Thursday 21st July 2005 Lingen to the Dutch border nr Ter Apel.

Rainbow at Lingen

12.2º C overnight. Sunny and windy first thing, clouding over to overcast later. After a day off to get our mail and Mike to do some shopping (I was still not 100%), we set off at 8.10 a.m. with the pins in and the washing machine going. I started catching up with the chores. Cleaned the floor, then sat down for a rest, my back was nowhere near right yet. Made some tea and toast before we got to the first lock of the day at Varloh. A cruiser overtook us and was waiting in the lock when we got there. Mike held

Leaving the harbour at Lingen

the string again. It was spitting with rain when we set off again at 10.15 a.m. The cruiser was waiting for us again in Meppen. The washing finished at midday as we were running through the twisty section through Meppen, where we met two blue boarding uphill commercials and a cruiser. It started raining as Mike paused to take the pins out. Lunch on the move then down Hüntel lock with another cruiser, leaving the empty lock just after 1

Contra-rotating propellers at the museum in Haren

p.m. Forty minutes later we tied on the landing below the bottom lock, Haren, on the Haren-Rütenbrock-kanal. Mike went into the office and paid 2€ for each boat for the trip up the canal into the Netherlands. We went uphill in the lock by less than a metre and tied on the landing stage on the left above the lock where the keeper had agreed to let us stay for an hour while Mike and Bill went for a look round the ship museum. A very strong wind was

Working boat cabin at the museum Haren

blowing the rain horizontal straight down the canal as we tied up. They came back with a fine collection of photos. We set off again at 3.30 p.m. Mike gave the keeper a hoot as we set off and he lifted the road bridge for us. Rosy lead the way. A lockful of three German cruisers passed us heading downhill at 4 p.m. Helen phoned to find out where we were. They had loaded their peniche Floan with a cargo of talc in Gent for

Bill admiring pistons from an old boat engine

Douai but had the day off as it was Belgian National Day. Told her where we were and she asked what the trip had been like. I said the MLK was getting busier with more and more Polish and Czech boats coming further west than they used to. She said that the Belgians weren’t happy with the big influx of migrant Polish workers, same in Britain. She said it had just been on the news that more bombs were going off on the London underground, but they were smoke bombs – still causing as much of a scare though. I wished her a good trip as I rushed out to hold a rope as we rose in lock 2, remotely operated by the keeper at the first lock with the aid of cctv (as are all the bridges and locks on the canal – he used to ride up the canal on a moped to work all the locks and bridges!) Up the third lock and through the next liftbridge at 5.30 p.m. Across the short summit, down the last shallow lock and through the last

Moored at the boat museum in Haren

swingbridge at a few minutes before six. Timed to perfection as the canal closes at 6 p.m. Still pouring with rain as we tied up on the old Dutch custom’s quay. Mike decided to leave the car where it was, safe on the car park in Lingen.

Tuesday 19th July 2005 Ibbenburen to Lingen.

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

Bill on Rosy in Bevergem lock

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

A very odd-looking  workboat with a split hull

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

Liquid gas carrier Eiltank 4 at Hesselte

p.m. 

Rosy passing the scrap berth in Lingen

Wednesday 30th June 2004 Lingen to Ibbenburen.

12.7° C Grey and overcast with sunny spells. We had an early start, setting off at 7 a.m.

WSA tug Ludinghausen overtaking on long straight DEK

Followed Anita, which was empty now (the boat with the rocks again!) to Gleesen lock. After a short wait, the lock emptied, an empty tankership came out and we went up the 6.4m deep lock behind  Anita. The keeper, who was more chatty than the norm, asked where we were from and going to as he passed us on his walk to the top end gate cabin on his 160m long lock chamber. It was only a short distance to the next lock but Anita being empty got there much quicker than us, also we passed a 2000 tonne square fronted tanker, called Marpa, which had just descended, so they would have the lock ready for the empty boat.

Dorle from Luneberg leaving Altenrheine lock DEK

It was only a short wait before Hesselte lock emptied again and we went up 3.4m, just the two of us. Dropped our rubbish in the bin by the bottom end gate lock cabin. I went in to do the hoovering and made a cup of soup. As we got closer to the next lock we passed Vyas coming downstream followed by Donna from Millingen, which was loaded with scrap, probably for the steelworks just below Gleesen lock. An empty called Biger came out of Venhaus lock and we went into the empty chamber. The keeper asked us to move forward as there was another boat coming.

Tankership Goya leaving  Rodde lock DEK

We hadn’t noticed anything behind us, but expecting it to be another 80m boat we moved up the 160m chamber to within 30m of the front gates. A wall of water preceded the WSA tug Lüdinghausen into the lock, then the latter sat ropelesss at the back of the chamber while we rose 3.5m. Left the top at 11.10 a.m. Mississippi, loaded with scrap, was waiting above to descend. The German cruiser we shared a lock with earlier, Einigkeit (Unity in English) from Rauderfern, came downstream and waved, wishing us a “gute reisen”. They were being followed by a 2,000 tonne tanker from Hamburg, called Christian Bernsen.

