to Kiel canal

A little check down passage of 48 hours crossing the Baltic to Kiel brings us to the entrance of the Kiel canal which avoids going around Denmark to enter the North Sea. No sailing, the wind has given up as soon as we left Falstebo canal.

What a sight ! Freighters, sailing boats, old rigs disguised in charter boats, helicopter, coast guards hovering over it all. Tourist season is starting in this germanic resort town.

We arrived soon in front of the mighty lock gates. There are 2, one for commercial purpose only and the older one for pleasure crafts. We are new at the lock procedure and as we are circling in front of the closed lock we can admire a dozen of old rigs and some almost tall ships all flying the Netherland flag moored at a quay obviously for the only purpose of chartering.

After a call on the VHF, and 10 more minutes of waiting the gate opens, the white lights flashes and we enter the basin with 2 other sail boats. The water level barely changes when the second gate opens on the canal side.

I had imagined the canal as a freeway for freighters borded by industrial sites germanic style. Far from it, the traffic is few with a handful of freighters, not the giant of their kind, some pleasure boats and 2 or 3 magestic barges almost obsolete among those container ships. Through the wooded shores, we have glimpses at very nice houses and the smell of cattle let us guess the presence of big dairy farms. It is quiet, peaceful, neat when we have the canal all for ourselves.

We anchor for the night in a small lake on the side of the canal. Navigation at night is not permitted. The 50 miles long canal can be made in one day but there is 5 or 6 permitted places to stop for the night. We continue the next day after a brief stop at Rensburg, a little village where Magnus can satisfy his taste and curiosity for good geman beers as we go to the store. Sweden taxes heavely alchool and Germany became the mecca to buy booze for swedish who can go there.

We arrive at 19 at Brunsbüttel at the other end, on the Elbe river toward the North Sea. The lock gate opens before us and only for us and soon enough we are facing a big impressive and unfriendly unknown as the gate opens on a grey universe. Sky and water are united in a greyish welcome. The Elbe river is powerful, busy as ships enter the canal or go to Hamburg. The tide, new phenomenom for Magnus is still going down so we ride her and take off. It carries us at 9 to 10 knots as we sail toward the North Sea.

Magnus takes pleasure at this night navigation between buoys and freighters. For him it is his first navigation out of the Baltic and also his first experience with tides. He stays a few hours at the helm as I crashed down below a little apprehensive at the view of this grey universe and the perspective of a gloomy North Sea.