Column: The first trip after passing the recreational boat licence exam
Steffi von Wolff
· 24.07.2026
Ever since they’ve been studying for the SBF inland waterways licence, Sven has had one more reason to get worked up. Up until now, he’d only ever grumbled about the boat or got annoyed with the other people on the jetty. Now he’s ranting: “This isn’t a boating test, it’s a secret selection process for some sort of submarine commanders!”
Anni just shrugs. “Let’s get on with our studies.” But Sven won’t let it go. He reads aloud: “What does a black cone pointing downwards mean during the day?” Anni knows the answer: “A sailing vessel is also using engine power.” Sven looks astonished and then says sarcastically: “What sort of question is that? A cone pointing downwards during the day? Are we in a mine here?”
Learning pays off
“So that would mean working underground,” replies Anni with a grin. But Sven won’t let it go. “You’ve got to admit they’re a bit mad. Who comes up with something like that? You’ll never need that again in your life!” Anni stops listening and carries on studying. And eventually Sven gets back into his textbook too. It’s absolutely essential – they’ve got an exam the next day.
And, lo and behold – it’s not just Anni who passes; Sven, too, masters both the theory and the practical aspects with flying colours, as far as he’s concerned. With his certificate in his hands and his chest puffed out with pride, he asks Anni at least three times: “Did you hear? The examiner praised me!”
“Yes, I did,” replies Anni. Sven: “And did you see how he patted me on the shoulder?” Anni: “Yes, I did.” Sven: “A test like that is very important, after all.” Anni: “Yes, it is.” It goes on like this for quite a while. Anni is surprised: what a change of heart for Sven!
Back at the harbour
Then the weekend arrives. The two of them have big plans. When they arrive at the harbour, their jetty neighbour Andi – known here as Wochenend – turns up out of the blue: “Do you really want to set off all on your own? Oh my god. What if something happens!”
“Don’t worry.” Anni smiles at them. “Nothing’s going to happen to us. After all, at some point we’ll have to manage without all of you here.”
“That’s right! And this isn’t the ocean, after all.” As usual, Lenni, the little know-it-all, has turned up. “Here on Lake Müritz, there aren’t any dangers like there are in the Pacific, for example. There are 50 species of shark living there! And potato groupers – they grow to over two metres in length and can get rather pushy. Then there are the sea wasps…”
“Lenni, thank you,” Sven interrupts his stream of words. “As you quite rightly said, Lake Müritz isn’t the Pacific Ocean. And we’re not planning on sailing all the way there this weekend either.”
"That would be madness, given the price of diesel!" Lenni is reassured and heads off.
Out on the boat on my own for the first time
We set off the next morning. Our first trip together turns out to be absolutely lovely. Sunshine. Calm water. Ducks and swans. “Ah,” says Sven, “there’s a boat coming up behind us. Right, Anni, how do two motorboats give way to each other when they’re approaching on opposite courses? To starboard or port?”
Anni doesn’t want to think about it. “You tell me, Sven!” He replies confidently: “To starboard!” It goes on like this: “How does the ship generally behave in reverse with a clockwise-rotating propeller? Well, do you remember? Or: What could be the cause if the engine stalls after the drive shaft has been engaged?” Anni gives it a go: “A dirty oil filter?” But: “No! A blocked propeller. That’s important too. But why does a propeller get blocked? I’ll have to look that up.”
Sven is in high spirits, and Anni is delighted. She’s come to really love the weekends on the ‘Späte Liebe’. Perhaps her husband is gradually coming round to it too. They drive all the way to Malchow, an idyllic little town. There, you can visit an old monastery complex and an organ museum. In the evening at the restaurant, Sven proudly orders the ‘Skipper’s Platter’, even though he mixed up forward and reverse gear whilst mooring.
Sunday begins with sunshine too. Casting off goes smoothly. “See,” says Anni happily, “It was worth all that learning after all. We’ve got this down to a tee!” Her “Späte Liebe” glides leisurely across the water. Anni leans back, whilst Sven sits at the helm, focused, like a captain before an Atlantic crossing.
Engine problems
Then they suddenly hear frantic shouts. “Help! Hello! Can anyone help us?” A small motorboat is drifting helplessly on the lake a few hundred metres away. A man is waving both arms; at the back, the outboard motor is hanging askew in the water. Sitting next to him is a woman who looks as though she’d love to sink her husband with her own two hands.
Sven sits up straight: “Anni!” – “Yes?” – “This is a job for the experts. So, possibly for me.” With a serious expression, Sven steers alongside the stricken vessel. Then he gives the skipper a professional nod and states rather than asks: “Problems with the engine?”
The man waves his arms about in despair: “Yes, it keeps cutting out! It was working a moment ago.” Sven furrows his brow. That’s exactly the look the examiner had on his face, thinks Anni, and can’t help but grin. “Did you engage the clutch before the engine was running properly?” The man stares at Sven. “Er… yes.” Anni, in turn, stares at her Sven in amazement. Not long ago he didn’t even know how to tie a fender down, and now this.
“Interesting,” Sven mutters quietly, but audibly. “Then there are several possibilities.” The boatman asks hopefully, “Which ones?” As if he’d been waiting for just that, Sven replies without a moment’s hesitation: “A blocked propeller!”
“What?” The engineer looks bewildered. “Propeller’s jammed!” Sven shouts across to him once more.
The woman at the back of the boat rolls her eyes. Then she says, “Rüdiger, I told you to get the line out of the water!”
Four pairs of eyes look behind them. Sure enough, a blue mooring line has wrapped itself round the propeller like a python round a wild boar. There is a brief silence. Then Sven says very calmly: “That’s exactly why proper training is so important.”
Anni bites her lip. The man starts tugging frantically at the rope. After ten minutes, a lot of swearing and a pocket knife that has fallen into the water, the propeller is finally free. The engine starts straight away.
“It’s working!” the man exclaims enthusiastically. “Amazing! Thank you so much!” Sven waves his hand dismissively. “Oh, it’s just that you’ve always got to be prepared.”
The two boats drift apart again. Sven leans back, looking satisfied. “See,” he says to Anni, “knowledge saves lives.” At that moment, the engine of the *Späte Liebe* coughs once briefly. Then again. Then it cuts out.