Tankership Venlo leaving Bevergern lock DEK

A 67m loaded boat called Dorle from Lüneberg was exiting Altenrheine lock. We went into the chamber and waited ten minutes while a couple of Dutch cruisers arrived, one of whom had also been moored in Lingen the night before. Christophe Harms, an empty tanker boat, was waiting above. We had lunch en route to the next lock. The WSA tug boat must have stopped for lunch, it pulled out from a quay and followed the two Dutch cruisers. At the quay in Rheine, Adler from Papenburg was unloading sand. Arcturus from Hamburg, another one loaded with rocks, was heading downstream as we neared Rodde lock. The cruisers and tug had got the lock and were already going up. We arrived at 1.45 p.m. and had to wait for the next commercial to descend. 

In Bevergern lock with Lydia and a yacht DEK

It was an impressive looking 86m long Dutch tanker carrying 1,360 tonnes, called Goya from Terneuzen. We rose 3.8m in Rodde lock and went on to the 3 kms pound to the last lock we would ascend on the DEK, the 8m deep Bevergern lock. We waited below as, again, the cruisers were going up. Another tankership came down, but we still had red lights so we continued to wait. Mike noticed two teenage girls come down from the road bridge (where there were lots of gongoozlers watching the boats in the lock) on to the towpath. They looked carefully to make sure no one could see them from up by the lock, then they both dropped their lycra shorts to have a pee in full view of the boats! We’re invisible again! An 80m empty called Lydia arrived and we followed it into the chamber and a German yacht arrived, Helgoland from Varel, 

In Bevergern lock - note Fanny wearing her trumpet collar

and so we took the right hand wall in front of Rosy, leaving the left hand wall behind the commercial free for the yacht. Slowly we ascended the 8m, the chamber filling with the aid of economiser pounds. Left the top at 4.15 p.m. Hooray! Mittelland here we come! A short distance from the lock was the junction with the much busier MLK. We followed Lydia and Keppel into the canal, the latter had come from the opposite direction which leads to the Rhine. 174 kms to the next lock at Anderten. At KP2 we were overtaken by an empty called Evelin. Turned right at KP4 into the old arm at Ibbenburen and moored in the haven by two cruisers and two Dutch barges. Anita was at the loading staithe being loaded again with rocks, which were sliding down the chute from a procession of lorries, (it’s a wonder it doesn’t knock the bottom out of the boat). Within minutes it was fully loaded and the next empty 80m boat took its place under the chute. It was 5.30 p.m. I unscrewed a stubborn tick out of Fanny’s ear for Bill. Mike went to get the car and I made chicken nuggets and chips for dinner with battered mushrooms. Later Mike watched Holland get severely whupped by Portugal in the Euro 2004 football championships.   

Tuesday 29th June 2004 Varloh lock on DEK to Lingen.

8.3° C. Mild, overcast and dry until we had one short heavy shower of rain. Set off at 9.10

Chemical works north of Lingen - photo from 2103

a.m. The boat roof was still sticky from mooring under trees again, so I washed it down using the mop and loads of clean river water. Three big boats were loading in the oil berths at a refinery at KP 151, near Holthause. Each one had a boom across the bay they moored in to prevent leakage of any spilled fuel. We moored in the basin at Lingen at 11.10 a.m. in front of several Dutch cruisers and yachts. Mike had a tour round the town by car while I was making some lunch. Took Bill with us to find a supermarket. 

Chemical works north of Lingen - photo from 2103

Did a circuit of the bypass and found nothing, so we went back to the Extra we saw on the way out. They were building a new Famila right opposite. Back on the boat I unpacked the groceries. Mike went for a walk into the town centre to get a top up card for our German D2 ‘phone. Jenny from the bearing company ‘phoned (while he was out) to say that they’d put his parcel (a new pulley and taper lock bush) in the post. I told her we should get that in a week’s time and that Mike would ring her back and confirm when we’d got it. We went back to Extra to buy a 12v coolbox I’d spotted in their free leaflet - we’d forgotten to get a couple of bags of charcoal anyway. 

Chemical works north of Lingen - photo from 2103

We’d decided last year in the hot weather that we needed a 12v coolbox to take in the car when we had days out, but it would also be useful for transporting meat, etc back from the shops when the weather is hot. It cost 39,95€ (about £26). We had ham salad for dinner. At 7 p.m. Bill came round with Fanny, a bottle of apple schnapps and his photos. He’d got lots of duplicated photos which he passed on to us. Mike opened a bottle of his favourite Erben Spätlese wine (2,97€ a bottle - less than £2) and we chatted. Bill also brought photos to show us of his previous life in Oman and his move on to Rosy. Bill went home to feed the dog at 9 pm.

Monday 28th June 2004 Barnflair to above Varloh lock on DEK. GERMANY AT LAST!!!

