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| Leaving Kummersdorf lock |
-0.1°C Overnight - first dip
below freezing. Sunny with a crisp deep blue sky and only 4°C when we set off
at nine. The cruiser that had moored behind us at dusk the previous evening was
still there. Sorry we weren’t continuing up the remaining splendid lakes from
Storkow to Bad-Saarow as we set off to retrace our steps to Schmöckwitz. Twenty
minutes later we arrived at Kummersdorf lock. A sign on the lockside gave the
lock dimensions and said the chamber was 34.50m long - our guide said 40m – we
think the guide was wrong. A smiling young man came and opened the gates as the
lock was already full. He went back to helping another young WSA chap varnish
the woodwork on the lock cabin while the lock emptied and dropped us down 1.2m.
The old Storkow canal was beautiful in sunlight, winding through the woods.
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| Unusual sight - wreck on Langersee |
I
scooped up a jam jar full of water so Mike could have a look later under his
microscope at the green algae that were growing where the water was warm in the
sunshine. At the start of the Wolzigersee there were two coots busily
investigating the contents of some fishing nets.
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| Wolzigersee - mill pond flat today |
By contrast with Monday the
lake was now flat calm, like a millpond and not a sign of any boats, just one
two-man canoe paddling across the 3 kms wide pool. As we were about halfway
across we spied a cruiser behind us, the one that had moored behind us the
night before. He overtook us as we entered the buoyed channel to the next canal
section, not a wave or any acknowledgement that we were even there! Likewise at
the first bend on the canal, where a young couple were launching a large fast
speedboat and didn’t speak. Then, as we passed a cruiser right under the first
road bridge, we must have suddenly become visible as the crew were smiling and
waving.
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| Before he realised I was taking a photo........ |
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| After! |
Out into the Langersee, heading south, passing the sunken wreck of what
must once have been a fine centre cockpit cruiser. Out in the sunshine it was
quite warm but in the shade of the trees it was chilly. At the end of the
Storkowergewasser we were back on the Dahme, turning right heading Northwest
now, passing many small boats moored next to some very smart summer holiday
chalets at Dolgenbrodt. The wind had started to ripple small waves across the
Dolgensee, a deep blue reflection of the sky. Small fluffy clouds started
appearing. Two cruisers came into the
lake as we approached the next river section. The first one opened up and made
huge waves – until I took a photo – then he slowed off a bit. He knows the
speed limit is 12kph, but within minutes he was off again doing around double
that. I noticed there were some Egyptian geese among the ducks in a garden
backing on to the river, hadn’t seen any of them for a long while. The river
wound through some really lovely countryside. Small boats were moored in lots
of places where there were more summer bungalows. Three elderly people in a
small open boat with an outboard motor went past.
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| The man is sitting on the bows of this hireboat. The stern looks the same. |
They waved and said “Morgen”,
but the expressions were definitely “Well, I’ve never seen anything like that
in all my life!” Another strange type of hireboat went past, shaped like a box
afloat, I thought at first it was another shed, but no the middle of this
looked like a boat cabin but the bow and stern were flat box-shaped. I took a
photo of it just before the bridge at Bindow. We slowed down to look for water
taps at the various boat moorings and were overtaken by a 15m Locaboat called
Berlin, the longest boat we’d seen for a bit.
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| Pushtow loading brown coal at Konings Wusterhausen |
The crew waved from their
sheltered wheelhouse. No signs of any taps at the boatyards, although one had a
row of empty guest moorings with electricity sockets. An egret took off as we
started on the 90° bend in the river and we met five two-man (plus cox) rowing
boats going in the opposite direction. Into the Krimnicksee with another
cruiser was catching us up. The lock at Neue Mühler was full with the top end
gates open and another cruiser already in it as the one behind us overtook us.
No room for us in the lock so we waited next to the tubular construction above
the lock. Mike moved closer to the lock so I could get off and I went and asked
the lock keeper if we could have some drinking water.
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| Brown coal |
He went to ask his boss,
and was back in a couple of minutes to say yes, if we’d got a hose. Mike
brought the boat into the chamber and found a hose out of the bow locker while
I unlocked the water tank. We chatted with the young keeper who spoke a little
English. Two cruisers arrived below the lock, he said they’re on holiday, they
won’t mind waiting a little. So we carried on filling up – the tap was pretty
slow. After about ten minutes the keeper closed the gates behind us and started
dropping the lock off while Mike reeled the hose back in.
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| A smart shed out on the bank for painting, etc. |
We’d managed to load
in about half a tank’s worth so we were three quarters full, enough to last us
to EHS. The second cruiser waiting below was a hireboat, belonging to Kuhnle
but a French-style large cruiser. Took more photos of the two brown coal
loading staithes by the Nottekanal in Könings Wusterhausen. Several tugs were
arriving and coal was being emptied from railways wagons into empty pans. It
was quiet as we ran north through the lakes, past a big hotel called Zeuthensee
with a sign inviting passing boaters to stop and have a coffee break. Lots of
large houses with gardens stretching down to the lake at Zeuthen reminded me of
the Thames.
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| The canoe, leaving. |
As we reached the northern end of the lake it became alive with
sailing boats, cruisers and small speedboats. One small rowing boat decided to
row directly across our path almost under our bows – takes all sorts! We
mentioned Dutch cyclist ancestry! There were two cruisers and a canoe on the
mooring at Schmöckwitz when we arrived at 3.45 pm. The cruiser at the upstream
end hadn’t moored as far down the quay as he could have because of the trees
and the canoe had tied in the middle of the space between the end cruiser and
the wall of the road bridge, so I had to untie the canoe and move it up a bit
so we could get in.
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| Moored at Schmockwitz |
It was an ancient canvas and plywood canoe and its owner
returned with some shopping – an elderly man plus grandson aged about eight. He
glared when I said sorry hope he didn’t mind us moving his canoe. As he left he
shouted something at Mike but who knows what he said, it didn’t seem very
pleasant. Mike went by car to find a garage and get some diesel.
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