I love Ships. Those Things have always been kinda fascinating to me. And today, I finally got to see quite a few at the Nord-Ostsee-Kanal (NOK) right where it meets the Elbe.
None of them were particularly large Boats, but I still liked most of them. But maybe that was also because I had not seen that many here in Brunsbüttel before today.
After Interning, and after Dinner, I headed to the NOK around 7pm today, and that was good. The Light was much nicer than it is later on, and there was actually quite a bit of Traffic going on.
Most of the Ships I would see today were going through the Channel to Russia, but ones Destination was also Northern Sweden.
They all have one Thing in Common, no matter their Destination: Their Journeys still will take a few Days to Complete.
One of the People who work where I Intern had actually recommended me this Place right where the Elbe meets the NOK, and he was right. The Views there were much less obstructed than at the Observation Deck at the Locks.
And he must know, as he once actually worked at the Locks.
But back to the Ships: Because the NOK is the busiest artificial Waterway in the World, there are a lot of big and small Boats around. Because of that, Vessels above a certain Size actually need Pilots to help them Navigate the Channel.
Those Pilots actually have a pretty dangerous Job, as they have to jump from their Boats to whichever Ship they are assigned to while both Vessel’s are still moving. Stopping both every Time just would take to much Time.
Ships are usually also very slow to Stop, and so it is easier to do that Maneuver in Movement. I am sure you have to have mighty Sea Legs to be able to do the Job.
But it is also a very much necessary Job to do. I still would not be able to do it myself though. I have known to get just a little Sea Sick from Time to Time.
After a while, it was starting to get a bit cold though, and so I left for my Quarters. I had also been awake since a long Time and was starting to get a little tired over Time.
I still had a great Evening at the NOK though, and there will probably be a few more next Week.
