Field report SX20 -Yachtline-: Ems

On the Ems – Whitsun in the northwest

The inland area between Leer and Greetsiel is only navigable with small boats. The canoeists’ maps are suitable as travel documents. Emden Tourismus also provides documentation. Low clearance heights at the bridges and a speed limit of 5 km/h are set. We swapped the standard propeller for a “slower” one to make it easier to navigate the narrow canals even in windy conditions.

We brought the boat from Rhede (Ems) to Timmel and slipped it into the harbor there. Timmel is a lively vacation area. Stalls are set up at the harbor. A bit of a funfair – you have some catching up to do due to Corona.
We set off from there into the Fehntjer Tief towards Emden in sunshine and a north German breeze. There was not much going on on the route. We encountered 3 boats and a handful of canoeists. It took a good 4 hours to get to Emden. Two bridges are self-operated. One is electrified with foolproof controls, the other is operated by hand crank as it was 100 years ago. By evening, the wind had picked up and was pushing against the open bridge. It was quite amusing that this bridge no longer wanted to close. With two adults as additional weight on the roadway, it closed after all. Not far from Emden, we spent the night at a water sports club before crossing the Kesselschleuse lock into the Emden Stadtgraben the next day. The Fehntjer Tief, Ems-Jade Canal, Rotes Siel and Emder Stadtgraben meet in the old Kesselschleuse lock. Four bodies of water at one lock – quite unique. On a Whitsun weekend, you are guaranteed a long wait, which the ice cream vendors nearby appreciated. We continued on to the Emden moat. It leads through the park and along small residential streets. We drove to the Hinter Tief and followed it to the Knockster Tief. After all, the Great Sea was not far away. However, due to the low bridges, a longer detour via the Alte Greetsieler Sieltief, the Abelitz-Moordorf Canal and the Marscher Tief was necessary.

The next day we chugged the route back to Emden, went into the Kesselschleuse lock and drove via Rotes Siel to the old inland port. It’s in the middle of Emden. Restaurants etc. all within walking distance. Since we wanted to reach Rhede on our own keel, we passed the railroad bridge and entered the outer harbor of Emden via the Nesselander lock.
After a windy night in the outer harbor, we started our last leg to Rhede (Ems) two hours before high tide. We went past the monstrous car ferries into the Ems. With the wind against the current, a somewhat bumpy ride against the short but quite steep Ems wave awaited us. The boat also copes well with this somewhat unpleasant wave. The Gandersum barrage on the Ems, the Jan Berghaus Bridge (Leer) and the huge halls of the Meyer shipyard (Papenburg), where the large cruise ships are built, were on the way. We moored at the lock in Rhede (Ems) one hour before high tide. A harbor and a residential area on the waterfront were built here. However, the siltation associated with the deepening of the Ems and the questionable drainage of moorland (a Natura 2000 protected area) meant that the project was almost left out to dry. Due to our shallow draught, we were able to slip in.

Conclusion

The SX20 -Yachtline- can navigate small waters and bridge crossings from approx. 1.7m. The “slow” propeller should really only be fitted if low speed is required over a longer period of time. After all, you would otherwise have to constantly keep an eye on the engine speed when gliding. The next tour is sure to come – again with the standard propeller.

Best regards, H.M.

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