Monday 28th April 2014 Schmöckwitz to Treptow 29.4kms no locksM

Entrance to Gosener kanal

10.8°C Sunny and warm when sheltered from strong breeze. Mike decided not to bother getting any bread as we had enough to last us several days. Set off at 9 am with pins in and the Markon generator running to do some washing and ironing. The new washing machine wouldn’t start; up came error code E5 again. Mike had the engine revvs set to produce 230v, must be too much for it, so he lowered it to 220v and then it worked OK. The Seddinsee was empty except for us. The guy with the cruiser

Cheeky garden ornament. Muggelspree.
(FKK = naturist) 

had moved back into the old basin. He must oscillate between the two moorings, there and Schmöckwitz. Into the Gosener kanal with forest on both banks, the little town of Gosen off to the right in an area marked on the map as marshland. We emerged from the canal into the southern end of the Dämeritzsee, didn’t take the first left – the Alter Spreearm – as it was winding, narrow and had low bridges that needed the mast lowering and at generating speed we didn’t want to do that, so we did a left in the corner of the lake and joined the little river Müggelspree. A big charter

Neu Vendig - New Venice

boat went past us, all the crew were waving. The banks of the river were lined throughout with smart expensive houses – gardeners were at work (and an automatic lawn mower at one house with a large expanse of lawn) – and lots of wooden bungalows. Took photos of the junctions with the many little canals between the houses in an area named Neu Vendig (New Venice) - all were for the residents use only. Nearer the lake there was a fisherman’s mooring with an old tug boat and piles of fishing posts and nets, looking very out of place now among all its posh new neighbours. Through the buoyed channel of the Kleine Müggelsee and out

Church in Neu Vendig - New Venice

into the Groβe Müggelsee, a cruiser passed us and then we paused while Mike took the pins out. In the few minutes it took to restore normal drive the strong wind blew the boat round until it was facing the north bank as a windsurfer went past us. On our way again. On our right two medium-sized trip boats were doing a circuit around the lake. Into the next river reach at Friedrichshagen and we started looking for a tap to refill our water tank as we were down to 200 litres. Paused at Windrose restaurant and moored on their guest mooring. There was a coin operated water tap with a long, long hose. The charter boat was back and he also wanted water, he went on to another mooring, then two men came round to see how long we would be and asked how much water we needed, only about 400 litres. The charter boat was hovering as we left. On through Friedrichshagen and into Köpernick where some old mills had been converted into flats and were surrounded with new-built blocks of flats. A new footbridge had been built across the end of the Baumgarten insel for easy access to the town

Tug at fishing dock Neu Vendig. Muggelspree

from the new flats. A big tripper called Mark Brandenburg went past with lots of passengers sitting out in the sunshine. A large masted klipper, called Ars Vivendi, was moored in Köpernick, it was advertising forthcoming events on banners. At the junction with the Dahme, to our left was the wide river, here called the Langersee, which lead back to Schmöckwitz; we continued on the Spree into Neider (left) and Obere (right) Schöneweide. Spotted a moored narrowboat! A short one called Warwick, which was now German registered and flagged. The camera wouldn’t focus, had trouble taking photos of it. A hired floating shed went past 

A bit choppy. Friedrichshagen from Grosse Muggelsee

heading upriver, its cabin full of young men with beer! There was a lot of singing and shouting going on. Hope the steerer remains sober. Just past the junction with the Britzer Zweigkanal there is a large police station with several WSP patrol boats moored in boathouses facing on to the river. Beyond it a new ferryboat was winding (on the right bank) and heading back to the Treptow (left) bank just downstream of the police station. In front we could see the chimneys of the Berlin C

Berlin Burger Brau at Friedrichshagen

oncrete Works and a power station (Klingenberg) where there were lots of moored pans of brown coal and empty pans. We’d just seen two tugs heading upriver, one with a pair of empty pans. A tripper went to the back of a small island and a large one, Ernst Reuter, overtook us followed by a wedge shaped cruiser. There was a mooring for the trip boats at the back of the island and a new basin had been excavated where several were now moored. Round a left hand bend, a police boat was following the cruiser that had just overtaken us up the Rummelsburgersee to our right and 

A hired floating shed, men, beer and sunshine

we went behind the Insel der Jugend  passing lots of moored boats, a big cafe with masses of people sitting outside and a parked sea plane, which does tours. We moored downstream of a cruiser at 2.20 pm by Treptower Park, only about fifteen minutes’ walk from the shopping centre we went to by car last week. There was enough room in front of us for maybe one small cruiser and then there was a place hiring out little day boats and pedaloes, beyond that was another café with people sitting out. 

Entertainments at Treptow Park

Mooring at Treptow Park

Sea plane at Treptow

Berlin Concrete works and power station
+ brown coal waiting to be unloaded