Tuesday 6th May 2014 Parey to Rothensee by the shiplift. 29.4kms 2 locks.

5.6°C Sunny and warmer when we set off at 8.40 am, but turning hazy later and a chilly

Traffic leaving Zerben lock (two boats on left)

wind picked up again. A Polish loaded boat called Luisa Lynn from Szczecin (80m x 8m 855T) had slowed down by the moorings, so we set off towards Brandenburg then winded to follow it once two boats coming the opposite way had cleared the un-widened section; Nawa9 (originally Undine in embossed letters under the new paint) a loaded (920T) 80m boat also from Szczecin and a tug (called Edrich) and pan. Surprised that we easily kept up with the loaded boat. It was going slowly through the narrow section, which was being prepared for widening – large sloping banks were set back a further 20m or

A linnet sitting on a perching post for birds of prey

more from the canal. At Zerben schleuse we had to wait for downhill traffic to clear the old lock (a new one was under construction alongside it) a tug pushing a loaded pan, then an 80m empty – which immediately it had cleared the lock started overtaking the tug and pan – then a large fast cruiser overtook both! Mayhem for a few minutes. We followed Luisa in to the lock, its crew attached fore end to the right wall and stern end to the left. It was a four bollard lift as it was 5.3m deep, we moved the ropes up the bollards as the lock filled. The Polish boat’s deck hand called us past as we left the lock – there was traffic coming through the narrow section above

Luisa Lynn in Zerben lock

the lock that he had to wait for. A pan loaded with scrap cars pushed by a Bizon tug, also from Szczecin, went past. Regina W, a loaded tanker (80m x 9m 1045T) went past at the start of the next widened section. It wasn’t long before Luisa’s skipper wound the power on and went past us just before where a bend of the canal had been cut off at KP340. As we went under the road bridge to Parchau a very large gentleman went past, paddling a slender kayak with an outrigger, South Sea

Islander style. The next downhill boat went past at KP336, an empty called Barbuda, it was

Following tripper into Hohenwarthe shaft lock

the first Belgian flagged boat we’d seen for a long time. The new moorings they’d installed in Burg town back in 2005 were looking very sad. The end designated for sport boats had two wooden benches and a set of posh concrete semi-circular steps down from the bank above – the walls all around had been covered with graffiti and litter, obviously the local youth hangout. The next downhill boats went past, Hornhafen (86m x 9m 1500T) an empty tanker followed by a Dutch cruiser, then a loaded 80m boat called Hanka from Hamburg followed by another cruiser, whose crew were

With all these bollards in 18.5m lift (15) ->

videoing us. Smile and say cheese. A small trip boat came out from the Niegripper verbindungskanal (access channel via a lock to the R Elbe) and went past us and winded, then overtook us as we were approaching the twin shaft locks at Hohenwarthe. We tied on the end of the moorings by the intercom and Mike spoke to the lock keeper, a young man who spoke reasonable

I'm glad we had a pair of floaters to tie to

English – he said OK to follow the tripper into the lock and he would call us when the lock was ready. Two cruisers came out of the left hand chamber (the right hand one was indisposed again) the first was a large British cruiser (wow, two in two days!) and a German yacht. The young man came on the intercom to tell us OK to follow the trip boat and we went into the empty chamber and tied to floaters numbered seven and eight as instructed. We rose slowly 18.5m. An empty 80m boat called Leopard was

Moored above Rothensee ship lift. Mittelland kanal.

waiting above to come down the lock. It was very windy as we went along the new canal and on to the aqueduct (Mike checked via the radio on channel 26 that it was OK for us to cross, the young man said he’d check, yes, OK – Mike said thanks for his help) An empty pan was moored just beyond the end of the aqueduct (the link which was planned during WWII and called projekt 17) and also an empty Czech boat, Labe24 (79mx9m 1183T). We turned the corner to the canal leading to Rothensee shiplift and moored after the trippers on the corner and a large German cruiser called Tina II. On the opposite bank there was a large Dutch hotel ship called Princess – passengers having a day out in Magdeburg, we wondered? Shortly after we’d tied up the tripper went down the shiplift, doing the circuit with another bus load of passengers.