Tuesday 14th June 2005 KP 102 above Ujscie to lk 17, Mikołajewo.

Onion domes at Ujscie

Chilly 4.5º C overnight, sunny and warmer, but still had a chilly breeze. Up at seven to move at eight. Mike took the stakes and plank in, while Bill kept Rosy alongside until he was back on board. Then I detached Bill’s ropes and he set off at eight. I released our bow rope from round the chewed tree after Mike had removed a compacted waterlilypad from our water intake, by this time we were ten minutes behind Rosy. We ran with the flow of the Notec, which picked up as the river got narrower, and shallower, as we went into Ujscie. There were a few fishermen along the left hand bank, where the meadow had been mown. Branches had been dropped into the river 

Junction with the R Gwda at Ujscie

but secured with string to stop them floating away. They’d been put there by fishermen to provide sheltered spots to fish in downstream of each branch, it also collected rubbish - leaves and twigs, etc (there is not much domestic rubbish in the rivers here, except for the occasional beer bottle or plastic bottle). As we went into the town, we had revs on to do 6.5 kph and were doing between 9 and 9.5 kph according to the GPS, which meant the 

Lock keeper and inspector at Nowe

Notec had picked up speed from its sedentary 1.5 kph further upstream to a livelier 2.5 to 3 kph down here. The town had an old church with two onion domes and a big glass works (with an old quay for commercial craft stacked up with crates of bottles). As we left the town behind, the river slowed down again as it became deeper and wider. Rosy was waiting above lock 12, Nowe, while the keeper filled it. Bill went in on the left and we went on the right. A uniformed man was taking the details of the boats, while the keeper worked the lock. We dropped 

Boats! Uphill traffic at lock 13 Walkowice

down 1.3m and left at 9.45 a.m. A tree was lying in the river just downstream of the lock. It had been attacked and felled by beavers recently, it still had leaves. Then we had a surprise when Bill called on VHF to say there was a boat coming up in the next lock, 13, Walkowice. When the lock was full and the keeper opened one gate, four cruisers came out! Three German ones and a Dutchman, the latter in a new replica sailing botter, who told us he was off to 

Wooden fish traps

Elblag to ride up the lifts. Bill paid for the three locks (N^o’s 12 to 14) and we were square with paying for locks. We dropped down another 1.4m and followed Rosy downriver. Mike took photos of the cable ferry at Walkowice (operated by the flow of the river, the ferryboat secured on two lines from a 6m high wire stretched across the river). The keeper at lock 14, Romanowo, was refilling the lock. He was very slow at doing the paperwork, taking

Lock 14 Romanowo

names, etc, but very friendly and spoke in German to us. Mike had plenty of time to take photos of the lock, weir and old lock house while he did it and then wound a paddle. The garden surrounding the lock sides was full of beautiful plants and trees, this time we didn’t see the old lady who lives at the lock. At 11.45 a.m. we were on our way again. At lock 15, Lipica, there were three men and a woman at the lock. Bill paid again (all the rest of the locks were 

Wagtail chicks in nest back of bar for  boat ropes

paid for singly on the way up).  The woman did the paperwork and two of the men lifted the bottom end paddles - that was Mike’s fault as he had said in the last lock that he’d never seen them lift two paddles (must have overheard him AND understood English). They also opened two gates, something else they don’t normally do! The chamber is over 9m wide! Had lunch under our blue canopy - it was getting warmer. Through the town of Czarnkow, where some houses were perched on the hill, but most were hidden from

Ciszkowo ferry

view by trees. At the downstream end of town was a big woodworking factory and huge piles of wood chippings, but no commercial quay to service the factory. It was 1.30 p.m. as we arrived at lock 16, Pianówka, where the lock was empty with one bottom end gate open and no one around. A hoot brought a young man out to work the lock. We stooged about in the short lock cut, as there was nowhere to tie up and wait for the lock. A second guy came out as we went into the chamber. I threw my centre rope around a bollard, as the recessed 

Mooring for the night in lock 17 Mikolajewo

bar in the wall Mike had been aiming for contained a bird’s nest with four young wagtail chicks in it. Little grey things, they were keeping their heads down. At first Mike thought they were dead, but on closer inspection he could see little sparkling black eyes. More photos. Two paddles and two gates again. Mike got off and paid the 11,36 Złotys. Fifteen minutes later we were speeding our way down the Notec again. The ferry at Ciszkowo was doing a brisk trade (it is free of charge to road traffic) with tractors pulling double 

Weir at Mikolajewo

trailers carrying big rolls of hay. At 2 p.m. we had started looking for a suitable tree to tie to and found nothing. First we were too close to a noisy road as far as the ferry, then there were no felled trees to attach to, so we continued down to lock 17, Mikołajewo, where a friendly couple worked the lock. Bill gave the lady the boat details and paid for the lock, while the man talked to us in German as he worked the lock. Mike said we weren’t going through the next lock at Rosko today, we would look for a mooring between the two locks. The keeper said it was OK to moor below his lock. Mike went to look. The sloping banks were no good for us. The keeper said he had no boats booked until 9 a.m. next day, so we could stay in the lock overnight if we wanted to. OK by us. Bill moved over on to the shady side in front of us (we’d swopped sides and we were on the left). The keeper and his missus got their bikes out and pushed them across the top end gates - work over, we were their last boats so they were off home! An old lady in pinny and headscarf came to look at the boats from the lockside. She and Mike chatted in German. She’d seen us go upriver, but hadn’t been able to get to the lock in time to talk to us. Mike went for a snore while I finished off the log entries and checked them. I opened a Polish bottle of sweet and sour sauce, added some fried chicken and onions and boiled rice for dinner. Watched the weather forecast on Sky TV, it looked OK. Around midnight torrential rain and a thunderstorm arrived.