Dora Mac is a Diesel Duck, and she has reached an altitude of 1,332 feet on the canal that connects Europe’s Main and Danube rivers, the highest waterway in the world accessible from the sea.
That’s a long way from China, where Randal and Ruth Johnson began their cruise seven years ago. They wintered in England at St. Katherine’s Dock, then entered the river system at Amsterdam in spring. They are bound for Turkey.
“We built cradles for our mast and removed it and the paravane poles before proceeding into the canal system. We entered Germany and the Rhine River on May 18. The Rhine is fast-flowing and at times slowed us to a little over 1 knot. We entered the Main River on May 29 and did 384km and reached the canal on June 10,” Johnson says.
“We are enjoying the trip very much and today went through six locks, three of which changed levels 24.7 meters, 81 feet. The boat is performing wonderfully and attracts a lot of attention when we pull into a marina.”
