Wednesday 29th June 2005 Spandau to Schmergow.

Wednesday 29th June 2005  Spandau to Schmergow.

Rosy passing Grunewaldturm on the Wannsee
read here the history of the tower

12.9º C overnight. Sunny with a nice cool breeze. Humid. We moved off early, down the Havel to the bunkerstation to get two gas bottles refilled and refill our water tank (Bill was OK for water - he doesn’t do the washing!) We had to moor alongside the little bunkership to get at the hose, which was operated for us by an eight year old boy who wanted to help and do everything, but wandered away when it was time to turn the tap off. I went in the chandlery and paid 26,40€ for the two gas bottle refills. Set off again rather hastily as the bunkerboat wanted to get moving. The pins were in and the Markon running to do some more washing. We started the long run down the Wannsee at 9.10 a.m. It was deserted, not a boat moving (for the first half hour!). I made a cuppa. Once the heaters on the washer had switched off, I did the ironing and the vacuuming, then made some more tea. I sat outside as we were going through the narrows at Pfaueninsel (Peacock island), being overtaken by a coxed

Peacock Schloss Pfaueninsel
click here to read the enchanting history if the island

rowing four. As we crossed the Jungfernsee I took some photos of the Peacock palace, Glienicker bridge, some passenger boats and a Viking longship (really)! We turned right across the lake heading northwest, with Potsdam to the south of us. A beautiful (could somebody please bottle it!) smell of flowering lime trees came wafting across the lake. Into the Sacrow-Paretzer-kanal at 11.30 a.m. Pleased to see one of the last remaining “little” boats, 44m long by 4.6m wide, the 284 tonne smartly painted spits, Glükauf from Ketzin, was

A passing police boat

carrying a load of sand. We crossed the Weißersee and went back into the channel of the canal again. I went in to make some lunch and we ate it sitting under the sunshade with the wind just starting to pick up a little which will please the sailors. As we started across the Schlänitzsee we were overtaken by an empty 67m barge called Magda, its lovely slow revving engine echoing over the lake. Back into the canal again we passed another passenger boat from Charlottenberg. The horseflies came out in force and we had fun swatting them after we’d covered ourselves in

Heilandskirche Sacrow  read its strange history here

repellent. Orania, a loaded 1000 tonner carrying wood, went past heading for Potsdam. Shortly after a 1,128 tonner called Eifelstolz  went past, followed by a gaggle of small cruisers as we reached the crossroads where the Sacrow-Paretzer met the Havel Kanal and joined the river Havel navigation, which had widened into a long snaking lake. Lots of boats came together in a knot at the junction, for a few minutes there were boats everywhere heading in all directions, then nothing for a while until we passed two loaded pans near

Gleinicker bridge  read here about its role in the Cold War

Paretzer being pushed by a Polish tug from Wrocław. We passed a small official looking vessel as we were getting close to the ferry at Ketzin. It had Vermessung written large along its cabin sides. I had to look that one up the dictionary, it meant surveying. After the ferry, a Schiffahtrspolitzei tug pushing a pan made several small open fishing boats bounce about in its wash, but we ploughed through and hardly moved. Minutes later we were overtaken by a small open speedboat which made us lurch about quite violently for a

A replica Viking longboat

minute or two. At 2 p.m. as we were passing a very wide-beamed two decked cruiser at anchor with its crew still eating lunch on the top deck, a cruiser went by towing a yacht, the crews of both vessels were laughing and waving (apparently towing  is illegal for pleasure craft in Germany, so they won’t be laughing when the Politzei see them and fine them). Another cleg attack as we turned left into the very narrow channel of the Langer Werder, to the south of an island called Mittlebruch.

One of the last kahns, the beautiful Gluckauf 

Winding between lilypads and reeds, it led into the south east corner of Trebelsee. The little old harbour near Schmergow was empty, so we had it all to ourselves except for some young fishermen who were camped on the left bank (who moved later to the other bank when the fishermen who had been there all afternoon went home) Mike unloaded the moped and went off to get the car for the first time this year by moped. He called in the Post Office in Edeka in Werder to see if our post from Glyn had

1000 tonnes of wood chips

arrived yet, it hadn’t.

Thursday 30th June 2005  Schmergow – shopping and chasing the post.

12.1º C overnight. Hazy cloud, sunny at times, cool morning, hot and humid later. Lots of clegs about. Mike and Bill went into Werder in the car. Edeka, which was closed while the tills were replaced the day before, was open and very busy. Still no sign of the package from Glyn. Mike brought me a couple of bottles of pop and got a free cookery book (in German of course). While I was making salad for lunch Mike phoned Glyn and asked when he had posted the package and what it

The ferry at Ketzin

looked like. Saturday morning and it was a big package three inches thick, wrapped in brown parcel tape. He’d already had post from us which we’d posted Tuesday in Spandau. After lunch Mike did some work in the engine room with the doors open and got bitten twice by clegs. I searched the cupboards for mossie netting again and found none, but I did find my embroidery cottons and decided to brighten up some plain summer vest-style tops I bought recently with some colourful embroidery. Mike went to Werder again to the Post Office at four o’clock and Bill went with him. When they returned, without the package, Bill lit his ammunition box BBQ and Mike lit our new one. I prepared the food, burgers and sausage, spuds to bake,

Mike and Bill posing for the camera while lighting the BBQs

opened the last tin of French ratatouille and made a glaze sauce for the meat. Took it all outside on a tray. Mike put it on the folding table and as I followed him out with a glass of Bill’s Sekt (East German champagne-style fizzy wine), the tray slid off the table smashing the butter dish and tipping the food into the dirt. I had the lot back to clean it up. I made a new glaze, picked the bits off the meat and washed the plates and cutlery. All was OK on the second attempt. While we were eating, a crowd of people turned up and wandered about on the far side bank. Some had clipboards, which made us think it was a committee meeting of Schmergow council. We wondered if they were there to think up ideas to make something of the old stone loading quay and the impromptu camping site. BBQ over at 8.30 p.m. Cleared up and washed up. I finished off the first bit of embroidery, a cream top to which I added a simple orange and yellow abstract flower. Mike nodded off and woke up at 2.45 a.m. when the gennie spluttered and ran out of petrol!