Northern Germany: Kiel Canal - travelling between the seas by charter boat

Those who have their moorings in Hamburg or on the Lower Elbe and spend their summers on the Baltic Sea usually pass through the Kiel Canal twice a year. Even after many passages, boat owners still rave about the canal trip that heralds the beginning or end of the season. The journey in close contact with big ships is an experience in itself, and on top of that there is plenty to discover along the way.

A charter offer is available

What does the ambitious skipper do if he doesn't have his own boat available for the transit between Brunsbüttel and Kiel, but still wants to skipper on the NOK? Can you charter there? The answer: Not directly, but almost. Because just six kilometres north of the canal, in the Lexfähre settlement on the Eider, there is a small charter company that offers a Linssen steel displacement vessel.

From Lexfähre, you can reach the Kiel Canal via the Obere Binneneider, the Gieselau Canal and the Gieselau lock. We want to try it out and charter the comfortable yacht from the Netherlands for four days to get to know the world's busiest shipping route on our own keel.

Lexfähre: Start at the Eider

Lexfähre is located in the middle of Schleswig-Holstein, around 15 kilometres southwest of Rendsburg. The former ferry town now consists of a campsite on the Eider, the Eider harbour Lexfähre and the inn "Zum Alten Fährhaus". The Yacht Club Eider Lexfähre is based in the old Eider arm opposite. And then there is the Lexfähre lock, which is located exactly at Eider kilometre 26 and marks the transition from the Upper Binneneider to the Lower Binneneider.

Our charter boat is a three-year-old Linssen 35 SL AC with a length of just under eleven metres. Heinke and Jens Edler from Eider-Charter also offer a houseboat and two open motorboats for day trips. Our yacht is in top condition, both visually and technically, and the briefing is completed quickly.

Also interesting:

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Across the Giselau Canal

Our destination is the harbour town of Rendsburg - and of course the route there on the Kiel Canal. Rendsburg lies at NOK kilometre 66 and, although it is actually in the middle of Schleswig-Holstein, has a great shipping tradition. It was founded by the Eider Canal, the predecessor of today's waterway. The three major transhipment centres on the Eider Canal were Kiel, Rendsburg and Tönning. Today, Rendsburg is the only seaport between Kiel and Brunsbüttel.

It's pouring with rain, which sets the mood for our cruise through northern Germany. Our charter yacht has a cake stand that can be closed all round. The windscreen wipers whir as we leave Lexfähre in our wake and head south on the Eider towards the NOK. After three kilometres, the Eider turns east towards Rendsburg. Although this stretch is also navigable, it can only be used by small boats as the depth of the fairway decreases to less than one metre.

We head southwards into the Gieselau Canal. Following the construction of the Kiel Canal, this is the only navigable connection between the Kiel Canal and the Eider. At the Gieselau lock, the gates open as if by magic and the traffic lights turn green. We drive in and I go to the lock keeper to pay the canal fee. The lock keeper looks out of the window and says: "Ah, the charter boat again. How far do you want to go?"

"To Rendsburg and back." "That's eight euros for the journey. And there'll be free sunshine in half an hour!" After the lock, it actually stops raining. The southern lock outer harbour of Gieselau is also one of the eight pleasure craft moorings on the NOK.

The world's busiest canal

As we reach the canal, the sky opens up and the low sun gilds the landscape. No ships for miles around, we have free passage and turn to port.

For a good half hour, we are alone on the world's busiest canal. But that changes abruptly: at the Breiholz siding, three feeders come towards us, four large barges approach from astern, led by a tanker. And in front of us in the siding, a bulk carrier is moored at the row of dolphins and is about to cast off. Respect for the Brunsbüttel traffic control centre, which monitors this shipping traffic with cameras and regulates it with light signals.

We manoeuvre along the right bank as closely as possible so as not to get too close to the boats. The Breiholz ferry crosses the canal just after the siding. It is one of 14 ferries operated by the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration that cross the canal at twelve ferry stations. There is also a very special ferry: the floating ferry in Rendsburg. But more on that later.

The Rüsterbergen pilot station

Five kilometres further on towards Kiel, the Rüsterbergen pilot station comes up on starboard at kilometre 55. Here you can watch as the pilot from Kiel climbs down the ship's side and his colleague from Brunsbüttel climbs up - or vice versa. The pilots have divided up the canal among themselves. The NOK I canal district extends from Brunsbüttel to the Rüsterbergen pilot transfer station. Canal district NOK II includes the eastern part, as well as the Kiel and Flensburg fjords and the Trave as far as Lübeck.

Five kilometres further to the north-east, the canal bends to the right and from here you can already see the cranes of the Rendsburg district port. With its connection to the railway network, it has established itself as the leading transhipment point for bulk goods in Schleswig-Holstein.

Rendsburg railway bridge

Just behind the harbour is the 42-metre high railway bridge over the NOK. Rendsburg's landmark hangs beneath this bridge: the floating ferry, the pride of the town. However, the original, which is more than a hundred years old, has been standing on land since it was badly damaged in a collision with a ship.

The steel Rendsburg railway bridge, which is 7.5 kilometres long with its two ramps, was built in a record time of just two years. When it opened on 1 October 1913, it was considered the largest and heaviest steel structure in the world. And by the way, the small appendage under the bridge was also completed shortly afterwards and put into operation on 2 December 1913 - the transporter bridge.

The historic transporter bridge

It worked without interruption for a proud 102 years and 37 days, most recently transporting over 350 cars and more than 1,700 pedestrians and cyclists across the canal every day - until it was rammed by a seagoing vessel at 6:40 a.m. on 8 January 2016. The damage was so extensive that repairs were no longer an option.

