100 years ago: An adventurous summer – from Berlin to Swinemünde on the ‘Ingeborg 3’

The report in which the “Schiffer Sala” (with the proud suffixes M.Y.C.v.D.-C.M.Y.-St.Y.C.-Kr.-Abt. d. D.S. Vb.) An account of the adventures of the “Ingeborg 3” in the summer of 1926 appeared in our sister magazine, YACHT, that very same year. We are reprinting it here in its original form, with the spelling as it was at the time. A glance at the archives reveals that some things were different 100 years ago – but many others were not. In the fifth instalment, the journey finally heads towards the Baltic Sea. A reason for this is also revealed.

​Text: Schiffer Sala – M.Y.C.v.D.-C.M.Y.-St.Y.C.-Kr. Branch of the D.S. Vb.

• Part 1 of the journey can be found here.
• ​Part 2 of the journey can be found here.
• Part 3 of the journey can be found here.
• ​Part 4 of the journey can be found here.

Season opening at Wannsee

Although we had already been on a long and wonderful journey, the ‘Ingeborg III’ was almost the first boat to kick off the season on Lake Wannsee.

Now our lovely lake cruiser had the opportunity to demonstrate its fine qualities as a living and touring vessel on domestic inland waterways too. With its seven beds, four separate living and sleeping areas, and fabulous kitchen, it was a home, a hotel and a bathing establishment all in one.

It’s high time for the Baltic Sea!

Even so, we didn’t stay long in the beautiful Havel region. The sea’s pull was simply too strong, and when the regatta off Travemünde was announced, taking part in it and going on a subsequent Baltic Sea cruise was a foregone conclusion.

So, on Thursday, 16 July 1925, at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, we cast off from the buoy once more with 249 litres of fuel in the tank under a slightly cloudy sky, the barometer reading at 762, the wind blowing lightly from the north-east – for that is how meticulously the logbook required it to be recorded.

This time, I’d rather cross the Oder

After refuelling with 120 litres we passed through the Spandau lock within five minutes at a quarter to six and, once again five minutes late, arrived at the Lehnitz lock at 8.30 am, where we had to spend the night and abandon our planned night-time canal cruise.

We had deliberately chosen to travel to Travemünde via Szczecin, Świnoujście and Rügen, as we wanted to get there more comfortably and, above all, more safely than would have been possible via the Havel, the Elbe and the Elbe-Trave Canal. Our memories of Havelberg are still too unpleasant.

No fewer than two lock staircases

Once again, there were six people on board: the owner and his wife, his second brother, a friend of the owner’s – who had also joined them on the Easter trip – and two female friends. All the conditions were therefore in place for a fair division of tasks and a pleasant, convivial atmosphere.

We passed through the Lehnitz lock as early as 5.30 am. In beautiful, cloudless weather, we passed through the Hohenzollern Canal step lock, the Niederfinow step lock and, half an hour later, the Hohensaaten lock, without ever needing to use mooring lines or coming into contact with the lock walls. It was solely the engine power that kept the vessel centred in the lock chambers, which proved to be extremely practical and quick.

Down the River Oder to Swinemünde

After exactly 17½ hours’ sailing, including time spent passing through locks and other stops, we moored in front of the Hotel Preußenhof in Świnoujście at 11 pm; this meant that the actual sailing time from the M.Y.C.v.D. in Wannsee to Świnoujście – a distance of around 250 kilometres – which, taking into account the slow 75-kilometre canal journeys, can certainly be described as very fast. We also monitored our fuel and oil consumption closely and made the following interesting observation:

Exactly 125 litres of fuel were used over 250 kilometres, which works out at 50 litres per 100 kilometres; at a price of 40 marks per 100 litres, that comes to 20 marks, or 3.35 marks per person per 100 kilometres, assuming six people. For that price, you can just about afford a 4th-class train journey and, on top of that, save on car and hotel costs, inconveniences, porters, hotel doormen and similar costly expenses. As for oil consumption, it was so low that we gave up trying to measure it. The captain consumed more cognac in a single day than our engine did oil in the same time!

• ​Part 1 of the journey can be found here.
• ​Part 2 of the journey can be found here.
• Part 3 of the journey can be found here.
• ​Part 4 of the journey can be found here.

Part six is coming soon!