Kiel canal again and engine scare

I rumbled a bit in Cuxhaven to find a quick fix for my bow light. (Not until weeks later would I think that some of the reading lights inside had the same shape and would make a good quick fix while I reach a place that would have a proper boat shop.) I walked round and round Cuxhaven to try finding one until, out of despair, I entered an interior decoration shop where a kind woman spent a good 10 minutes rummaging through her stock to see if she had something that matched. She had one of the same shape and strength but slightly smaller. I took it anyway and managed to arrange that to work. Happy with that, laundry done, and a real sleeping night under my belt, I thought it was just time to get the tide and head to the entrance of the canal.

Alas, … the engine said no: it was making a really strange noise or rather was being quieter when it shouldn't and more importantly it was not starting. A big stress made me open everything, but nothing. Out of ideas, I just randomly touched the wires behind the engine panel and tried again, and it worked… Needless to say, I was reluctant to turn off the engine after that! So I did some motor sailing to get to the entrance: only the genoa, the tide and the engine on low rev to get there. Not the most exciting but, well, neither would be the Kiel canal afterwards.

And it wasn't. Not much to do or to say about that part: a bit of rain to start with (which was actually a welcome change from the heatstroke last year), then some sun and really moist and heavy air, rather unpleasant. Some magnificent greenwashing names on big ugly ships… like that feeder that was called “Eco maestro”, because nothing say ecologically sound like a big good'ld diesel engine!

I managed to get all the way to Rendsburg though, which was rather nice. I had time and energy to go do some shopping in the big organic shop near the harbour that I had spotted last year. Then I did a bit of music in the cockpit as the weather was rather nice and that's it!

Before leaving the harbour, I saw these fellows enjoying a bit of sun and splashing about.

The canal was a succession of encounters with ships like this…

… but also birds like those!