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| Thunderstorm brewing. |
Thunderstorm to start and when we
tied up, very hot and sunny between and after. Pouring with rain when we set
off at 8 am, following the Snail down to the junction and turned left on the
MLK, no traffic moving. Did the last 4 kms of the MLK again and turned left on
the DEK. Tanker Hannah-Luisa turned into the MLK from the DEK before we left
it. The rain stopped as we turned on to the Ems, the black clouds receding
behind us.
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| Munster. Old hafen. |
The low, forested hills of the Tuetoburger Wald were close by on our
left, the first hills we’d seen for a long time. Past lots of wharves beyond
the junction. Tankership Navatrans VIII overtook us at KP99 just before
Dörenther bridge and the start of a very long straight section. Greta, an empty
Dutch 67m barge went past at KP98, followed by Bayerischer Wald from Köln with three
cars on its back cabin roof, the crew waved. A wagtail landed on the roof but
didn’t stop to search for spiders to eat like some have in the past. Between
KP96 and KP95 traffic became a bit hectic, Lavenburg from Bydgoszcz (Polish)
overtook us slowly, its old engine beating at low speed.
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| Munster. Old hafen redevelopment |
Three loaded boats
went past in the opposite direction, Wels (a large Dutch boat), Thorsten from
Bremmerhaven and Ondine from Beuginen. A short calm distance then at KP94 a
Czech pusher pair called Bohemia 1 & 2 from Decin followed by two cruisers
went past. Mike made a cuppa. At KP93 Janja from Groningen went past as
tankership Freyja from Marktheidenfeld overtook us at high speed, breaking wash
both sides then slowed down after he’d gone past!
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| Munster. End of the old hafen. |
What was that in aid of? Drunk
maybe? Swinehund! We were bobbing about like a cork for ages after. Rainbow
from Maasbracht went past as we went under one of the flood gates. It was
quiet, no boats about for a while. An empty tanker called Regina-W went past as
we went under an autobahn bridge. The skipper stared and didn’t return our
friendly wave. Takes all sorts. I made some lunch. Paused on the aqueduct over
the river Ems while Mike stepped off to take photos of the river.
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| Munster. Photo on a new building of the hafen as it was. |
Just beyond
the aqueduct was a boat centre selling diesel at 1,75€ per litre (ouch,
supermarket prices are around 1,38€). A smart loaded barge called Delphin from
Twist went past at Hessenwegbrug KP76 where some girls were sunbathing on the
canal bank. Loaded 85m Durban from Duisburg went past followed by a cruiser. As
we approached Münster lock there were more and more youths and girls sunbathing
or swimming in the canal. St Michael from Papenburg went past, loaded with
coal, by KP72. A cruiser had just left the left hand chamber of the twin locks
so we went up towards that lock and waited.
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| Munster from the lock DEK |
The gates were open, but the red
lights were on. Oll called the keeper on VHF but had no reply. Mike called and
the keeper snarled backbord kammer! We winded and headed back down the lock
approach, turned left and went up the other lock approach (noting there was a
lot of building work going on, maybe another big lock like the one we were going
into) and into the big chamber 200m long. We rose 6.2m handing ropes up six
bollards recessed into the concrete walls (there were floaters but not in the
right places for us although Oll managed to use one for his stern rope).
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| Big signs saying no swimming. Munster lock DEK |
An
empty commercial was waiting above to come down and shortly after we passed a
loaded boat going fast to get in the lock with the empty. The number of
sunbathers and swimmers increased dramatically as we went on into the city
outskirts. They were crammed in together like Brits on the beach! We passed a
boat loaded with woodchips piled so high the skipper in his lowered hydraulic
wheelhouse had no chance of seeing past his load, so his missus was on the bows
with a radio to guide him through the low bridges and into the lock.
 |
| Swimmers abv Munster lock DEK |
We continued
into the old commercial arm into Münster, past derelict wharves and warehouses.
Spotted a tap on the left by an old water tower and at the end of the arm some
of the warehouse had been redeveloped and new cafés and restaurants had been
built. We winded to have a look. There was litter everywhere, broken glass,
bottles, fag ends and spliffs. Not nice and an indicator that it was not a good
place to moor overnight (the Dutchman who had told us about the mooring said
not to go there on a Friday or Saturday
 |
| Munster lock chamber DEK |
night due to rowdy youths drinking) so
we went to refill our water tanks then pushed on back down the lock, it was
4.30 pm. More youth had crammed into the spaces between the trees and now the
BBQs were out, smelling delicious, as we headed back through the city outskirts
and down to the lock. This time we stopped above the big chamber, it had red
lights but so did the short chamber. Oll called, no reply. Mike called and the
keeper answered but we didn’t understand him. An old man passing by helped us,
he could speak a little English. The keeper wanted to know if we were going up
or down, he couldn’t see us! Why, are we invisible?
 |
| A boatload of wood chips |
Mike said direction MLK and
he replied steuerbord kammer. We went down in the small chamber. Mike moved the
centre rope down six bollards, while sitting on the roof, and I made us a
cuppa. It was very, very hot in the sunshine. Better once we got moving again
and caught some cooling breeze. Loaded boat Jel from Dordrecht was waiting
below the lock to go up. Just before the fuel depot at KP75 our first FKK
appeared on the canal bank, he’d been skinny-dipping in the canal and had
climbed out and squatted down to watch us go past. He stood up to talk to Anne!
 |
| Munster-sur-Mere! Youngsters enjoying the hot weather. |
He was from a hippy commune. We were overtaken by Eiltank 6 as Christine from
Datteln went by loaded with sand, followed by another Eiltank and then a
cruiser from Köln overtook us just as a thunderstorm started. Mike was about to
go in the cabin as the rain and hail started, he came back out to shut the
doors and put the brolly up (the strings got tangled up, typical when you’re in
a rush) the rain was torrential and it continued for the next half hour. We
were soaked and getting cold – after all that heat, 39°C.
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| Massive flood gates by the aqueduct over the river Ems |
The rain stopped as
we arrived at the mooring at KP85.6 Schmedehausen. The cruiser from Köln was
moored there, we moored behind him, filling the mooring, and Oll moored in
front beyond the only “for small craft” mooring
sign and kept fingers crossed that the politzei wouldn’t come and tell him to
move. It was 8.15 pm.
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