notamermaid

Pfelling gauge shows 284cm. More or less stable, albeit a bit too low, today. notamermaid

Thanks for the info Daisi. It really is up and down on the Danube right now, unpredictable to a certain degree depending on where you are. I would say "captain knows best" and there could also be an arrangement with another ship of course. Swapping ships or cutting short a cruise or sailing later or earlier to avoid an anticipated drop or rise - those are all possible scenarios river cruisers need to be prepared for. notamermaid

As I indicated, I am bit puzzled by mentions of Nuremberg and Regensburg, as the former is on the Canal (not a problem area) and the latter on the Danube (navigation channel deep-ish and controlled by a lock). But I am not familiar with details in the Regensburg municipal district waterways. Pfelling now at 286cm. I see scattered showers on the radar over the Danube valleys and the immediate tributaries so that is at least a relief for nature. By the way, if anyone is wondering how the Moselle is doing (there are a few itineraries going from the Canal and Danube to Trier), it is doing okay. This means that while figures may look low if you see them on a graph or you are concerned by the colour codes going to low water there is no need to be alarmed - almost never - as the navigation channel is deep enough and the authorities maintain a certain water level with the help of the locks. notamermaid

While on the Danube in Bavaria the situation is a little uncertain, on the Rhine - as noted in my previous posts - we have low but reasonable levels. Kaub gauge is at 138cm. The levels are falling really slowly. So let us relax for the time being and look at a post/article from Cruisecritic in the UK. Should you not have decided on sailing on the Rhine yet or are planning a return, you may want to have a look at it and perhaps be surprised by the number of river cruise lines to choose from (and the list is of course not complete): https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles/the-best-rhine-river-cruise?stay=1&posfrom=1 notamermaid

Thanks for the info. I suspected as much although I am surprised it is Regensburg to Nuremberg rather than between Straubing and Vilshofen. Could it be too low for comfort at Regensburg now? Will be interesting to find out more. Just to explain - I think I have not done so this year. It is not readily available in the literature that 290cm at Pfelling gauge is low for river cruise ships. 2018, the year of the disastrous drought, established this figure by looking at the reports coming in from river cruisers and was confirmed in an interview with a spokesperson of the authorities, which I read in German news. Please note that this is a general assessment. The captain of your ship will decide as the authorities in Germany do not issue a ban on river traffic in drought. notamermaid

There is a certain element of uncertainty in the gauge at Pfelling in that there appears to be a controlling element in the two locks upstream. Impossible for me to figure out how much and at what time. I guess this last fast drop in figures has something to do with retaining water but I cannot be sure. What we can say is that predictions at gauges further upstream show stable to falling levels over the next few days meaning we will continue to see the lack of rain reflected but whereas on the Rhine the forecast is very reliable, Pfelling gauge has a certain element of "surprise". The dip we saw earlier today has gone and the level is up to 292cm. It is feasible. But we will see rain next week so I am hopeful for better levels, at least a reduction of the current trend for falling levels. notamermaid

The gauge at Pfelling stands at 283cm. notamermaid

You being in Texas I understand that you may be a bit more concerned than we are around here. Sailing Bamberg to Trier you will only encounter low water in the Rhine Gorge basically, if at all at that time. A guess certainly but it is just a little too early for an educated one I would say. I am being a little unfair perhaps because the computer modelling is pretty good these days. I prefer not to say too much as the good probability chart gives figures 14 days out. After that it is real guess work based on even more parametres and gets vague. Next week will see rain so the figures are going up towards the end of the month. 150cm at Kaub gauge looks a very likely figure on 28 June. That is not high but nowhere near drought. notamermaid

Kaub gauge is at 143cm. You can tell it has not rained for a bit. Lawns and village greens are loosing the bright green hue. Forecast and further predictions remain largely unchanged compared to yesterday. Slow decline in figures to continue. notamermaid

May we see low water on the Danube for the first time this year? The drop in figures at Pfelling is slow but according to the prediction could bring the river below 300cm soon. That would be Thursday. Current level is 308cm. notamermaid

I mentioned the transport of the hull "The Gentleman II" by the pushboat Zasavica III in the Danube thread. The new river cruise ship has completed the Danube, Canal and Main legs of her journey and was caught on camera at Rüdesheim with her new "helping hand" - a barge that is taking her on the Rhine to the Netherlands and the shipyard: Retrieved with date and time stamp from the archive of the webcam https://heimatzeithotels.panomax.com/bingen Rüdesheim is on the left of the photo on the opposite embankment to the camera. notamermaid

