Friday 1st - Sunday 3rd July 2005 Long weekend at Schmergow.

Friday 1st July 2005  Schmergow.

16ºC overnight. Grey and raining. Mike went in the car to Werder again to the Post Office in Edeka, still no package from Glyn. The lady in the Post Office said to try again in the morning and, if nothing had arrived, she would make a phonecall for us. Spent most of the day on the PC. Mike transformed Bill’s precious audio tapes into CDs for him and I embroidered a lilac top with zig-zag edging and pearl flowers.

Saturday 2nd July 2005  Schmergow.

14.6º C Hazy sunshine, warm. I went with Mike in the car to Werder to the Post Office. Hooray! It had arrived. Mike got some bread buns and we went to Kaufland on the southern edge of town. Bought a cake of 50 CD-Rs for 9.99€ (£6.66). Looked at their CD players.

Cheating, a recent photo of the basin at Schmergow,
hadn't changed much.

They had a mini hi-fi for 29,99€ and a boom box for the same price, neither looked much good. Decided to complete the circle, instead of backtracking through Werder and Phöben, we went back to the boat by going west via the village of Groß Kreutz. The latter was closed to through traffic, as half the road had been dug up and the other half had been reduced to its foundation layer of sand. We ignored the signs and went through the town to find our turnoff to Deetz and Schmergow. Around Deetz there were lots of cherry orchards and most of the houses had tables outside with boxes of cherries or strawberries for sale - put the money in a jar. When we got back Mike connected the Markon up and ran the engine. Did two loads of washing. Lunch, then Mike finished off Bill’s tapes, which he was very pleased with. Then he set to work sorting out the post we’d had from Glyn. A monster package with two months’ worth of bank statements, etc. I had two more birthday cards - a month late. The letter from our surveyor had arrived at last, our insurers will be pleased. Several things had gone beyond their due date - I had a MORI pole survey on amateur radio licensing which should have been returned before 30th June. Also a declaration should have been signed and returned to Lloyds offshore allowing them to disclose our investment income to the GB tax authorities, again due by 30th June. The spare battery for the camera had come, as had the new rubber bag for the air accumulator. A mixed group of twenty-something year olds arrived in cars and set up on our side of the bank, drinking, playing loud music and letting off fireworks. Noisy, but they didn’t interfere with the boats. The laughing and screaming went on until the early hours. 

Sunday 3rd July 2005  Schmergow.

12.7º C Sunny with white fluffy clouds. Hot and humid. The bank alongside us was devoid of bodies and debris when we got up, surprisingly they’d all gone home. At 12.30 p.m. Mike drove into Werder to get a stamp and post the forms back to Lloyds. He posted a couple of packets for Bill too while he was there. We had a late lunch. Mike put the other satellite dish

Recent photo of the basin with view out across the lake

up (French satellite TV) and watched the French Formula One Grand Prix from Magny Cours. Alonso started first and finished first. Mike said he was getting fed up with the racing as it was becoming a procession of cars with little scope for overtaking. A small cruiser came into the arm with a nude lady on the bows and two men in the stern with swimming trunks on. It backed off and moored behind us, where a group of motorcyclists were swimming, using the strap hanging from the tree to drop into the water. A blue car that had been parked by our stern since just after we arrived, was theirs. She put some clothes on and joined one of the men to ask Mike and Bill whether we’d made it to Poland. (They must have read the paper and recognised the boat – or seen Bill on TV – we ought to have asked). I started some new embroidery. 

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!

Tuesday 28th June 2005 Spandau - day off to recover the car and get groceries.

