Photo: Zbynek Stanislav
A raft made using the same technology as the rafts that sailed the Vltava as late as the first half of the last century, which set off two weeks ago from Stechovice (11 July), has successfully reached the German port of Lauenburg near Hamburg.
120 floated logs that made up the raft will now be turned into quality garden furniture. As the project manager of VOR 2012, Andrea Pondelickova, said, "floated wood is, unlike timber transported by land, of higher quality, harder and less affected by pests."
The raft covered around 100 kilometres a day. Sailing on the Elbe was about twice as fast as on the Vltava — while on the Vltava the raft averaged five kilometres per hour (about the same as a person walking), on the Elbe it was twice that.
The journey from Stechovice to Prague alone took two days.
In addition to the route and the construction of the raft, another aspect was authentic: the overnight stays. The raft''s crew rotated regularly and sailed every day until half past eight in the evening, and then slept either under the open sky or, when the weather did not allow, in tents on the riverbank. It was the weather that caused the biggest problems, but the crew had the option of using the services of an accompanying tugboat and two authentic fireplaces directly on the raft.
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Raft journey from Stechovice to Hamburg
A raft made using the same technology as the rafts that sailed on the Vltava as late as the first half of the last century...
Photo: Zbynek Stanislav
A raft made using the same technology as the rafts that sailed the Vltava as late as the first half of the last century, which set off two weeks ago from Stechovice (11 July), has successfully reached the German port of Lauenburg near Hamburg.
120 floated logs that made up the raft will now be turned into quality garden furniture. As the project manager of VOR 2012, Andrea Pondelickova, said, "floated wood is, unlike timber transported by land, of higher quality, harder and less affected by pests."
The raft covered around 100 kilometres a day. Sailing on the Elbe was about twice as fast as on the Vltava — while on the Vltava the raft averaged five kilometres per hour (about the same as a person walking), on the Elbe it was twice that.
The journey from Stechovice to Prague alone took two days.
In addition to the route and the construction of the raft, another aspect was authentic: the overnight stays. The raft''s crew rotated regularly and sailed every day until half past eight in the evening, and then slept either under the open sky or, when the weather did not allow, in tents on the riverbank. It was the weather that caused the biggest problems, but the crew had the option of using the services of an accompanying tugboat and two authentic fireplaces directly on the raft.
