The Journey -
Going Downhill on Rosy

Tuesday 7th June was our last day of slogging up the Wisla.  In still waters, our engines would have been pushing us along at 9 kph - on the Wisla we were covering the ground at between 3 and 4 kph.  (In still water, Rosy can do 9.5 OK(ish) and 10 at a struggle).  Rosy drank about 130 litres of fuel in 35 hours to cover 124 km (3.7 litres per hour and 0.95 km per litre).

We rose up the lock at Bydgoszcz with a sense of relief, and moored where we had waited for the right weather nearly two months previously.

Mike asked me if I would recommend others to do the trip.  I don't work like that.  I don't see that it is for me to either recommend or not recommend anyone else to do the trip.  I'm happy to discuss the facts and figures of the voyage, and it is for others to decide if they and their boats are up to it.  One thing I will say, though, and that is that I wouldn't take Rosy out on a river like the Wisla without a partner boat handy and nearby.

We slept well that night, and I was off early in the morning to the nearby supermarket to forage for essential supplies - more beer!!  Then I did a return trip to the supermarket to buy a TFT screen for my sit-up-and-beg computer.  Such things are very well priced in Poland.  My Acer screen came in at a smidgen over £100.  In addition, there was a deal on it - rather complicated, but I think it was something like I could spend up to the price of the screen in the supermarket, and they would then give me a 30% discount on those purchases.  Unfortunately, there was a time delay of several days before I could take up this deal, and we were off in the morning.  So I said to the extremely attentive and helpful person who was serving me - "You have the discount for me".  This he agreed to, and as we were finalising everything, he said "Do you realise that you have just given me nearly 50% of my monthly pay?"

Unfortunately, he was so overcome, that an essential part of the transaction was omitted - as I discovered some two hours later when I needed the debit card for other purposes.  Except that at that point, all I knew was that the card had disappeared.  In such circumstances, I don't delay, but instantly cancel the card - which was difficult because three so-called inanimate phone batteries conspired to die together - but in the end, success came .  When I got to the supermarket, my new found friend was there.  "You forgot your card." he said.  Anyway, he was happy, I had a lovely new screen, my money is safe and the new card will arrive - sometime!!

On the Thursday morning we set off … for home.  Conquering the Wisla is the last big hurdle of the entire expedition - the rest should be .  plain sailing?  Certainly our voyage through Bydgoszcz (was Bromberg) was delightful.  The sun was shining, rowers and canoeists were out in force, and it was all quite charming.  We had a good view of the Balancing Boy - an artwork of a youth balancing on a tightrope across the canal.  Finally, the helpful crew at the town lock assisted us to replenish our water, and were pleased to receive a donation of a Philips CRT computer screen.  Meanwhile Mike and June were snapping away with their newly acquired digital camera.

The pound between locks 4 and 5 is stinky-poo.  Mike went ahead, and I followed a kilometre behind - I could still smell his wake.

Lock 6 was run by a charming couple - helpful and attentive to us, and radiating their happiness to each other and us and … well … everyone, really.  We moored above their lock for the night.

Next day started with a long, straight pound down to Naklo (except that the 'l' is crossed out, so it's pronounced Nakwo) where there is an internet caff.  Then on down to moor for the weekend at a spot where we moored for a weekend two months previously on our way up.  I spent most of the weekend cleaning and tidying, which I have not been doing of late.

On Monday 13th June, we set off on the downhill run.  The journey to here from Bydgoszcz had taken us over the watershed between the Wisla and the Oder rivers, so now we were on the run down to the river Oder, initially being on the tributary river Notec.  Downhill!!!  Yummy.  We cruised in one day that which had taken us two days on the way up.

Tuesday 14th June we continued with our downhill journey.  On the way, we met four pleasure boats coming towards us - 3 x German boats and a Dutchman, who said he was heading for Elblag and the ship lifts!!  Ho!  Ho!  Bin dere, dun dat!!!!

Then, at Sleuse Mikotajewo we told the lock-keeper that we would not be going through the next lock until the morning and that we were looking for somewhere to moor for the night.  So here we are.  At the bottom of his lock, all hunky-dory, on the promise that we are gone by 9 am.  9 am???!!!  We will have an hour's cruising under our belts by then.

Toodle pip!!

Bill