How we spent our Sunday afternoon...

...motoring along the Kiel Canal.

28th June 2009
We left Rendsburg around 11.45 ships time (BST) and re-joined the canal. There was not very much traffic. We did encounter a number of large vessals coming towards us but nothing overtook us until we reached Kiel when some 3 or 4 large ships appeared behind us, queueing to get into the large ship lock.
We did pass many people out for a Sunday afternoon stroll along the canal. There seemed to be a few "rest areas" with people eating and drinking up top of the canal bank. Cycling along the canal path is another popular activity. The weather was good, not very sunny but pleasant.
We arrived at the lock at Kiel around 3pm. We joined another half dozen yachts going our way, including one boat also going for the Tall Ships race, a dutch two masted boat, the Marie Antoinette. Then the lock gates opened and the baltic appeared before us. We crossed the line from the calm water of the lock into the almost as calm water of Kiel and we were there. Some 450 miles after leaving Portsmouth - but still another 330 miles to go!