Tug with two pans loaded with coal -

12.2º C overnight. Sunny and pleasantly warm. Mike packed all his stuff in a rucksack and went to catch a train back to Eisehüttenstat to collect the car from the boat club. Bill went into the city to visit the museum. I stayed on the boat, did the chores in the morning, let Fanny out for a run around and then put the gennie on at midday and had some lunch. Bill was back at 12.20 p.m. having seen a copy of the Rosetta stone (the British museum has the original) and Nefertiti, although he wasn’t too pleased with the exhibition

- changing ends as there isn't enough room -

itself, which was about the influence of Egyptian art on modern day art. He gave me some of the asparagus he’d bought on the way back. I made a start on scanning a bagful of letters which had been stored under the bed. (I got the bed up looking for mossie netting and the big white sheets to cover the roof when it gets really hot) Mike returned at 2.20 p.m. I hadn’t noticed the phone flashing – he’d sent me a text while I

- to swing around the junction in one go -

was out with Fanny! He lay on the bed for half an hour to recover. Parking in the road by the quay was now on meters, 1€ an hour until 5 p.m. then it’s free! We went to the new shopping mall, Spandau Arcade, found the post office first - on the third floor and posted some snailmail letters. Groceries from Real, (a big brand new one) and then back to the boat at 5.30 p.m. I packed the stuff away and cooked fish and potato pancakes for

- so they just change ends - simple!

dinner. Mike went out to move the car on to the free car park. Bill called to see if we fancied a cold beer. When he came back (there was a new one way system) Mike went with Bill for a drink at the bistro by the mooring.

Monday 27th June 2005 North Spandau to central Spandau.

13.5º C Sunny and hot but with a cool breeze. We set off at 8.10 a.m. heading for

View from mooring at North Spandau

Spandau lock. Rosy in the lead. Bill had to swerve to avoid a small yacht which went across his bows as if he wasn’t there – with all that space to play in too! (The lake is about 500m wide) He stopped and so did Rosy. We went round the corner to the lock waiting area. The lock was full, gates open and red lights on. As usual, we’d just thrown a rope around a bollard when the lights changed to green, then we all piled into the lock. Rosy alongside us and the little yacht right behind us. It’s a huge lock, there was no one

Same bridge in Spandau in daylight.

else to share it with and all three boats were occupying about 35m of one side of one wall in a lock that is 120m long by 12m wide! I’d got the centre rope around a vertical bar recessed into the wall. The water went out very fast and the surge caused the boat to yo-yo back and forth (I’d got nothing to put an extra turn on to as I was using the bar in the wall) so Mike started the engine to counteract the rushing backwards and forwards. I’ll remember next time we’re in Spandau’s lovely new lock, (which took an eternity to rebuild), to either use the centre rope on bollards or use ropes fore and aft around the bars when going downhill. The moorings below the lock opposite the old town were almost full.

Tug and pans of coal for the power station. Central Spandau

Bill went to investigate a gap at the end nearest the Charlottenbrücke road bridge, where there was one cruiser in a bay between two of the dolphins. We went to look at the space behind another cruiser at the other end of the moorings, where we really needed to be when our delivery of fuel oil arrived. There wasn’t enough space, so we went to tie alongside Rosy. The cruiser in front of Rosy had just decided to leave, so we had the whole bay, which left just enough space for a little one between our bows and the next dolphin (if there had been one brave enough!). Mike and Bill went off on foot into the town to organise a delivery of heating oil. They found a computer shop where a guy spoke good English and they asked him to ring the fuel place, Spingies, for us,

Tug and pans of coal for the power station. Central Spandau

which he did. The fuel would arrive at midday. That was quick! Mike was sure that the delivery men who have been to us on the quay before have had keys to the chain across the cobbled road along the quayside. The fuel delivery tanker came at midday and the driver hadn’t got a key to undo the chain, so we had to move the boats. The cruiser at the other end of the moorings must have felt intimidated by the two breasted up narrowboats encroaching on him from behind and left, so we’d got the whole bay for ourselves. (Good thing too because the space we’d just vacated filled up within minutes) Mike asked the driver for a smaller sized delivery nozzle to fit our filler and we filled our tank first, taking on 350 litres. Bill had 318 litres to top up his tank. It was 63c per litre (47p litre or £1.90 per gallon) ouch! The last load we had was in August the previous year and that was 54.4c per litre - a whopping 15% increase in ten months. We paid him 425€ (it should have been 417,69€, but told him to keep the change for a drink). Lunch and then Bill went off on his bike to get groceries from the new Real by the station on the opposite bank of the river. I was delaying going shopping until we got the car back, I’d had enough of carrying stuff in rucksacks or borrowing Bill’s bike and looking like a Chinese coolie! After lunch we all went to the Internet café by the railway station, which was crowded and noisy as usual. On the way back through the railway station into the town centre, Mike got his railway ticket to go back to EHS the following day. It cost 10,50€ (£7) which we both thought was good value. It was six o’clock by the time we got back to the boats. Our drinking water filter took that moment to decide to stop working, so we spent the next hour and a half searching for the replacement cartridge. I was sure it was in the one of the boxes in the engine room. Mike thought he’d seen it in the roll-out cupboard. Nope!  Found it in a corner of a large storage box under the sink. Glad to have the water back on to make a cuppa. Chicken risotto for a late dinner. 

