Brunsbuttel 53:52.089N 008:42.372E
Pelagia
Frans & Sarah Toonen
Sat 27 May 2017 19:00
Saturday 27th May 2017. 17.7nm, 1.9 Engine Hours, Southeasterly 4. Roasting! Having gone to bed in thick fog with 150m visibility it was with great delight that we awoke to a clear blue sky. Despite the harbourmasters assurances we were barely afloat in 1.7m and so we blew black smoke to drive 30cm of keel through the mud (because our draught is 2 m) and leave on the 10 o’clock bridge lift. We had a super sail up the Elbe on the south bank reaching the canal entrance at 1pm. Most of the boats in the lock headed for the tiny marina and we were lucky to secure a excellent spot. We were soon rafted on by Dutch neighbours as the shore power was limited and apparently some sailors use hairdryers. Guest blogger Janice and her sister Debbie joined us for a Baltic adventure. They had travelled from the UK to Hamburg then by train and bus to Brunsbuttel, the first port on the Kiel Canal on the Elbe side. They brought with them the beautiful weather that the Uk had been experiencing. When they arrived in Brunsbuttel we were sitting at a table overlooking Pelagia in glorious sunshine. It was fascinating to watch the huge commercial vessels (which dwarfed the boats in the tiny marina) as they entered and left the canal via enormous locks. Our guests arrived at 3.30 and we all enjoyed a lovely late lunch overlooking the pontoon following which we walked out into the town, had ice-cream and returned to Pelagia to shelter from the heat. We spend a lovely evening, sharing a bottle (or two) of wine and catching up, then an early night before our trip up the Kiel Canal and into the Baltic. Janice and Debbie just arrived. Pelagia in the background and a serious sized cargo just leaving the lock.  |