky. I put heat reflectors in the starboard side windows. Bill went to get some shopping by bike from the Plus in the village. We’d said we were going in the car next day but he said he wanted to go to the Plus (he's not a fan of big supermarkets). I made coucous for dinner with some tinned ham and tinned vegetables specially prepared for couscous.