The Kiel Canal is a 61 mile-long canal that links the North Sea at Brunsbuttel to the Baltic Sea at Kiel-Holtenau. If you use this canal you can save about 280 nautical miles instead of going around the Jutland Peninsula. This is a time saver, but more importantly to me, as a timid sea-going traveler, it avoids the potentially dangerous storm-prone seas. I had never heard of this canal and yet it is the world's busiest man-made waterway! We timed it just right to begin the series of locks early on the morning of June 13th. The captain had said that the wait could be hours long as ships cue up waiting the begin the long narrow passage. There are many detailed traffic rules as you might expect. Ships are categorized into 6 categories based upon their dimensions. Depending on the classification, some ships must use the assistance of a tugboat or accept the specialized pilots to come aboard. Most large, modern cruise ships cannot use this canal because of clearance under some bridges, but we were able too...just barely. As we approached one bridge we all held our breath, sure that the radar equipment and running track deck would be sheared off! We made no stops and it took us almost a full day to sail to our next port of Copenhagen, Denmark. It really was a beautiful day at sea even though the sun never came out.
No comments:
Post a Comment