Running the Kiel Canal

May 18, 2014

I know, I know...this posting is out of order. But here you go:

The Kiel Canal is a 61 mile long canal in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The canal links the North Sea at Brunsbüttel to the Baltic Sea at Kiel. An average of 250 nautical miles is saved by using the Kiel Canal instead of going around the Jutland Peninsula of Denmark. This not only saves time but also avoids potentially dangerous storm-prone seas.

But first, here's a a few sites on the way out of Hamburg :

This building is supposed to look like a cruise ship to welcome people into the port of Hamburg.

 Not far out of town see saw one of the Airbus plants. 

Here's the view of the beginning of the canal. We need to go through the first lock.

The are numerous ferry crossings. Here's a typical ferry.

We are so close to other boats that you can hear the guys talking on the bridge.

The area on either side of the canal is a favorite hang out for the locals.

There are detailed traffic rules for the canal. Each vessel in passage is classified in one of six traffic groups according to its dimensions. Larger ships are obliged to accept pilots and specialized canal helmsmen, in some cases even the assistance of a tugboat. 

There are regulations regarding the passing of oncoming ships. Larger ships may also be required to moor at the bollards provided at intervals along the canal to allow the passage of oncoming vessels. Special rules apply to pleasure craft. You can see how close we come to some really big ships.

There is also plenty of wildlife.

There's is also the "Flying Ferry". This transporter bridge (also ferry bridge or aerial transfer bridge) is a type of movable bridge that carries a segment of roadway across a river. The gondola is slung from a tall span by wires or a metal frame. The design has been used to cross navigable rivers or other bodies of water, where there is a requirement for ship traffic to be able to pass. This has been a rare type of bridge, with fewer than two dozen built. There are just twelve that continue to be used today, including one converted into a lift bridge and one designed as, but not yet operating as, a transporter bridge.

Next stop: Klaipėda, Lithuania