Holiday time! When the temperatures are right at the height of summer, the Müritz is transformed into Mecklenburg's Mediterranean in the blink of an eye: sunlight sparkling on the water, balmy evenings on the aft deck and lakes that invite you to swim at any time. It's no coincidence that the Mecklenburg and Märkisch waters are Germany's most popular charter area. We plunged into the hustle and bustle in the middle of the high season and were thrilled: the holiday mood was just like the thermometer - it kept rising and rising!
We take over our "dream boat" at the Yachtcharter Römer charter base in Buchholz. Even its name sounds like the south: "El Hierro", like the Canary Island. The marina's floating jetties are piled high with travel bags, next to which handcarts are packed tightly together, full of provisions. Especially important in this heat: drinks! Those who have already brought their things on board can let the first ones run down their thirsty throats. Straw hats are very popular, ice cubes are worth their weight in gold.
The thorough handover at Yachtcharter Römer also includes a short familiarisation trip with the most important manoeuvres. Even with a length of 12.65 metres, casting off and mooring are no problem with the bow and stern thruster. The steel displacer - a classy Aquanaut Privilege 1250 AK - can be manoeuvred comfortably to (almost) any desired angle.
Cast off! Under a steel-blue sky, we make our way leisurely to the north-east, up onto Lake Müritz and past the first moorings. People are swimming everywhere; tubes, air mattresses and paddle boats swarm around the bay on the western shore. It is important to keep to the buoy line on the lake, as it quickly becomes very shallow, especially to the east.
We cross the long arm of the Müritz to the road bridge at Vipperow. There is only room for one boat to pass, and as it is also difficult to see, you should approach it with caution. Behind the bridge, the small Müritz opens up with its "waterway junction": straight ahead to Rechlin, right towards Mirow and Kleinseenplatte. We want to go there too, but first we turn left, where we soon recognise the passage to the open Müritz between the reed banks.
It is hardly surprising that there is a lot of traffic here. This is another reason why the water police like to lie in wait here to wave traffic offenders out: a fast glider with a golden hull is already alongside the patrol boat. You can guess that it's a speeding offence. Will the wild gestures of the well-tanned skipper impress the officers?
Müritz! Our boat parade quickly straightens out as the first boats pull out for a swim. As wild as Germany's largest lake may appear in a stiff westerly wind, today the "little sea" (because that's what the Slavic name means) is pure, summery innocence. After a good hour on a northerly course, the red and white buoy "Müritz centre" is reached. It marks the safe passage between the two shallows of Rodenberg and Rosenberg, which are also enclosed by cardinal marks. North of Klink Castle, the banks converge again at the transition to Binnenmüritz.
The approach to Waren is via the fairway at the eastern end of the Binnenmüritz between the shore and the Warener Berg, a shoal in front of the town enclosed by red buoys. Shortly afterwards, we put our lines over the cleats at the guest jetty in the town harbour. Services: electricity and water at the jetty, waste disposal, crane (7 tonnes), WLAN, shopping facilities on Waren's market square (150 m), restaurants, tel. 03991-66 67 54, www.imjaich.de.
The "Müritzeum" is about 20 minutes from the harbour. The exhibition (only opened in 2007) offers a successful, modern mix of nature museum, aquarium and adventure centre and is well worth a visit (opening times: April to October daily 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., tel. 03991-63 36 80, www.mueritzeum.de). The nearby Müritz National Park with its deep forests can also be explored by shuttle bus from Waren.
The next day, we cross the Müritz again, this time in a southerly direction. We keep straight ahead on the Kleine Müritz and enter the Müritz-Havel waterway, which connects the Great Mecklenburg Lakes with the Kleinseenplatte. At MHW-km 22.7 we come to the Mirow lock, the first on our trip.
Immediately behind the lock, we turn north into Lake Mirow; there used to be a connection via the Bolter Canal to the Müritz, but this has long since ceased to be navigable. It ends at Granzower Möschen to the north of Lake Mirower See.
Mirow itself offers two mooring options: On the one hand, there is the tubular water hiking rest area in the castle moat (service: electricity and water at the harbour wall, maximum draught 1.20 m, shopping facilities on Schlosstraße (250 m), or the jetty (with boxes) of Bootsservice Rick. We also moor there, directly on the castle island (service: electricity and water at the jetty, chemical toilet disposal, boat service with shop, barbecue area, shopping facilities on Schlosstraße (350 m) Tel. 039833-205 13, www.bootsservice-rick.de ).
Mirow marks the start of the Mecklenburg Kleinseenplatte, and not just for us; although we are travelling relatively early, there is already a lot going on on the water. After a quick dip in the still wonderfully cool lake, we join the convoy of houseboats, cabin cruisers and motor yachts in our steel displacer. We pass through Zotzensee, Mössensee and Vilzsee until we arrive at the Diemitz lock (MHW-km 13.3). The queue in front of us is a good dozen boats long, with paddlers in between trying to make up one or two places. We have to wait: no problem - sun cream on the bridge!
It's the same story before the next lock in Canow (MHW-km 9.7), but we're in no hurry and enjoy the summery atmosphere. In general, you should allow about an hour per lock when planning your daily trip in July and August to be on the safe side. Sometimes it's quicker, but sometimes it takes twice as long, especially at the weekend
We leave the Müritz-Havel waterway on the Pälitzsee and point the bow towards the Rheinsberg waters to the south. The town of Rheinsberg at its end is also our destination for the day. The narrow Hüttenkanal first leads us to the Wolfsbruch lock at km 2.7, where we pass the marina of the same name with its harbour village (services: electricity and water at the jetty, sewage and chemical toilet disposal, slipway, travel lift (25 t), WLAN, boat filling station with diesel and super), restaurants, tel. 033921-887 11, www.marina-wolfsbruch.de ), the Tietzowsee and the Schlabornsee.
