53:57.20N

10:51.50E

2 July 2012 – Bob’s Werft, Travemunde

The end of the second day anchored in the Potenitzer Wiek ended with a big squall of rain and heavy wind from the south.  The weather had become progressively more sultry as the day went on, and the squall didn’t affect what was a very snug anchorage.  Rus in Urbe.  Rus from the cockpit this morning;

And, in the other direction, Urbe..

This morning we motored gently up towards Lubeck.  The Trave is a very pretty river, wooded on both sides, with sandy cliffs.  Lots of anchorages on either side.  Beyond Schlupp and the Herrinsel it began to get more industrialised, with a couple more ferry terminals (all to Scandinavia – presumably a relic of cold war economics) as well as ballast and scrap metal quays.  There were moorings round the back of Teerhofsinsel that looked promising – but we ran aground and (force majeure) made our way back down to Travemunde.

There are a great number of marinas here, on both sides of the river.  We selected Bobs Werft for the range of facilities, and were fortunate to find a VERY wide box mooring.  Unfortunately it’s very long as well as very wide, so the stern lines have to be crossed to form springs.  Our neighbour, in a large gin-palace called Use, was very helpful in German – and has been growing in confidence in English as he realised what a pig’s ear we were making of sorting out all the lines.  But other neighbours have been very generous: Lillo and Siegfried (who was born in Lubeck, educated in Wismar, and escaped a year after the wall was built) from the Schlei in a Halberg Rassy 39 told us some of their adventures in a 12 year round the world cruise; and Oke Brauer from Kithara (“my father was said to be Swedish” ) came with his crew Dietrich, a former commander in the Navy, to help us with the advisory notices on the charts and advise on good places to visit going east.  They confirmed that the advisory notices about the Potenitzer anchorage were indeed unclear – and Oke says that he is going to ring up the police for clarity!  Very generously, he has also given us the number of his “handy” – his mobile phone – should we get stuck. 

The marina arrangements didn’t give the same sense of comfort.  The cost of the berth, including 3 euros for electricity, is 22 euros – very reasonable.  But the wifi is not operational; payment had to be in cash only; and there were no signing in formalities, nor a receipt for the payment.  All very un-German and informal.  Maybe the cash economy?  Anyway, I’ve signed up for only one night (feel done by the absence of the promised wifi!) with the option to extend if we wish.  The options are Lubeck, or on to Wismar, with the promise of a finger berth or alongside mooring!  The wind is due to turn easterly though – so maybe we should run north to Denmark.

The harbourmaster (who looks like Capn Birds-eye) gave instructions to the supermarket, which were confusing.  In the end it turned out to be in a Yurt that we had previously walked past.  I think I have misled myself into buying horse-meat steaks.  Anything to get a break from endless pig-meat!