Travemunde. Gateway to the Baltic

In Auckland the days were getting shorter, so they must be getting longer at the other end of the world. Time to head North!

The Marina at Travemunde, and our gateway to the Baltic 

We are back aboard in Travemunde, where Antiope had hibernated for the winter inside a massive shed along with another 50 or so sleeping boats. The flight from NZ is always long and tiring, however this time we flew the Emirates 17hr marathon direct to Dubai, not too bad, mostly night, and at least we avoided the Aus transit hassle.

Antiope is snug for the Winter

On the cradle, ready to go

The huge boat hoist can manage vessels of 200 tons+

We plan to spend the first week aboard settling in and getting our sleep pattern adjusted. Perhaps a run up river to Lubeck for a sea trial and shopping, before heading out into the Baltic, Denmark and Copenhagen.

Our chart plotter screenshot of the Danish Baltic, Antiope is the black boat at bottom centre.

Why Copenhagen? Well tis a long story, but we have been invited to attend the 150th anniversary of the KDY (The Royal Danish Yacht Club ). You see, I was there with crew mate David for the 100th, but that time in a much smaller boat that we had sailed from England.

In 1966, We sailed from England for the party, in the only boat I owned.

Berlin to the Baltic

Having spent four weeks exploring Berlin and the lake areas around this amazing city, it was time to head North and West to our planned winter home for Antiope in Travemunde,

The Berlin wall 25 years on. on the tip!

We depart Berlin by his massive artwork on the Spree river 

We stop in Potsdam to see Palaces and the site of the Post war Potsdam agreement.   

Schloss Ceciliedhof, where the fate of post war Germany, was thrashed out.

Truman, Stalin, and Churchill sat at this table to map the future shape of Germany

Sans Soussi, just one of the royal palaces of the Prussian Kaisers

We head North into the Mecklingburg region of lakes and narrow waterways.

The Mecklingburg region is remote and enchanting

The old lift bridge at Plau

The Kaiser Willhelm, The recently restored veteran. at Launenburg

The Elbe river was running very low we sail with only cms beneath our keel

  These fisherman are near the middle of the Elbe river

Timber from the Baltic, on the Elbe Lubeck canal

                                         Lubeck waterfront, we are on the doorstep of the Baltic

Holstentor gate, the classic symbol of Lubeck

  Lubeck the Merchants church was destroyed by RAF bombs.

Its' bells lay where thaey fell.

 Antiope alongside in Lubeck

The Schiffergesellschaft. dates from 1400 where shipmasters and merchants met and traded

Now a restaurant we dine in the original rooms

From Lubeck we will cruise down the Trave river to Travemunde and a shed for the winter.

   

Berlin

Having left the Rhine river, we entered the Mittelland canal, a stretch of waterway that crosses most of Germany with only 3 locks. The canal is not exactly scenic, especially in the rain. At Potsdam the skies cleared and we anchor in the lake for a BBQ.

A quiet evening on Potsdam lake

The last page of the route from Nancy some 1200 Kms

Glenicker bridge was the site of  spy swaps during the cold war

A series of lakes lead us to Spandau where we join the Berlin waterways, and a spectacular entry into Berlin

A spectacular entrance to an amazing city.

The picture says it all

The Wall was here, right alongside the waterway.

Antiope in Berlin, a 10min Metro (S Ban) ride from Brandenburg gate

 Cheers Charles

The Mighty Rhine River

                           From Strasbourg our passage takes us down the Rhine for 500 kms.

Once on the Rhine we are in German waters

At first our passage is sedate on the locked upper Rhine

The last  Rhine lock is over 1000 kms  from the North Sea

The free flowing river picks up pace. 

Below Iffezheim lock the Rhine free flows to the sea, at up to 5 knots at times.

Rhine traffic, a busy river

The ubiquitous cruise ships

Blue Flagging, A constant lookout is essential

On the Rhine, because of the strong flow, commercial craft have absolute right of way, and may display a Blue board by their bridge, signalling their intention to pass to Starboard, ie the wrong side.

The Rhine Gorge is dramatic. Castles on every bend.

Vineyards stretch away up the valley sides

The infamous Loreley rock towers over a narrow 90 degree bend

Loreley (Lorelei) rock

The Rhine at Cologne, a much more passive river

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The Cathedral defies the imagination of any scale

Antiope tucked up in Cologne marina, far left, the pontoon is 700m long. 

This Viking replica was also making a Rhine passage to the sea.

We met a crew of four Germans who had spent 10 years building this replica Viking ship and were making the passage from Switzerland to the sea.

Shingle banks exposed by low river levels

The Rhine was running almost 2m below its normal level, restricting traffic.

At Duisburg in the Rhur region, the Rhine had revealed RAF bombs.

Local boaters had never seen the river so low.

 Duisburg lock, Rhur valley

At Duisburg we leave the Rhine and enter the Rhein-Herne canal, on our way towards Berlin.