Holtenau Garden Art

On my way to the food market at 7 AM this morning I found some creative pieces of art along the way. This little walk also helped me to get warm after a cold nights sleep (+4 C) at the recreational craft berth next to the Kiel Canal lock. 

Since I was up already at 6 AM, I could hear when the harbour master suddenly knocked hard on Jenner's hull and demanded the overnight fee of 11 €.

American folk music...

...on Jennifer's deck performed by Terry, our new guitar man, while we are waiting for the lock that will takes us to the Baltic Sea to open. 

Jennifer is now waiting in a designated position together with four sister yachts of various sizes.

Ingemar enjoys listening to Terry from a comfortable position on the sun deck.

A personal cold call at sea

Living an extended period of time onboard a yacht like Jennifer is a lot of fun in the right company, but it can also be a bit risky. 

Three days ago our captain felt the first signs of an unwelcome visitor in his nose and throat. In order to make this visitor disappear as quickly as possible I have been serving captain Lasse cup after cup filled with my favourite cold cure: freshly grounded ginger in a cup of hot honey tea. 

He is now feeling much better!

The Kiel Canal

After leaving Helgoland yesterday at noon we had great sailing, at times reaching a speed of 9.3 knots,  all the way to Brunsbüttel. The Kiel Canal, or Nord-Ostsee Kanal, runs 99 km (53 miles) NW from Brunsbüttel on the River Elbe to Kiel on the Baltic Coast. At the canal lock captain Lasse was a bit disappointed by the not so friendly behaviour of the female lock attendant...

He thought that perhaps, if we invite her for dinner, that the French onion soup Staffan had prepared for our dinner would cheer her up!

Jennifer and her crew spent the night only 10 meters away from the lock used by large vessels such as tankers and container ships. It was very interesting for me to see these big ships passing by so closely.

Apart from at Brunsbüttel and Holtenau, there are five berthing places (weichen)

where it is possible for yachts to spend the night. Moving at night is not permitted. Yachts will not be locked into the canal unless they have time to reach one of these berthing places before dark.

 

Helgoland - the Sea Bird Island

Helgoland is a hotspot for bird watching. The island is actually one of the most important breeding areas for a wide variety of sea birds.

On today's walk around the island I was able to get in close contact with hundreds of gannet couples (in Swedish: havssula). They quickly became my favourites because of their size. It is the biggest sea bird in the North Atlantic region.  A gannet can be 87-100 cm long with a wing span of 170-180 cm (67-71 in). Around 400 gannet couples call Helgoland home.

Gannet juveniles are mostly grey-brown, becoming increasingly white in the five years it takes them to reach maturity.

Gannet colonies are mostly located on offshore islands, such as Helgoland, with cliffs from which they can easily launch into the air. Gannets hunts for fish, that forms the bulk of their diet, by making high-speed dives into the sea.

Helgoland - the Crab Fishing Port

Fishing was, in the old days, quite an important food source for the local population of Helgoland. Today fishing plays a limited role in the islands economy. Crab fishing, however, is still going on .Most of the catch is sold to local restaurants here. Helgoland "knieper" (crab claws) is one popular local speciality.

I couldn't find any good illustration for this article, but please except a local artists impression of colourful fantasy fishes.

Helgoland - the Island "Seaty"

You can live your whole life in Helgoland (1.0 sq. km small) without ever leaving this island. Everything you need for your daily life is available here, just like in any small German town on the mainland. Bank, post office, school, hospital, a public library, several shops including a well equipped food market and a big variety of restaurants. There's even a small airport 2 km away on the neighbouring Dune island (0.7 sq. km). The natural connection between the two islands was destroyed during a storm tide in 1720. There's a frequent ferry service connecting the two islands.

Visitors can choose among more than 2,800 guest beds; from four-star hotels to holiday flats and houses to simply furnished private rooms. For a bit of a Robinson feeling you can stay in a tent on the campsite on the Dune.