A quick look at Maxau gauge in the Upper Rhine valley reveals a definite trend towards low water. The weather is stable with warm to very warm temperatures and little to no rain till Sunday (isolated showers and thunderstorms, if any). But overall this will only result in the levels at Kaub falling to a range between 130cm and 105cm most likely. notamermaid

Pfelling gauge remains stable at 312cm. Trend is for stable to minimal fall. Warm to very warm in Bavaria. Scattered showers only, Thursday to Saturday. notamermaid

Kaub gauge is at 151cm. notamermaid

Welcome to CC and the wonderful world of river cruising. We - the community - always recommend the pinned threads on this board for great info on the topic in general and you can also have a look at specific cruise line articles, comparisons, etc. To low water. August and September normally always has low water, but what does low water mean? For the Rhine low water means 150cm at Kaub for commercial shipping, then other markers follow as the low water increases, i.e. figures go further down. For a modern river cruise ship of 135m length the tricky figures are from 90cm downwards but that does not mean a ship cannot sail. This is an individual decision based on the individual ship and its captain. For August and September we do not have a low water of the kind you do not want to see for river cruising, i.e. it is not a given. Last year August was bad, September was okay to fine. Your fellow Australian has already explained things very well. 🙂 We have had a bit of low water every year since then but not for long. Last year August was a tricky month as I indicated above. 2018, you are correct, was the year for "coach tours" and downright cancellations. If anyone tells you of their awful experience with low water ask which year they went in. If they say 2018, take the info in, and think to yourself that this is not the standard by any means. Coming from so far to Europe you may want to be assured a bit more, as a rule August is better than September but last year was the other way round... Have fun planning. notamermaid

Could you look at A-Rosa or Viva Cruises, both German but very much eyeing the international market now? Booking from the US is possible but Australia I have no idea. notamermaid

Pfelling gauge stands at 311cm. It is Monday so we have a prediction issued. The forecast is for stable to minimally falling levels today, but the further prediction shows a trend towards down with levels under 300cm possible (the margin of error includes levels above that). notamermaid

The level at Pfelling has fallen faster than predicted. It now stands at 313cm. notamermaid

Thank you for pointing that out. I reckon I misread the website. Yesterday I received the preview catalogue of CroisiEurope for 2024. Not much detail in that one of course, but it advertises the cruises on the Elbe and shows that most unusual of itineraries on the river again (with a very long stretch on the Vltava), showcasing the castles of Bohemia. So this has turned out to be popular enough for the company to offer it next year as well. Hmm, website gives some special offers for this year. I think this is the European website: https://www.croisieurope.travel/en/cruise/prague-dresden-castles-bohemia-spectacular-cruise-elbe-vltava-rivers-classic notamermaid

Quick look at Pfelling gauge. Stable, with minimal rise. 341cm is good. Hot temperatures with little to no rain in Bavaria. Slowly falling levels predicted. notamermaid

@Canal archive Thought of you when I saw today's Google UK thing (what do they call that?). Celebrates scones. The German Google is barren. Pity. Should have thought of something. Scones do not exist in Germany so they cannot really do that. With a bit of time on my hands later this year I will head to the hills of the Westerwald and have a "cream tea experience". England holiday? Not sure yet. Looking very tentative. notamermaid

The beetles are a really bad problem. I visited Montserrat Monastery in Spain I think the year after the terrible forest fire. Barren and austere. An amazing holiday without any lounging around on the beach. Imagine going to the Costa Brava and not doing that. Well, it was a cultural trip. What a lovely experience. Did you see Quedlinburg itself? I do not recall what you said in the Elbe thread. notamermaid

Now there is an idea. That has given me happy thoughts - a canal, a chauffeur, good food and a stop at the local pub at the embankment. Better than mindfulness or other such calming techniques. notamermaid

Apparently, the Canadian Government has asked for international aid and from the EU fire fighters are to fly over to help. The US has already sent 3,000 over according to German reports. Amazing guys (and some girls). notamermaid

The forests are burning at Jüterbog in Brandenburg. It had got a bit better, has been raging for 10 days on an area of 600 hectares. It had got under control making the authorities a little optimistic but today wind apparently has reignited some ambers. Problem is that the area had been used by the military and contains remnants of ammunition. But they say there is no danger to housing in the area, it is far enough away from built-up areas. notamermaid