13° C Sunny spells, grey clouds, breezy. Set off early to get a good start hoping to get to Lingen. We arrived at the swingbridge at 7.55 a.m. (in Germany at last!) and a voice

The rebuilt liftbridge on Haren-Rutenbrock kanal

announced something over a tannoy in German which none of us understood. We had to wait until 8.25 a.m. before the bridge swung and let us into the lock chamber. Meanwhile I sponged off most of the sticky mess covering the roof, which must have come from the oak trees we’d been moored under. We rose 0.1m in the first lock and went on to the summit level of the Haren-Rütenbrock kanal. I did the chores and made a cuppa as we ran down to the first downhill lock, where we dropped down 0.8m with the keeper operating the lock from his desk in Haren. A long straight followed to the next lock, where we had a short wait while three cruisers come up the lock. We dropped down the deep lock, 1.9m, which used to be worked by a very genteel lady who came out from the lock house to press buttons and

Liftbridge on Haren-Rutenbrock kanal

work the lock for us. Two more cruisers waited below. By the next road, a high level bridge carrying the A31 autobahn, a crane boat was busy putting stones along the edge of the bank and backing it up with dredgings. Mike went inside to ‘phone the bearing company while we were on the long pound. First he got an answering service, then he got through to a bloke who was a bit disorganised, first he hadn’t got a catalogue and then his computer screen had gone blank. Mike told him he’d ‘phone him back. We arrived at the liftbridge which had been under reconstruction and had been keeping the canal shut since we arrived on 17th May. We waited and waited with a side

Liftbridge on Haren-Rutenbrock kanal

wind blowing harder and harder. Mike spotted a work boat and threw a stern rope around a little bollard next to it and the construction crew’s portacabin, this stopped the wind blowing us on to the other bank and our boat rested against a little open boat, using it as a fender whilst we waited for the bridge to open. Bill hovered on the bend a little further back up the canal for a while then came alongside. Mike went inside to try ‘phoning the bearing company again and got transferred to a girl called Jenny and had to explain everything all over again. She said she would ring him back. A cruiser appeared on the far side of the bridge at 11.30 (after we’d been waiting over half an hour) and we went through the bridge and into Haren. The bearing company ‘phoned back, Mike agreed to

Vertical liftbridge in Meppen DEK - photo from 2005

compromise and have a 106 mm dia pulley (he wanted 110 mm - a larger diameter pulley was needed for slowing the water pump down) and she said they could get a bush to fit it for him from their other depot. She found the last bill we’d had and noted that last time they sent us stuff we didn’t pay the carriage, she said she’d have to charge us this time. Mike arranged with her to send the parcel by post to Bad Nenndorf. Jenny said they didn’t normally send stuff abroad. When she saw our address she remarked that she lived in Tipton. Small world? Everything should be OK to post off to us next day, but she said she would call us. We went through the liftbridges into Haren expecting to have to tie up above the lock as it was getting close to twelve o’clock and the keeper should be off to his lunch. To our great surprise it was the same guy that came on a moped to work the bridges when we were there last time, four

Below Meppen locks - photo from 2005

years earlier. He asked us for 2 Euros each and showed Mike his computer screens in his brand new lock cabin. No more uniform and kepi, he was very casually dressed as befitted an office worker. It was 12.15 p.m. when we set off upstream on the river section of the Dortmund-Ems-Kanal (DEK). One Dutch cruiser was waiting below the lock to go uphill on the canal into the Netherlands. We ran up to Schleuse Hüntel and waited while Marina came downhill, then we followed Corrona into the lock with two cruisers. The lock was 210m long, so there was enough space. A boat called Anita loaded with rocks, was waiting above when we left the top of the lock at 2.15 p.m. The river wound through some gentle bends after the canal section and we went into Meppen. Under the bypass bridge past a long gravel loading quay, where two 80m boats were loading, Breediep and Drieklag.  Swapped over to the left hand side to go round a left hand bend into the town and passed a loaded boat, 80m Eberswalde from Berlin, coming

Above Varloh locks DEK - photo from 2005

downstream through the bridges round the bends. (We did that last time). Mike called the keeper at the lock at Meppen. He said there was one to come down (we thought) and a 67m loaded called Rival came out of the lock, then there were just us two narrowboats to go up the big lock on our own. The keeper leaned out of his third storey window and shouted something which we a) couldn’t hear and b) couldn’t understand anyway. BEA-D a loaded tanker was waiting above to come down. The lock filled at the front and back from economiser pounds, then from the pound above to fill its 7.5m deep chamber. The next canal section was 5 kms dead straight all the way to Varloh lock. We met the next loaded boat, Murene 52m x 6.3m, about 1.5 kms from the lock. When we got there the lock had been refilled and another loaded boat was coming down. We went up the lock and Mike asked the keeper on VHF if we could stop overnight on the landing, He didn’t understand the answer he got. We tied up anyway - where else was there to go? It was 6.30 p.m. Mike went off to get the car half an hour later. No sooner had he gone than a police car came stooging slowly down the towpath, had a good look, but didn’t stop. I prepared garlic pork for a stir fry for dinner but didn’t cook it until Mike returned with the car. He was back at 9.30 p.m. having taken the car on to Lingen and ridden back on the moped. Put the moped back on the roof, I cooked dinner and we ate it, both of us shattered.