They were almost home after a long tour with their boats. But then it didn’t go any further. Why the two leisure captains and their families are stuck.
Beeskow – Two leisure captains from Saxony have been stuck on the Oder-Spree Canal for almost two weeks because of the environmental disaster in the Oder – now the journey can probably continue soon.
They should probably be allowed to continue this Friday, said hobby shipper Peter Schneider from Niesky near Görlitz of the German Press Agency on Wednesday. Authorities told them that. “The forced stop was really upsetting, and bad news kept coming from the Oder,” he said, describing the situation.
The boats of the two men are currently stuck at the Kersdorfer lock in Brandenburg. Like other sluice gates, it was closed so that no toxic substances could get from the Oder into the Spree after the great fish kill.
After three weeks and a tour of around 800 kilometers across the Oderhaff, the two friends and their families were on their way back with their boats – and they were only 35 kilometers away from their destination. In Kersdorf it didn’t go any further. “We’re now something like a shared flat,” said Schneider, who has known his boat friend Matthias Raupner for over 40 years.
In the meantime, the two leisure captains have achieved local fame. “People keep coming by and asking if we need anything.” New acquaintances have also been made. dpa
