 |
| Hademstorf lock full - almost full length of lock, huge! |
Grey clouds and light drizzle to start, heavy shower
later, sun out after we’d tied up. Windy, cold from North. The keeper started
filling the lock before nine. We went into the chamber and put a centre line on
the inset bollard in the wall then dropped down 2.2m. It was 9.25 am when we
left the bottom.
 |
| Hademstorf lock empty, even huge-er |
The keeper said he’d phoned to warn the ferryman at Eickeloh
that we were coming downriver as he was working today. We thanked him as we
left, following the Snail. A tiny cruiser was waiting to go up the lock as we
left. Still plenty of water flowing out of the river Leine. We’d got engine
revs for 7kph and were doing 10kph, a 3kph flow assistance. Oll was slowing
down when we got to the ferry – the cable was still up! We slowed down and Mike
gave a blast on the hooter.
 |
| The view behind of the top end gates |
The ferryman at Eickeloh looked surprised, so the lock keeper
hadn’t phoned him! While we waited for the steel cable to be lowered both boats
were slowly taken towards the bank by the current, the river wasn’t wide enough
for the boats to turn to stem the flow. Snail’s stern caught on the sand at the
edge of the river and we touched a pile of rocks as we set off again.
The
ferryman asked if there were any more boats coming. I just had time to say no,
just us two, as we whizzed past.
 |
| River Leine - still lots of water entering the Aller |
The river was flowing very well considering it
had gone down another 4cms overnight (Mike had looked at the pegel for Rethem
online before we set off, it had dropped 17cms since we went up to Celle, 5
days earlier). I made a cuppa. Mike hadn’t had any breakfast as he couldn’t eat
anything. We were still doing 10 kph but the Snail was gaining on us and
getting further in front. Past the stagings with a fixed seat at Hoden Hagen,
where a gang of kids had been trying to turn it over and destroy it when we
went upriver.
 |
| Ferry at Eickeloh - cable still up!! |
Roofs in the village were covered with solar panels. I made some
toast so Mike could have his tablets. Took photos of a sandbank now appearing
out of the water and growing weeds at KP61. At Eilte, 5kms further downriver, a
small speedboat was towing a youth on a doughnut and was so surprised to see us
he slowed down (why? He’d just seen the Snail?) and nearly lost his passenger
who shrieked as they set off again.
 |
| Staging at Hoden Hagen |
More photos of sandbanks at KP67. Our speed
had gone up to 11.3kph going round the last bit of the big bend at Bosse where
the river does almost a complete circle. An oystercatcher was flying round with
a large mollusc in its beak being pursued by another who was screeching at it, nope
not sharing, it’s mine I found it! At KP77 a group of around a dozen people
were seated at a long table under some trees having lunch, a very civilised
picnic.
 |
Keeping close to the outsides of bends
where the deeper water is |
We had an almost straight section of about 2kms. I made us a cup of
soup and put some part-baked bread buns in the oven to cook for lunch, as we
flew through. At KP89.5 we came across a group of ten canoeists, three were on
the bank having lunch and the other seven paddling slowly and going with the
flow. Mike had to hoot to let them know we were coming and clear the navigation
channel. Our speed was creeping up again, 10.7kph. It was averaging 10kph. Two
kayaks left the beach at KP91 and paddled off downriver as we came round he
bend and we slowly overtook them.
 |
| Sandbanks that weren't showing when we went upriver |
It started to rain as we went past KP95 and
did so for the next twenty minutes or so. Took photos of two little storks in a
nest on a high pole at KP107.5 Eitze. Approaching Verden we went under the
railway bridge at the same time as a goods train went over, it was loud enough
to make your teeth rattle! No sign of the trip boat moored in Verden, must be
out with passengers on the Weser.
 |
| Ferry boat with outboard motor |
Oll called on VHF to say that the flow had
eased up and he’d been able to turn straight into the haven.
 |
| Church at Westen |
We did likewise
and moored alongside the Snail in the corner of the basin as there was a WSA
tug on the pontoon where we were moored before. It was 3.50 pm and we reckoned
we’d done well to do the trip in just over 6.5 hours.
 |
| Storks in nest at Eitze |
That makes a total of 13
hours travelling time to come back from Celle and 25 hours to get there going
upriver.
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