Sunday 26th June 2005 Liebenwalde to North Spandau.

9.4º C. Warm and sunny with a light breeze. Mike was up at seven to be ready to be off at eight. Whilst making tea, he also put the oven on and baked the part-baked buns we’d bought in Eberswalde. (Best to do it early before the heat builds up during the day). Put the pins in to set off with the washing machine running, but the generator wouldn’t work. Bill had already set off as he’d been tied alongside us. Mike replaced the large capacitor and we were ready to set off when the lady with the

dogs came past. I had to have a last fuss from six big black dogs (well, five and a chocolate one) four Labradors, one long haired German shepherd and a barmy retriever. Mike took a photo of them after the lady had fetched them out of the canal and made them all sit in a circle. Bill came back to see how we were getting on. He winded and we followed with the washing machine going this time. It was 8.30 a.m. I got on with the chores, made a cuppa and had a ten minute sit down on the stern with Mike before we arrived at Lehnitz lock. Lots of stuff moving today. We passed a

string of cruisers and yachts by the ferry near Friedrichstal. The washing finished, timing it nicely for the lock. Just before the lock Mike paused to take pictures of the skeletal statues at the site of the Nazi-run brickworks where some of the occupants of Sachsenhausen concentration camp worked. He moved the boat to the lock waiting area, then went and tied alongside Rosy. A large navy hulled cruiser was first in the queue. A tug and pan came up the lock, then we got a green light and followed the cruiser into the lock with our two boats

still tied together. The little plain clothes police boat was moored above the lock, but there was no one on board it. A crowd of other cruisers and yachts came in the chamber behind us, making nine boats plus us in the lock. There were no floaters to tie to, so we had the choice of fixed bollards or bars, I chose the bollards and had to keep moving the rope down to the next bollard down the wall as the water level dropped six metres. The cruiser alongside us on the opposite wall kept his rap music playing all the time we were in the lock. I’d put more washing in the machine so we set off again with the Markon running. Busy with Sunday boaters on the Lehnitzsee, a long flattened M-shaped lake. Pedaloes and rowing boats for hire by the hour were doing a good trade at the southern end of the lake. We passed the second Dutchman of the year (the first was in Poland heading for the Elblag lifts with three German cruisers) a large cruiser heading for Lehnitz. Police boat WS2 was moored by KP 25 at the start of the Havel navigation, where the un-

navigable Orianenberger Havel came in from our right. Its crew was keeping a sharp lookout for law breakers. It was 11.30 a.m. A crowd of little kids and dogs were swimming in the river and a coypu (South American rat) swam nonchalantly past along the river bank. I hadn’t enough time to switch the camera on before it had leisurely turned and climbed the bank, stopping for a scratch before disappearing into the undergrowth. I made salad for lunch. The washing finished so Mike took the pins out, then

we ate lunch. The hotel ship Rügen went past heading for Lehnitz. The first 1000 tonner of this year, 980T to be exact, the loaded 80m long Paula-Ilse of Hamburg poodled past very gently, hardly causing a ripple, with a couple of speedboats weaving about behind it. A cleg bit Mike on the finger while he was taking photos and steering at the same time, that soon came up in a lump. The moorings for commercials at the steel works in Henningsdorf were packed with Polish tugs and pans. One coming towards us was blue

