9 August 2012 – Grauhoft, Kappeln

54:40.23N

9:56.39E

Before describing Kappeln, here’s a picture of an amazing double rainbow over the marina at Massholm, taken from the anchorage.  What a squall!

Kappeln is only a couple of miles from the anchorage, but could be in another world.   The river is narrow, and trees provide shelter.  It’s pretty!  We have a very nice box mooring on the end of a trot; it’s just wide enough and just deep enough.  Roger nosed into the berth in an exemplary fashion; I got both stern lines looped over the posts as we went in, and stepped off onto the staging with both bow lines.  The risk is the depth: the depth sounder is just forward of the keel, and the depth shows 1.8m.  The boat draws 2.0m.  But it doesn’t feel solid, so I expect the mud is soft.

It’s a lovely town, with a morning market, and a vibrant shopping centre.  There’s a supermarket, where we bought yesterday the first crate of beer that will go home with us – hefeweitzer.  The crate stores under the floor (just forward of the veg locker, Chris!)   The crate has a multi-use – it can be used as a step off the bow if needed.  But not in Grauhof – it has respectable high staging that allows easy access.

Grauhof is the first set of moorings, and so it means  a walk into town along the river.  It takes about 20 minutes, past other smaller marinas to the town quay, where the gastliegeplatzen sit, nose to.  The town itself is up the hill.  It’s quite touristy, and there are cafes where you can sit out in the sun.  Beyond the quay is the lifting bridge, which opens every hour, on the three quarter hour.  Beyond the bridge are more moorings.  The hafen buro opens for an hour 6-7pm, and on both days there’s been a queue of law-abiding grey wavers waiting to pay.  The cost is modest – 16 euros a night including electricity (limited to a draw of 4amps, so the batteries are having to work hard.)

Today we’ve taken the bikes and cycled upriver.  There’s a bike route with a gravel or paved surface.  The next village is Arnis: and then upstream the river opens up again and becomes bleaker towards Schleswig.  Arnis is a charming village with pretty moorings.  Not very big boats though – depth is a problem in the river.  Kappeln and Arnis show why everyone recommends a visit to the Schlei.

One of the most interesting things about the parts of Denmark and Germany that we’ve visited have been the numbers of old boats,  clearly cherished, with immaculate varnish and polished topsides.  Far, far more than one would see in the UK.  Might it be that the preponderance of under cover storage and a short summer season means that boats are better protected?

Tomorrow onwards to Kiel, to take advantage of a northwest wind.