In this publication10 photos
Through the Wadden Sea. Part 13. Cuxhaven – Kiel
Planning
15 August 2025. A rare chance to rise after sunrise: the flood began only at 11.14. Light westerly, sunshine. Fuel berth at noon, tank full, facilities card returned, Elbe at one.
Through the lock
The stream whisked us towards Brunsbüttel. Ideal: three hours to the Kiel Canal lock. VHF thirteen for instructions, turned against the three-knot stream to wait. Throttle needed to stand still. Fifteen minutes later, gates open, a column of boats emerged. White light; more throttle, barely moving. I worried we’d stay there until the stream eased. Thankfully, the operator waited. Slowly but surely, inside.
Behind us, a Norwegian sailor on his first transit. He’d done the Rolex Fastnet Race, the famous race along England’s south coast. Hull impact, lost gennaker, torn genoa and main: €20,000 damage. ‘First and last time.’ Understandable. Now home to Norway via the Baltic, avoiding another North Sea storm.
Gates open, goodbyes, onward.
Canal quiet
Peace inside. Half an hour earlier, fighting current at the limits; now another world. Breathing and lapping water, sunset turning the sky gold. The background tension switched off. No more battling the elements, it seemed.
Almost a hundred kilometres of calm water, daylight navigation only. Five overnight stops, kilometres one, twenty-one, forty-one, sixty-six and eighty-five. We could reach forty-one, the pontoon by old Gieselau lock. The day total: thirty-eight miles, eight hours.
Next morning
Quiet progress until Kiel-Holtenau lock, already containing two container ships. The first kept her engine running, strong prop wash astern.
I approached the pontoon carefully. Kolya secured the bow, but when I handed him the stern line, he released the first and ran aft. We swung perpendicular to the wall. Fatigue showing. Thankfully, enough line length to avoid starting again.
The boat behind had it worse, directly in the prop wash. Eight fenders over, five people pushing with all their strength to avoid being crushed into the pontoon. Like that until the gates opened.
The end
Another thirty-one miles, seven hours, and Kiel. Tired, but a full stop at the end of a long chapter. Even quiet passages find surprises: a line mishandled, a container ship giving neighbours a whirlpool treatment. The sea reminds you: relax after berthing.
#passage
Planning
15 August 2025. A rare chance to rise after sunrise: the flood began only at 11.14. Light westerly, sunshine. Fuel berth at noon, tank full, facilities card returned, Elbe at one.
Through the lock
The stream whisked us towards Brunsbüttel. Ideal: three hours to the Kiel Canal lock. VHF thirteen for instructions, turned against the three-knot stream to wait. Throttle needed to stand still. Fifteen minutes later, gates open, a column of boats emerged. White light; more throttle, barely moving. I worried we’d stay there until the stream eased. Thankfully, the operator waited. Slowly but surely, inside.
Behind us, a Norwegian sailor on his first transit. He’d done the Rolex Fastnet Race, the famous race along England’s south coast. Hull impact, lost gennaker, torn genoa and main: €20,000 damage. ‘First and last time.’ Understandable. Now home to Norway via the Baltic, avoiding another North Sea storm.
Gates open, goodbyes, onward.
Canal quiet
Peace inside. Half an hour earlier, fighting current at the limits; now another world. Breathing and lapping water, sunset turning the sky gold. The background tension switched off. No more battling the elements, it seemed.
Almost a hundred kilometres of calm water, daylight navigation only. Five overnight stops, kilometres one, twenty-one, forty-one, sixty-six and eighty-five. We could reach forty-one, the pontoon by old Gieselau lock. The day total: thirty-eight miles, eight hours.
Next morning
Quiet progress until Kiel-Holtenau lock, already containing two container ships. The first kept her engine running, strong prop wash astern.
I approached the pontoon carefully. Kolya secured the bow, but when I handed him the stern line, he released the first and ran aft. We swung perpendicular to the wall. Fatigue showing. Thankfully, enough line length to avoid starting again.
The boat behind had it worse, directly in the prop wash. Eight fenders over, five people pushing with all their strength to avoid being crushed into the pontoon. Like that until the gates opened.
The end
Another thirty-one miles, seven hours, and Kiel. Tired, but a full stop at the end of a long chapter. Even quiet passages find surprises: a line mishandled, a container ship giving neighbours a whirlpool treatment. The sea reminds you: relax after berthing.
#passage
Original and discussionOpen post in Telegram ↗