flagging, wanting us to pass him on the wrong side as he was heading for the moorings on our right. As he moved over into the mooring place a whole armada of sailing yachts and cruisers was released from crawling behind him. There was a grand prix start as they took advantage of the space to overtake one another. Amongst them was the first FKK (Frei Korper Kulture - nudists) of the year, a naked lady in a small black and white cruiser. Loads more passing traffic as we went between rows of moored tugs and pans waiting for loading or

unloading on Monday morning. We came to the junction with the Havel kanal, where we turned left into the long Niederneuendorfersee heading south towards Berlin. Not many yachts (there was not a lot of breeze) about, but loads of day boats, canoes and cruisers. What a change from Poland’s empty waterways to this! Police boat WSP10 had caught a little yellow boat, we wondered what crime he had committed. On the left bank of the lake we spied a house with twenty solar panels down the

side wall and two big ones across the roof. A large dark cruiser called Bossi went past with a banner around its bows announcing its yacht charter phone number, a party of six was seated on its stern deck enjoying a Sunday afternoon cruise on the lake - the skipper waved as it overtook us just before the ferry crossing at Tegelost. Planes were taking off one after the other on our left from Berlin’s main airport, Tegel. A large tripper, an imitation Mississippi paddle wheeler, went past heading up the lake. It passed us again later on its way back into the Tegelersee. We moored at 3 p.m. on the quay in North Spandau by some new flats. Some

disgusting person had left a dead fish on the wooden landing and it was stinking as it rotted in the hot sunshine. Mike kicked it in the water before Fanny had chance to roll in it! A group of lads were sitting at the far end of the staging, enjoying the sunshine. A security guard with a large Alsation dog came past as I was returning Bill’s laundry. Fanny dashed out and had a good snarl at the big dog, who just stood back in amazement and didn’t even woof at her. Bill shouted at her and Fanny went back on board Rosy. Mike said he couldn’t understand why no one else was moored there, but we were under the flight path from Tegel, which made it noisy, plus there was the wash of a constant stream of passing boats. Mike went for a nap and despite the noise, the heat and the boat rocking he slept.

Friday 24th - Saturday 25th June 2005 Two days off at Liebenwalde.

Friday 24th June 2005  Liebenwalde.

10.5º C Sunny and hot again. All the boats had moved off when we got up. Bill had gone off into the village on his bike to do some shopping. Mike moved the boats down to the end of the quay furthest from the canal after a man had finished getting a little day boat out and on to a trailer. The latter was lucky because an unmarked (except for its blue light) police boat arrived half an hour after he’d gone – they could have fined him for using an unauthorised place for lifting his boat out and for passing a “No entry” sign with

his car! The police boat is usually on the watch for speeders and cars on the quay (they told us to shift our car last time we were there unloading shopping). They also enforce the “No camping” rule when canoeists pull into the side and put up tents etc. Strange lot these Germans - must be something in the water. Mike ‘phoned Glyn to ask him to add Havel to Werder on the postal package he will be sending us Post Lagernd (Poste Restante), as there are sixteen towns called Werder in Germany. I made a stir-fry for dinner. It was too hot to have the gas cooker on for any longer than necessary.

Saturday 25th June 2005  Liebenwalde.

12.8º C overnight. Hot and sunny again, clouding over again after lunch. I put the

aluminium foil window reflectors in on the sunny side to try and keep the boat a bit cooler. All the boats that had moored overnight on the quay had gone before ten. After lunch Mike put the gennie on and ran our PC. Bill ran Rosy’s engine to re-charge batteries. Mike’s did the last additions to his self-made Polish cruising maps. At first he said he didn’t know if he was going to do them or not, as we shall never go back to Poland. I said he

should never say never, he said that last time (a very long story, for another time). The police crew of the plain clothes boat came over and had a chat with Bill, muttering something about this being the waiting area for the lock. Bill told them we would be off to Spandau next morning. The young policeman said we would have a thunderstorm within the next couple of hours. He was right too. The grey clouds gathered and wind picked up. Mike roped the moped’s cover down and took the mast off and laid it down on the roof. We reluctantly closed the sliding windows but left the doors open until it started to really pour down with rain. The humidity level was very high, really bad for us. I sweltered cooking dinner, thought I would dissolve as it was so hot and humid.