The entrance to the extensive harbour village of Rheinsberg is located directly on Lake Rheinsberg and cannot be overlooked thanks to its large red and white lighthouse - a real landmark, even if the wooden structure only serves to provide a beautiful view and is not lit. However, we want to go a little further, directly into the town, which is located on the eastern shore of Lake Grienerick, less than two kilometres to the south. But the town harbour there, Rheinsberg Marina (services: electricity and water at the jetty, waste and chemical toilet disposal, crane (10 t), restaurants, shops (400 m) Tel. 033931-393 90, www.schifffahrt-rheinsberg.de) is already fully booked. There's nothing we can do! We turn around and drive the short distance back to the harbour village of Rheinsberg, which has its own large harbour basin for guest berths with moorings alongside.
Services: Electricity and water at the jetty, sewage and chemical toilet disposal, slipway, crane (20 tonnes), boat service, restaurants, small shop, shopping facilities in Rheinsberg (approx. 1.6 km) Tel. 033931-805 45, www.boat-city.de The harbour village may look a little artificial with its large hotel building and colourful holiday homes in a Northern European style, but the moorings and facilities are great. The route to Rheinsberg itself leads through the forest and mostly along the shore, a lovely walk at the end of which you can treat yourself to dinner in the Ratskeller (Markt 1, www.ratskeller-rheinsberg.de ); although it is above ground, braised meat and pike-perch fillet are in no way harmed by this!
However, the town's tourist highlight is undoubtedly the castle, which has now been restored to its full splendour after years under construction. It was here, directly on the lakeshore, that Prussian Crown Prince Frederick lived for several years until his accession to the throne in 1740. Later, "Old Fritz" would say that these were his happiest and most carefree years. It is therefore not surprising that he instructed his master builder Knobelsdorff to model his design for Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam on Rheinsberg Palace.
From Rheinsberg, the route first heads back north and towards the Müritz-Havel waterway, but then continues eastwards on the Großer Pälitzsee to the Strasen lock (MHW-km 2.8). The constant alternation of shady canal sections with their overhanging foliage and the wide lakes with boathouses and reed-lined banks provide plenty of variety during the trip.
At Ellenbogensee, the Müritz-Havel Waterway joins the Upper Havel Waterway, which begins further north and runs towards Berlin. We now want to follow it a little further to Fürstenberg. Two smaller lakes (Ziernsee and Röblinsee) and two locks still separate us from it, the Steinhavel and Fürstenberg locks. The latter was only reopened last year after being completely rebuilt.
The Fürstenberg Yacht Club also has its own lighthouse, although it is much smaller than the one in Rheinsberg. However, it is not empty, but houses a drinks bar - perfect for a cooling sip after mooring. The club's jetty itself is located on the small Schwedtsee lake, around ten minutes' walk from the market square on the town island. Services: Electricity and water at the jetty, faeces and chemical toilet disposal, slipway, restaurant, small shop, shopping facilities at the market (300 m) Tel. 033093-392 06.
In Fürstenberg we have reached the turning point of our fantastic summer cruise; in two day stages (we spend our last night en route in Strasen) we head back to Buchholz, the base of Yachtcharter Römer. The holiday paradise is literally just around the corner. So why wander into the distance?
WHAT SKIPPERS NEED TO KNOW
The company Yacht charter Römer has a fleet totalling 40 motor yachts, cabin cruisers, houseboats and bungalow boats at its five bases in the greater Berlin area and on the Mecklenburg and Märkisch waters. It also offers a comprehensive range of services for customers, from online trip planners and the transfer of your own car for one-way trips to all-inclusive packages.Information and booking:Yachtcharter Römer, Dorfstr. 7, 17209 Buchholz, Tel. 039923-716 88, www.yachtcharter-roemer.de
The boat We were travelling on an Aquanaut Prvilege 1250 AK. The elegant, 12.65 metre long steel displacement vessel was excellently maintained and fully equipped for the trip. In addition to the three cabins with two berths each, there were two convertible berths in the saloon and two bathrooms with showers. Further equipment included a convertible top, bow and stern thruster, rudder indicator, CD radio and television. The weekly prices are between 1399 and 2399 euros.
The precinct The charter licence applies along the entire route. The area is absolutely suitable for beginners, there is hardly any commercial shipping on the way. Longer waiting times in front of the locks must be planned for in the main season.
The waterwayn in the course of the trip (from east to west):
- Müritz-Elde waterway: Elbe estuary to Buchholz, length: 184 km, locks: 17, maximum speed: 9 km/h (6 km/h up to km 121), 25 km/h*, clearance: 3.73 m.
- Müritz-Havel Waterway: From the junction of the Müritz-Elde Waterway to the Upper Havel Waterway, length: 32 km, locks: 4, maximum speed: 9 km/h, 25 km/h*, clearance height: 3.86 m.
- Rheinsberger Gewässer: From the junction of the Müritz-Havel waterway to Rheinsberg, length: 13 km, locks: 1, maximum speed: 9 km/h, 25 km/h*, headroom: 3.65 m.
- Upper Havel Waterway: From the mouth of the Havel-Oder Waterway to Neustrelitz, length: 97 km, locks: 11, maximum speed: 9 km/h, 25 km/h*, clearance height: 3.41 m.
* Maximum speed in relation to the shore on lakes and lake-like extensions with a width of more than 250 metres outside the protective strip close to the shore.
The cruise stages
Buchholz - Waren: 32 km
Waren - Mirow: 36 km
Mirow - Rheinsberg: 29 km
Rheinsberg - Fürstenberg: 34 km
Fürstenberg - Strasen: 17 km
Strasen - Buchholz: 38 km
Total: 186 km
