Those who reach Schwerin on their own keel have the feeling of being deep in the centre of Mecklenburg. The journey from the coast is a long one, regardless of whether you come from the Elbe or the Oder. After the narrow course of the Müritz-Elde waterway framed by dense greenery and not exactly exciting kilometres on the dead-straight Stör Canal, it therefore feels like a relief when the banks recede to the north and east and open up the view ahead to the silvery expanse of Schwerin Lake.
A small sea in itself, 25 kilometres long and with an area of around 60 square kilometres, the fourth largest lake in Germany. A dead end, but perhaps the most beautiful in Germany as far as sports boat skippers are concerned!
We make time for this detour on the last trip of the year. It is the middle of October. The days are getting shorter, the nights colder, but the late season with its foggy mornings full of stillness has a charm all of its own, especially when travelling on the water in a small boat, close to nature. We are travelling on a "Mecklenburger" that fits in well with the area - an SBM 760 (see picture above left). At the end of the trip in just over a week, we will hand over the cosy cabin cruiser in Waren an der Müritz.
The inner lake
The "wasp waist" of Lake Schwerin catches the eye from the very first glance at the water map: at this narrow point around six kilometres north of Schwerin, the Paulsdamm (with the federal road 104) stretches from one shore to the other - and practically divides the lake into two halves, which are only connected by a short canal at this point - the inner lake in the south and the outer lake in the north.
We follow the buoyed fairway of the Störwasserstrasse, which runs along the southern shore of the lake, towards Schwerin and pass two wooded islands on our starboard side along the way
First there is the Ziegelwerder, which is just under a kilometre long, and then the somewhat larger Kaninchenwerder. Here we go alongside in the south on one of the wooden jetties of the small harbour, which are deserted at this time of year. The depth of the water is indicated on the chart as one metre, which corresponds to our observations on site.
A popular excursion destination
In summer, Kaninchenwerder is a popular excursion and recreation destination for the people of Schwerin, with the White Fleet travelling between the castle and the island several times a day. The excursion restaurant "Tanatara" not far from the harbour is also open then. It serves tasty snacks for hungry visitors to the island. Hiking trails criss-cross the forest, and with a bit of luck (and a keen eye) you can discover rare plants such as St John's wort, cranesbill or sedge in one of the many biotopes.
So it is hardly surprising that Kaninchenwerder is designated as a nature reserve and the shoreline (except for the jetty) is closed to water sports enthusiasts. There are buoys, and it is shallow anyway. Beware of the shallows in the west and north, which are also marked with lateral signs (i.e. outside the fairway). There is no service at the jetty, but this is not a problem during a short visit.
Those who then set course for Schwerin again must not be distracted by the golden dome of the castle, which is now visible on the port side ahead.
This is because there are four shoals close together off the western shore with the castle bay. Although they are all surrounded by the corresponding cardinal signs, the large number of buoys means that it is possible to get confused.