In December 2018, the order was placed for the new construction of the transporter bridge, with the old ferry serving as a model. To ensure safe and trouble-free transport, no expense was spared on modern computer technology and sensors. It went into service on 4 March 2022.

This meant that the construction of the new transporter bridge took around twice as long as the construction of the entire railway viaduct - including the transporter bridge - more than a hundred years ago. But the joy did not last long. Since its commissioning, there have been repeated problems with sensors, computer technology, brakes and other safety equipment. Last year, it was at a standstill for several months. Its historic predecessor, on the other hand, continues to operate smoothly in its new function despite being retired - as a party and event location.

Into the Obereidersee

Three kilometres east of the transporter bridge, we turn to port into the Obereidersee. This area of the NOK is called Audorfer See. The Lürssen shipyard, where superyachts are built and maintained, is located on the eastern shore. The Obereidersee was Rendsburg's original harbour when ships still sailed to the North Sea via the Eider. Since the completion of the NOK, mainly pleasure craft have moored here.

At the western end of the Obereidersee we moor at the Regatta-Verein Rendsburg von 1888 e. V.. This is where the navigability ends. Although the Eider federal waterway is only 350 metres away, there has been no connection since the completion of the Kiel Canal. The Eider therefore has a second source to the west of Rendsburg.

Festival at the Rendsburg Regatta Club

Our berth at the Regatta Club is the ideal starting point for discovering historic Rendsburg. From the jetty, you literally stumble into one of the best restaurants in town. The "Riverside" is located on the grounds of the marina and is known for its good fish dishes at moderate prices. The view of the boat traffic on the Obereidersee is a marvellous way to end the day.

Rendsburg has a lot to offer culturally. The biggest highlight is NordArt, one of the largest international art exhibitions in Europe, which takes place every year from June to October. Strictly speaking, NordArt does not take place in Rendsburg, but in the neighbouring municipality of Büdelsdorf. The venue is the former Carlshütte iron foundry, where around two hundred artists from all over the world exhibit their works every year. NordArt can be reached on foot from the marina in a quarter of an hour. You should set aside a day for a visit.

We discover Rendsburg

In Rendsburg's old town, the Rendsburg Shipping Archive in Königstraße and, above all, the museums in the Rendsburg Cultural Centre are well worth a visit. The cultural centre is located in the former arsenal. The exhibition on the history of the canal, which was opened by Kaiser Wilhelm II himself on 20 June 1895, is well worth a visit. However, it was only called the Kiel Canal for one day before being renamed the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal. It bore this name until 1948, before the old cloak of monarchy was shed and the canal returned to its origins.

Incidentally, in international maritime traffic it is known as the Kiel Canal - named after its most important city. It thus follows in the footsteps of its two other famous brothers, the Suez and Panama Canals.

Area information: Kiel Canal

The Kiel Canal

The Kiel Canal, which is almost 100 kilometres long, is used by around 40,000 ships every year. The following rules apply to pleasure craft:

• Pleasure craft may only use the NOK during daytime navigation hours and not in reduced visibility without a pilot. Crews must organise their canal voyage in such a way that they reach a pleasure craft berth before the end of the daytime navigation period. This does not apply to the berths in the Kiel-Holtenau lock outer harbour and in the Brunsbüttel inland port, nor to the discharge to the Elbe reported to the lock master.
• In the canal, you must drive as far to the right as possible. On sloping banks, the minimum distance is indicated by visual signs. The maximum speed is 12 km/h. The use of an automatic steering system is not permitted.
• Sailing is prohibited on the NOK. Recreational craft with engine propulsion may also set sail, in which case they must display the black cone. Water skiing, personal watercraft, sailboarding and stand-up paddling are also prohibited.
• A motorised recreational craft may only tow one recreational craft, whereby the towed craft may only be less than 15 metres in length. The minimum speed of the convoy must be 9 km/h.
• Recreational craft may not use the NOK in fog. If visibility is suddenly reduced, recreational craft may moor in the siding behind the dolphins.
• The mooring and mooring of recreational craft is prohibited: at barrages, river structures, control structures, gauges, fixed and floating navigation signs, in Brunsbüttel in the old outer harbour, in Kiel-Holtenau at the dolphins, in the NOK and the Gieselau Canal on the embankments and at the facilities for vessels of the Waterways and Shipping Administration.
• Recreational craft must pay a canal fee, which is payable either at the Kiel, Brunsbüttel or Gieselau locks. All information from the responsible waterways and shipping office on navigation can be found at: wsa-nord-ostsee-kanal.wsv.de

Charter

The at Eider charter The Linssen 35 SL AC rented from Lexfähre has two double cabins with en-suite bathrooms. The boat is fully equipped, including WLAN, and costs from €1,950/week plus €160 final cleaning. Operating costs: €12/h or return with a full tank of petrol. Deposit: €1,000. In the low season, there is also a 4-day charter for trips to Rendsburg and back at a price of €1,250. Contact: Eider-Charter Lexfähre, Tel. 0160/96 84 72 56.

Nautical literature

• Single map of the Kiel Canal with Gieselau Canal and Eider to Lexfähre (edition 2025), scale 1:50,000, ISBN 978-3-667- 13027-3, €12.90. delius-klasing.de
• Planning map "Deutschland Nordwest" with all waterway data, ISBN 978-3- 667-12273-5, €26.90. delius-klasing.de