Arrival Citymarina Berlin. Sunday afternoon. A familiar face is casting off: Uli Wickert, former "Tagesthemen" presenter, is treating himself to an hour on the Spree. A short coffee cruise on licence-free sloops from Holland - called sloops, I learn.
We are planning a major excursion. The boat for our week-long Brandenburg trip is moored at the jetty opposite, a Schulz 40 Max. The three-cabin version. Our crew is spontaneously very impressed. Even me, who grew up as a sailor, as I should perhaps mention.
Among water sports enthusiasts, it's often a question of faith whether you belong to one group or the other.
In this respect, this journey can also be seen as a kind of "conversion". How quickly can you convert? Very quickly, to put it bluntly.
The fact that, as I understand it, the mast is missing on the Charter-Schulz is compensated for by the overall impression of the steel yacht: spacious showers in which you don't get claustrophobic, diesel heating, integrated inverter - i.e. endless electricity -, flat screen, a water tank that leaves nothing to be desired.
My two young sailors almost freak out when they move into the spacious "suite" aft. So much euphoria is infectious.
The sailor in me prefers to sleep in the foredeck anyway. With one ear on the anchor chain to hear whether the ground tackle is holding. Just old habits ...
After the briefing by the charter base, the crew is very keen to cast off as quickly as possible, set sail (or better: into the next lake) and leave bustling Berlin in their wake as quickly as possible.
However, the base manager clearly thinks that a hasty escape from the capital would be a mistake: he recommends the other direction with the government district, Museum Island, the main railway station, the zoo and Berlin-Mitte. And then on to Potsdam, Wannsee and Pfaueninsel. This is much more productive for photos. Does it have to be the Scharmützelsee? There's just "lots of greenery".
Spontaneous answer: That's exactly what we're looking for. Nature instead of culture. Firstly, the soul doesn't dangle so easily between the concrete banks of the Teltow Canal. And secondly, from a nautical point of view, I'd like to get a few relaxed sailing lessons first, familiarise myself with the boat before setting off on the busiest stretch of the Spree, Berlin's Canal Grande, so to speak.
How does the Schulz steer? Sailors are surprised, for example, by how often you have to turn the steering wheel from one stop to the next. I'm used to much faster feedback from the rudder when sailing. And in view of the narrow basin of the Citymarina, as a motorboat novice I'm already a bit nervous before the harbour manoeuvre.
Twelve tonnes out of control can cause quite a ruckus when you look at the chic houseboats around us. Be that as it may: eyes open and through!
So we cast off on Monday morning in perfect conditions. All my worries suddenly vanish when I try out the bow and stern thruster levers for the first time. A little finger play for a skipper, great effect in the water. Placed in different directions, they turn our twelve tonnes on the plate.This makes manoeuvring funwithout having to be held back or fendered off quickly.
We then put the rudder hard to port and headed for Köpenick on the Spree.
Course Brandenburg. Into the countryside! Right at the first bridge, I first hunch my shoulders like a reflex and then pull my head in. Although we still have plenty of room to go up, I wince: I still have to get used to the lack of a mast on a sailing yacht - which makes most inland trips impossible.
Shortly before Müggelsee, we leave the Spree and follow the course of the Dahme southwards. At the Langen See lake, the banks recede slightly for the first time. You are spontaneously reminded of the beautiful song line:
"When I see the lake - I no longer need the sea".
How true! Even on the first few kilometres of the Dahme chain of lakes, it becomes clear how appealing it is to drive on inland waterways and how calming the chugging of the diesel at low revs is. A relaxed eight kilometres per hour is permitted on canals and rivers, and even on the lakes we are not travelling much faster.
Speeds at which your eyes don't start to flicker. We call it meditative motoring. With a complete all-round view from the driving position at the top, it's like being in a panoramic cinema. Above you, fleecy clouds, ahead the morning glitter on the lake. Sailor Christoph (without glasses and with a lot of imagination) sometimes feels reminded of the Hamptons, where the rich New Yorkers have their posh residences.
If you look at it through your glasses, it looks more like a federal allotment garden show passing by on the banks of the river: on Berlin's eastern periphery - as in the whole of Brandenburg - the tendency towards "Laubenpieperei" can hardly be denied. It's nice to see that the riverside landscape around Köpenick, unlike in Potsdam, for example, is more petit bourgeois than upper middle class.
After the Zeuthener See lake, theNew Mill Lock. Without waiting time. Outside the Berlin holidays, we have the whole chamber to ourselves. We then continue across the Krüpelsee lake and the Dahme waterway to Prieros. Here you can toss a coin to see if you can join the excursion steamers across theTeupitz lake district or would prefer to continue north-east towards Scharmützelsee.
