Great! When Anni and Sven arrive at Lake Müritz, they’re greeted by the loveliest, completely unexpected rainy weather. Lenni, the walking Wikipedia, turns up straight away. In his blue oilskins, he looks a bit like a Smurf. “Are you setting off today?” he asks. “Why do you want to know?” Sven wants to get out of the rain. “Because boats are constantly coming into the harbour asking where there’s still space,” Lenni explains to him and Anni. “I don’t think we’re going out. But oh, those poor people who can’t find a space!” Anni already feels sorry for them. Her good-naturedness is showing through again. She always tries to hold back, but she’s often just too kind.
“Come on, Sven, let’s unload. We’ll turn the heating on board, then it’ll be cosy.” Sven mumbles something incomprehensible, but then resigns himself to his fate. Hunching over, the two of them walk towards the “Späte Liebe” with their bags.
The rain on Lake Müritz has a special quality: it doesn’t just fall, it lingers. It hangs in the air, tapping patiently on the deck and making it clear: “You’re not doing any more today!”
When the weather’s bad, we get on with our studies
Anni isn’t letting it get her down: “The weather’s lovely when you don’t have to go out. So we’ll just study instead.” Sven frowns: “Study?” – “Yep. For the boat licence. I want to go out on our boat on my own sometime. The weekend girl said the other day that we’d need one. Until now, there’s always been someone with a licence with us.”
The rain is now pounding even harder on the roof, and Anni turns on the heating and starts unpacking the food she’s brought with her. Sven disagrees: “I studied dentistry for years and learnt a great deal in the process. I’ve actually got everything I need. It’s bad enough that the clinic sends people here every weekend for me to give them a teeth clean. And now I’m supposed to study for a driving licence. Thanks a lot!”
“Goodness, Sven, just give it a go! We’ve inherited this ship, after all, and we should spend as much time on it as possible to find out whether it’s right for us or not. It’s not something you can decide overnight. But you always see the negative side of everything. It’s fun learning together. Let’s finally do something together again.”
Sven is just about to reply when: “Hiiiiiii!” rings out from the side deck. Wochenändi has turned up. In her usual cheerful mood, she claps her hands. “There you are! I had a row with Schnupsi. He says I talk too much. So I left. Here I am, then. Great, isn’t it?” She craves reassurance, and by now Anni has got used to her sprinkling every sentence with English words.
Theory put into practice
“Yeah, great,” says Sven, pulling out his driving theory book. Anything’s better than listening to her chatter. “Oh, are you studying for your licence? Wonderful! I’ll listen in. Let me have a look!” She takes the book and opens it to a page. “Right then. Headlight control of motor vehicles…” Click.
Sven looks up and gives Wochenändi a questioning look. She shrugs. “It wasn’t me; that sound wasn’t the book.”
That’s right. It’s coming from outside. A boat wants to moor. Right next to them. Of course. “Moin!” calls a voice. “Can we come alongside?” Anni and Sven look at each other. It’s not really a question. It’s a statement. “Sure!” shouts Sven, slightly annoyed. “Right in the living room!”
They go outside. The boat pulls up, the ropes are thrown out, and a man in yellow oilskins looks delighted. “Thanks, lads!” he says. “What a day!” They go back below deck. Wochenändi looks up the passage in the book. “Here: ‘At night, motorised vessels…’”
Clack. Clack. A second boat. “Hi there! We’re still coming on board, aren’t we? There’s still room!” – “Of course there’s room,” Sven mutters sarcastically, “we’re a car park, after all.” Things are now getting lively out there. Two crews, wet jackets, cheerful voices, footsteps across the deck. There’s a knock. Anni takes a deep breath. Here comes Schnupsi on board. “Can I get a beer from you lot? The kiosk’s already closed.” He ignores his wife. “In the fridge,” says Sven, whilst the weekend girl continues to try her luck with the question. “Okay. Concentrate. White rotating light…”
“Excuse me!” someone suddenly says right outside the cabin door, “Do you happen to have two eggs? We were planning to make pancakes, but you need eggs for that.”
Plans thwarted
Anni frowns briefly, but then says helpfully, “Sure. Two eggs are always fine.” The woman is grateful: “Great! You’ve saved our evening!” Anni hands her the eggs. “Oops,” she says, “I’m so sorry.” One egg has fallen and is spreading comfortably across the wooden floor. “So I’d need a new egg, please,” says the woman. “But the ship’s closed now,” says Sven, who clears up the mess, “that’s enough.” Schnupsi, whose T-shirt today reads “Beer is also a solution”, agrees with him. Then his gaze falls on the books on the cabin table. “What are you doing there?” he asks. “Actually, we wanted to study for the recreational boat licence, but …” Anni begins, but is interrupted again. Click, click.
“Does anyone else want a go?” asks Sven, getting annoyed. “And how are they all supposed to get onto the jetty?” Schnupsi yawns and replies, “Well, over your boat!” The weekend girl picks up the textbook again: “So…” The sound of feet stamping.
There’s a knock at the door. “Excuse me,” says a man in a pained tone, “could I use your loo for a moment? We’ve just cleaned ours and I can’t stand public toilets. So, would that be alright?” Sven opens his mouth. Wochenändi beats him to it. “You always have to let people use the loo, well, that’s just how it is. It’s in the law.” The man looks at her gratefully. Anni says nothing. Sven says nothing either. Both step aside without a word.
This is the best way to learn for your driving test
An hour later, the little group is complete. Three boats on the outside, the *Späte Liebe* right at the centre, like the social hub of Lake Müritz. Below deck, it’s getting busier and busier. Someone presses their nose flat against a window before joining the crowd. Another has opened a bottle of wine. Others have brought cheese. “So, are you studying for the exam?” asks a woman with rosy cheeks and a cheerful disposition. Anni sighs. “Actually, yes.” – “Okay,” says the woman with the rosy cheeks, clapping her hands joyfully like Wochenend’s sister: “Quiz time!” Schnupsi sits up with a groan. Anni flicks through the pages.
“Right then. What sort of light does a vessel display when under sail and under engine power at the same time?” Sven takes a guess: “Yellow?” Lenni – where on earth did he come from? – snorts. “Nonsense! That’s a masthead light, side lights and a stern light. And on top of that…” – “Engine light,” mutters someone. “Motor vessel lighting!” Lenni corrects immediately. Everyone’s talking over each other, discussing, laughing. And suddenly Anni realises: with all these people here, it’s actually quite cosy.
