I never thought sailing on Lake Constance could be so tiring.
Boy, I was wrong!
But, despite the effort, it’s really fun.
I'm on Joyce van der Sman's sailboat and the sails are set.
Ready to go!
Lake Constance is huge - and international!
It belongs to Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
We are on the way on Lake Überlinger.
That’s the northwestern part of Lake Constance, which is located completely in Germany.
I’ve already tried sailing on the open sea, so today I wanted to see what it was like on a lake.
And here we are on Lake Constance, in southern Germany.
And what I like about this location is that you can visit so many different spots
in such a short amount of time.
And that’s what I intend to do.
Back to the beginning of my little adventure: It starts in Sipplingen.
Here Joyce van der Sman's boat is moored in the harbor.
She offers sailing tours for tourists.
You can rent the boat as an experienced sailor.
Or with a professional on board, if you are a beginner - like me.
We have all got negative COVID test results so we can calmly take a little tour below deck.
Okay, we can go.
So I'm going to grab the rope down here, get it over here and pull that over slowly, okay?
Departing is easier with three people, so our assistant has to take care of it, too.
That’s my colleague Jannis.
He’s got no clue what he’s doing.
Joyce steers the boat safely out of the harbor.
Once we’ve caught the wind, you can set the sail.
First pull on the rope as hard as you can.
Then wind it around this aluminum part clockwise, two or three times, and slot it into the black part.
Then you take this crank, put it on here and turn it.
Okay, now slowly pull.
Okay, stop, it’s already caught.
Look up front!
We’re off to a bad start… and now?
Now it can’t get caught anymore.
This is exhausting.
We made it!
The sail is set, we are on course.
The joy does not last long, however.
Aren’t you a bit worried about what’s happening there?
Yes, a little bit!
Okay, then let’s take action.
And take down the sail, right?
And quickly! Because the dangerous thing about Lake Constance is that the weather here
can change very suddenly.
The sail’s been packed and it starts to rain.
But we're lucky – there’s no storm!
Against all odds, we reached our first stop: Constance.
I want to explore the city.
It's wonderful to do so on a bike!
There are 15 rental stations and another 13 for cargo bikes.
That's just perfect for our filming!
We start at the Marktstätte, the center of the old town.
Again and again you will find brightly painted houses like the Barbarossa Hotel.
Here you can see Konstanz Minster.
For twelve centuries the city was the seat of the largest German diocese.
From Romanesque to Gothic to Art Nouveau:
Today all epochs of art history can be found at the church.
Constance is a very bike-friendly city.
The first bicycle street was built back in the 1990s.
More followed so that you can drive from one end to the other quickly and easily.
The city is divided by the river Rhine, which flows through Lake Constance.
My way leads me to the largest lido on Lake Constance – the so-called Hörnle.
It lies on a small headland in the lake.
At this spot right here, it feels like I'm standing in the middle of the lake.
On the right you can see Lake Überlingen: that’s the area where I’m sailing.
Right behind me is the Obersee, or Upper Lake Constance.
On the other side you can see Meersburg.
On this side you can see the city of Konstanz.
Well, and my personal highlight in the background: the Alps.
In summer it is super crowded here.
There is a sunbathing lawn, sports facilities, bathing islands and much more.
Back on the sailing boat with skipper Joyce van der Sman.
It’s time for a few questions.
Joyce, you’re from the Netherlands, why did you end up here on Lake Constance?
By chance, actually.
I'd studied architecture.
My husband got a job in Germany and I came with him, but couldn’t find work.
Then I thought: I can sail! And started looking for those jobs.
There were offers from a sailing school on Lake Constance and one in Flensburg.
So I thought I'd go for the one here.
Why not Northern Germany?
For me, it was too similar to Holland: the temperature, the weather.
Sure the sailing would be a bit more active than here.
But I enjoy the landscape, the closeness to the Alps.
And I also enjoy the villages here on Lake Constance.
There’s no comparison to Holland.
I once heard that you have to get a sailing license especially for Lake Constance.
Even people who already have one have to do one again anyway - why?
Because here there are rules which don’t exist anywhere else.
The distance you must keep from the shore, how to approach the shore and how to drop anchor.
And, maybe not so much here at Lake Überlingen, but towards Upper Lake Constance
you get real föhn winds which come down from the Alps.
What might be totally different here are the storms.
When a storm approaches, you often don’t see it coming, because of the hills here.
So you’re really taken by surprise.
And now during the pandemic, which is unfortunately already a year old,
how did it go with sailing? I guess it has decreased, or was it allowed to ontinue?
I mean, you're out in the fresh air.
It’s been a while since we were allowed to do this.
Last year we were only able to start at the end of May or beginning of June.
But then so many people came; it was crazy.
What we also noticed during the pandemic was: people rediscovered sailing or 'discovered'
they still had a boat lying in the harbor.
I forgot my boat!
Exactly!
During the pandemic you saw a lot more boats on the water.
Normally it’s pretty full in the summer, but now it was even fuller.
Thank you!
My pleasure!
I have arrived in Meersburg.
Here on the promenade there is usually a lot going on.
Now, during the pandemic, that’s not the case.
The old town extends up the slope.
This is the city’s landmark: Meersburg Castle.
And right next to it is the Castle Mill.
It was operated right up until 1952.
And today it’s a nice backdrop for a photo.
And, of course, I’d like to have a picture.
So, maybe Elisabeth, you can help me out?
Yes, sure!
And...cheese!
The castle is best known for the fact that the famous German poet Anette von Droste-Hülshoff
lived and died here in the mid-19th century.
In Meersburg, the ways are short - up a few steps and I'm already at the baroque New Palace,
which served as the residence of the Prince-Bishops of Constance.
The best thing here is the lake view.
We're going back to Sipplingen. My sailing adventure is over.
Now it's just a matter of maneuvering the boat back into the harbor undamaged.
So we have to attach the fenders to the railing,
which ensure that the boat doesn't get scratched when moored.
You hang it out here, wrap the rope around once, take it back and cross it.
And around again.
Right!
Now you’ve got it.
Now I've even learned a real seaman's knot – the clove hitch!
Done.
And we've got solid ground under our feet again.
It's still very quiet here on Lake Constance, due to the pandemic.
But, as a reporter, I was able to discover this beautiful region in southern Germany for you.
And things are looking up, so I think you will also be able to come here soon
and maybe sail across the lake just like me.
Well, we’ll see.
Bye-bye!
See you next time – somewhere else in Germany!