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| Tug Rudolph pushing an empty pan going to pick up more dredgings |
14.2º C Heavy rain overnight. Hot and sunny
morning, giving way to heavy showers when the wind picked up mid-afternoon. I
had another really rough night, waking each time I tried to turn over. Mike set
off at 8.15 a.m. Arrived at the first lock down, Bevergern, on the
Dortmund-Ems-Kanal (DEK) at 9.30 a.m. An 80m barge and two French péniches (one
from St Mammés!) went into the lock and we weren’t allowed in, as the lock
keepers in Germany don’t allow pleasure boats to use the space on the wall
opposite commercials. After an hour’s wait two commercials came up, Thoedor and
Diena, then we went down, just the two of us. Mike had to do the ropes and
fenders himself. At the next lock, Rodde, a loaded tanker was coming uphill. We
went down as soon as he’d cleared the lock. We left the bottom ten minutes
later at 11.15 a.m. Dropped down the third lock, Altenrheine, at midday and I
made some lunch. We had to increase speed to keep up with an empty tanker
called Schildhorn to get in with him at the fourth lock, Venhaus. We left the
bottom at 1.45 p.m. I made a cuppa as we ran down to Hesselte. The lock was empty
as the commercial had gone much faster than us. Another loaded tanker came up
and we went in after just a half hour wait, during which time Mike had nipped
in the cabin and made himself a sandwich.
We dropped down the lock and left at 3.45 p.m. The last lock of the day,
Gleesen, had an empty Czech boat and a loaded Dutchman coming up in it, so we
had to wait again. The wind had picked up and had blown Bill’s planters full of
geraniums
over on Rosy’s roof. We went into the lock chamber and had to wait again
for three cruisers to arrive and share the lock with us. It was 4.30 p.m. by
the time the lock started to empty. One cruiser turned left and headed up the
Obere Ems, the other two went past us to moor in the harbour at Lingen. It was
6 p.m. when we arrived at Lingen. Plenty of room left for us to tie up, even enough
space so we didn’t need to tie side by side. Forty minutes later Mike went off
on the moped to get the car and was back at 8.30
p.m.
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| Bill on Rosy in Bevergem lock |
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| A very odd-looking workboat with a split hull |
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| Liquid gas carrier Eiltank 4 at Hesselte |
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| Rosy passing the scrap berth in Lingen |
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