The Rhine...to strong to go upstream.

The people from Wannheim Kayak Club near Duisburg in Germany did look after my like a prodigal son...I did have a good homestay their for a few days. They also helped me to get a lift upstream the river Rhine with a ship. The stream was to strong to paddle all up to the Main canal.

The m.v. Waldhof did bring me in two days from Duisburg to the Maincanal. It's was a good learning experience to see from a ship the movements on the water.

COBBER is having a break and getting a suntan on the deck from the m.v. Waldhof.

One of the first damages along the way...hitting a boulder near a lock.

Many more would follow...

Germany. april 2008

The first month of the 4000+ Kmtrip was taking most of my condition: Going upstream and passing many sluices/locks. But also a lot of nice bridges

Pushing and pushing the Dormund-Ems Canal, no side effects

After passing a lock, the waterpolice did pass by and asked for my papers. I forget that I had a liter of "fresh"milk in my cockpit. And did step on it. It later turned into sourcreme.

I met many people along the way, overhere the couple that takes care of the kayakclub Sterkrade: Thorsten and his wife. Thanks for the beer and the hamburgers!

Images along the way..from holland to moldova

Images along the way

Above the pumpstation from Termunterzijl.

At the moment I am still busy with….ahh many things and don't know where to start with my story about paddling from Holland to Moldova.
So it's better to put some photo's on the blog and then hopefull it will come back.

The small fishing village of Ditsum, Germany. during the trip I was doing report for the dutch newspaper "De volkskrant''. Overall I did write over 60 artickles.




After crossing the Dollard I have to upstream the river Ems. In the background the port of Emden. This was all during my first days of the trip (april 2008)

COBBER returns!

COBBER is home!

I just left Moldova September 13 on the way back to Holland. And was going back by plane.
Before I left we took COBBER from Chisineau to Galatz (Romania) by road, a ship was waiting to take him back to Holland .
A patient who was treated in the hospital with help from the SMILESforMOLDOVA foundation was so happy and delighted with his new prostheses that he offered me a free ride to the border. After a few hours we arrived.

Travel in style
Then I did tie COBBER behind a car and the last 20 Km we drove to the Shipyard where COBBER would go home over the water.
The BASE Express from VOS (VroonOffshoreServices) did take him in three weeks to Holland, Den Helder. Storm and rain; windforce 9
So Saturday afternoon I did receive a call and we had to pick him up from the ship.
We drive with wind force 9 over the Afsluitdijk and returned home safe.

United with my kayak: COBBER.

I made it!

Curious about what happened??? More later...

Hello to all the people.

August 27 I did arrive in Chisineau, the capital of Moldova.
After paddling over 4000 km and passing by 11 countries I could say to myself: I MADE IT!

Well I did not maintain my English Blog for a long time. I was busy with writing for a Dutch newspaper.
So in the coming time I will tell you what all happened (in English).

regards Jörgen

half way...

Since two days i am in Budapest. Or Hungaria as they call it.
When I did leave the Main and the Main donau canals things went easier. No more locks and more locks, only a few...still they were one to remember. Kilometers of walking to get back into the boat. After leaving the West of europe i did went into Slowakia, where i did paddle for two days, I did not change money, so I just went all the time south of the danube, where it is Hungarian soil.
Useless to say, you meet and experience a lot of karackters and situations. All worth the trip.

The danube is making it not hard for me, paddling in these waters go by itself and not hard work...maybe later.
I sleep on the banks of the danube, in clubs, in sheds etc... so just the way i like it.
People are friendly and nothing to worry.
In Vienna i had to repair my boat, it had over 5 holes and most of the keelstrip we had to replace. Taking it out of the water and carry it over locks and boulders everyday, will take the most of the material.

Well later on when i will be home a nice report will follow...seems i am into Eastern europe english, can not think clear, the way i want to write it.

See you later,

Jőrgen

or t

the first lap

goodday,

to all viewers.



well yesterday i did paddle my first few hours on the donau.

having paddled for over a month upstream, i was a relief. just go with the flow.

i left the blog a while unattended because i was to busy with paddling. and as i have to write for a newspaper as well every week overhere in holland, the english site is forgotten. the river rhine i did paddle for one day but the current was to strong. i did go to the wanheimer kayak club near duisburg and they helped me to get things organized.

we find a big vessel that did bring me to the main river, upstream the rhine. and we did a good interview as well in duisberg.
a whole page was for smilesformoldova.
then the battke of the river main did start a long and tiresome river....if you go upstream. sometimes, imean often the pace was not only 3 km an hour....and then the numerous locks. as for now i had more than 60 locks i did pass by.
some are helpful, sometimes have to wait for 2 hours to go together with a vessel. sometimes had to take the boat out of big quays and was always happy not to have my back in two pieces....all in all a reminder for the people who read thisl do it downstream and a beautiful river is there for you.
after a few weeks of hard work i did arrive at the main donau canal. also there a lot of locks and after a few days the lockmaster did not want to help anymore...the height was getting to dangerous for a kayak. so back to the traditional handwork, all in all hard work and always happy to be on the other side of the lock.

but it.s not all about suffering. one night a man passed by with his son, and promised to come back...with warm chicken, lots of softdrinks, lights, bread etc....i had to refuse a lot because it will not fit in the boat, although the chicken was already reserved for the belly.
or an old lady who did keep an eye on the boat because she did not trust the youngster hanging around.
for the rest it.s perfect kayaking, the cold freezing weather is now gone and we had a warm week. and now some rain again.
my first lap to the donau is done. 1245 km.
and although i speak some german...it can not be avoided to have some misunderstanding now and then...the lockmaster one time did hang out of his window because i made an error...i just could not understand what he did mean.
aber keine probleme jahhhhh.
i will take a few days of rest overhere in regensburg and do a interview and then at the end of the week it.s paddling again.
i also have a big hole under the waterline of the cockpit, but the tape is doing a great job.

well the coming two or three months i will be on the donau, danube or whatever they call it.
in 3 weeks i will leave the west of europe behind me and will go into serbia, etc...see what will overthere....