(Note: All these beautiful dogs came past several times a day and we parked our car next to this lovely lady's house, a few minutes walk from the quay, photos taken on the 26th)

Thursday 23rd June 2005 Drahthammer lk to Liebenwalde.

Disused twin lock 7 Drachthammer

11.8º C Sunny and hot. Woken at 6 a.m. by a noisy load of WSA men who started up their workboat and generally make a racket bashing things. We set off earlier than the official opening time of 9 a.m. as the lock keeper was on duty and the workboat had just left the chamber, so he called us in. We were through the lock, N^o 7 Drahthammer, and away ten minutes later, following Rosy up the canal to wait for the 10 a.m. opening time of the DIY (turn a green lever on a pole) vertical lifting bridge at Eberswalde-Finow. I settled

Canalside Finow museum exhibit 

down to some chores while we waited the three quarters of an hour. A large cruiser appeared at the other side of the bridge at five to ten and sat in the middle waiting for the lift to operate. When it opened the big cruiser got the green lights first! No justice – or perhaps he knew that that side always got the green lights first! On up to Wolfswinkel, lock No 6, which we were through in no time, leaving the top at 10.30 a.m. following Rosy up to lock 5, Heegemühle. We’d just been talking about the first time we came through the liftbridge,

Eberswalde paper works & water tower

when it was operated by a very young lad, who turned out in full safety gear, including lifejacket. He had a huge bunch of keys to unlock each bit of mechanism to be operated and it took ages and ages, traffic must have been queuing for kilometres. He was now the keeper in charge of lock 5, which he worked very efficiently – still wearing the self-inflating lifevest though (perhaps it’s a rule for non-swimmers). We overtook Rosy just before the two bridges just above the lock, then stopped to let Bill go first into the

One of the Black houses (copper clad) at Messinghafen

Messinghafen (brass works basin) where there were mooring posts and landings all around the basin. We pulled alongside and tied on to Rosy. Bill asked the group of orange jacketed council workmen where the “Black” houses were, they pointed up the road. Mike looked after the boats and I went with Bill (and Fanny) both of us taking cameras to take pictures of the küpferhausen – houses clad in copper sheet, which had turned black over the years and earned them the nickname of the “Black”

Brass works water tower Messinghafen

houses. There was also a monumental brick built water tower, which had supplied a head of water for the brass works. Most of the remaining factory buildings appeared to have been converted into very smart houses and flats. Back to the boats for lunch. We set off at 12.20 p.m. eating our salad on the stern under the big blue sunshade. When we arrived at lock N^o 4, Shöpffurt, the canoeist (same one from the day before) was waiting to come in with us. The young man who worked the lock for us remembered us from the year before. I told him it was the fifth time we’d been through his lock and asked when they would be repairing the badly damaged left lock wall. He said the lock was to be rebuilt starting in September and would be closed for a full year. The trees were damaging the walls. It seemed obvious to us non-experts that the wall had lost a layer of bricks due to frost damage, there was no bowing of the wall that you get with invasive roots. Sadly, the beautiful old poplars were doomed, the new lock will be an

Unusual garden gnome!

immaculate brick construction, bare of all shade trees and will look just like Eberswalde lock. Shame. I told him so, but he was only a lad and an employee of the WSA. I took more photos than I would normally have done, as it would be the last time we saw the lock in its present beautiful state. A little way further on we turned into the mooring harbour in the weirstream. The hafenmeister was very amenable – he also remembered us from last year. We topped up with water, as did the canoeist who had ten litres, while we took on three hundred and Bill one hundred and fifty. He seemed a bit miffed

Rosy. Entrance to Messinghafen

that we didn’t want to stay overnight in Finow, but I told him Bill had a date with Nefertiti in Berlin, so we had to push on, he looked suitably puzzled. We gave him 3€ for the water and told him how sad we thought it was about the lock losing all its old trees. The way to combat tree root invasion is to insert a layer of piling between the lock wall and the trees – we’ve seen it done in Holland. He said that none of the residents of the large new housing estate by his mooring were interested. Shame on them. A small cruiser