We initially decide in favour of Teupitz and don't regret the detour one bit.
The Schmöldesee, the first of the Teupitz waters, already has a Canadian feel to it. The boys even spot a bear on the shore. Well, a raccoon. At least. A few boats with stern anchors are moored directly on the shore to starboard, and seabirds are nesting on the port side. Good that we are prepared for self-catering situations. And that we have a SUP with us for shore excursions. But falling in is not a good idea: the water is still pretty cold in mid-May.
The next day, we arrive a little early at the small drawbridge in Groß Köris, which is opened every two hours. The friendly lady who operates the bridge recommends folding the cake stand away completely. No further questions. She will know how many boats have already bent the linkage here. Suddenly it gets hectic on board, especially as the current is pushing from astern. But it's worth the effort. The passage under the bridge, which is not quite vertical, feels much safer "topless". That could have been close and expensive.
In Teupitz, we have free choice at the guest jetty. The town itself seems a little deserted in the low season. A short walk to the nearest supermarket and quickly back on the boat, clearly the place where we feel at home. It's always amazing how quickly you feel at home on a charter boat.
The next morning we chug effortlessly into a cool north-easterly wind. We should have turned up with the sailboat. The Schulz really ignores the small waves. Every now and then a little jolt goes through the boat, that's it. Not a trace of pitching.
After the last bridge opening at 4 pm, we are soon back on the Dahme, leaving Prieros to starboard and entering the waters of Storkow, at the end of which the Scharmützelsee awaits us. First comes theLake Wolzig. This is the end of the line for us today, as we don't want to risk getting stuck at the Kummersdorf lock, which then lives up to its name.
Our resting place for the night is on the eastern shore of Lake Wolzig, a kind of drive-in fish shack with a small harbour basin on the western shore, which at first glance looks disconcertingly narrow and crowded. The sailor in me hesitates in the face of the lack of depth information as we're pulled ashore:
Someone waves us over. There is room even in the smallest hut. Hopefully it's the fishing and harbour master and not a beachcomber.
Thanks to the thruster, we are soon in the best position in the furthest corner, perhaps twenty metres from the counter with the smoked fish. Unfortunately, we decide to go to a restaurant and realise that the description "crispy fried" applies equally to pikeperch and fried potatoes. Any canteen can do better.
Because we leave the completely charred potatoes lying around, the good weather promptly leaves us. Too bad. We have to save Hubertushöhe Castle on Lake Storkow for the way back. Instead, the following day (after two more locks in Storkow and Wendisch Rietz) we head straight for theCafé Dosch on Lake Scharmützelsee to.
The rules of etiquette here also include: no swimming from the jetty, no swimming costumes in the restaurant. But with an outside temperature of ten degrees and drizzling rain, that's out of the question anyway. Unless it's a few kilometres further along the lake in Bad Saarow, in the spa of the same name. There's no better way of weathering off a little dip here in the region.
In the marina in Bad Saarow we are on our own and go alongside. No harbour master, nowhere. While shopping in the supermarket, however, we have a chance encounter. We meet a friend and film-maker from Berlin. It's hard to say whose amazement is greater. The spontaneous barbecue invitation on the eastern shore of the lake is accepted. The municipal jetty is a bit too shallow, says the friend, and the one on his own lakeside property is too dilapidated.
But we could easily anchor in front of the reeds and he would then shuttle us ashore with his new toy. ABoston Whalerwhich he has just trailered from Lake Garda to Lake Scharmützel. All in all, a welcome change. The boys, big and small, grin with delight as we do an extra lap across the mirror-smooth lake under a full moon.
The next morning, the sun is back and successfully fights its way through the fog. The water is still as smooth as glass. The atmosphere could hardly be more beautiful.
Early anglers try their luck at the jetty. Meanwhile, I go on a photo safari. A light like this needs to be utilised.
On the way back, we pass the guest jetty at Schloss Hubertushöhe. At first glance, this is the only building on Lake Storkow. And a very stylish one at that, with an inviting little harbour for day visitors. A real highlight. The new owners are endeavouring to turn the estate into a place of art and culture.
There is a small beer garden right by the water. It's a great place to stay. After a lengthy chat, the owner reveals that former chancellor and bon vivant Gerhard Schröder has rented the castle for the weekend.
And probably not for the first time. The man is obviously having a good time. But to be honest, a charter boat in the sunshine in the guest harbour is in no way inferior to this luxury. On the contrary: if in doubt, you can cast off the lines. Everything is in the green zone.