Canoeist alongside Rosy in lock 4 Shopfurt

which had come uphill behind us went into the harbour to moor for the night as we left. Bill stopped and the canoeist climbed on board Rosy tying his canoe (which we later learned was forty years old and would fold up to go in a carrying bag) alongside. A pair of goldeneye ducks flew off in front of the boat – well, one of them did, the male did a strange sort of paddlewheeling of his legs to propel himself along, while the female flew a few hundred yards ahead and waited for him. After about a half kilometre of this Mike increased speed to force past

Soon to be rebuilt lock 4 Shopfurt

the poor bird who was killing himself trying to flee. As we passed him he headed for the bank and dived under the water and the female flew round over us to rejoin him. Stupid bird brains! Lock N^o 3, Grafenbrück, was ready for us. Two swans came into the chamber with us, but took fright and paddled back out again as the gates closed. A few minutes later, as the lock filled, we saw them walking sedately along the grass on the bare and treeless left bank of the lock, heading for the pound above. Swans here aren’t quite so daft but almost as nervous as the ducks. When the lock was full, the keeper stepped on to our stern deck to have a look at the engine.

Soon to be rebuilt lock 4 Shopfurt

The door was closed so he couldn’t see it, so Mike opened the door for him to have a look at our Perkins 42. He said he was in the Merchant Navy and had been into Tilbury docks in London and into Liverpool. It was 2.55 p.m. when we left the top and meandered slowly up the canal under the trees to the next lock, N^o 2 Leesenbrück. Another quiet young man worked the lock for us. Bill and the canoeist were having a good old natter (he spoke good English and told Bill he would carry on and paddle the rest of the Finow on the other side of the OHK, where it is called the Langer Trodel and inaccessible for us). Bill let him steer Rosy and took a photo of him

Bill's hitch-hiker steering Rosy

steering, using the canoeists own digital camera. I took a photo of them. It was 3.40 p.m. as we threaded our way along the last pound, through the trees, to lock N^o 1 Ruhlsdorf. It was full. We tied to the landing below the lock and Rosy hovered in mid-channel away from the flow of water from the emptying lock. A cruiser came down and we went up. The very pleasant friendly lady keeper remembered us too and chattered away in German as we went into the lock and tied up. It was 4.25 p.m. when we set off on the last of the Finowkanal. The canoeist set off first, we overtook him a few minutes later. We wished him a good journey. Auch! came

Lady keeper working top lock 1 Ruhlsdorf

the reply. A cruiser went past, hoping to get into the lock before it closed at 5 p.m. I made a

cuppa and we turned left at the junction on to the OHK, heading for Berlin. In the far distance we could see the back of a hotel ship, possibly Swiss Coral or one of her sister ships. The canal was busy with little boats, cruisers and yachts in both directions. The crew of one small boat upset Bill, he came on VHF complaining to us of vulgarity by the young couple on a small boat. The man took a photo of Rosy, then the woman put her thumbs into

the sides of her bikini bottoms and acted as if she were going to pull them down! They obviously thought it was hilariously funny, but Bill was not much amused. Just before the junction with the Malzerkanal, which leads on to the upper Havel navigation, a farmer was hard at work in the fields on the right bank baling hay – with farming modern gear – not a scythe or horse in sight! At the waiting area by the road and rail bridges (the OHK has one way working for commercials) were two Polish boats, a Bizon with a pan and a former German barge called Lavenburg 736T 67m x 7.25m, now under Polish ownership, waiting for the evening setting off time of nine pm. Mike made comment that the canal at 3m deep was over twice the depth of some parts of the river Wisła. We turned right on to the Malzer and round the bend to the lock waiting area in the wide weirstream. A large cruiser was moored nearest the canal and several smaller boats were spread out down the rest of the metal topped quay. Mike headed for the biggest gap (which would have been just long enough) but the little boat untied and moved back up the quay to give us plenty of room. (Ten minutes later most of them went off up the lock.) Bill brought Rosy alongside, leaving space for any late comers as it is a very popular mooring spot. It was H-O-T hot!  It was 6.30 p.m. much later than we normally tie up.