A pleasant morning stroll along the canal in Elblag brings us to the boat dock.  It is not long before the boats are loaded and ready for the journey to Ostroda.  Let's hope that everyone remembered their sunblock.

After a friendly race down the canal the boats head into the first, and largest, of the six lakes that are linked by the canal, and we enjoy a last view of Elblag.

As we proceed into the lake, we are engulfed by a serene world of natural beauty.

You don't have to be a bird watcher to enjoy the great variety of birds along the way.  Eventually, we enter a six mile long section of the canal where we will negotiate the  five slipways needed to raise the boat some 326 feet to the level of the remaining lakes.  Beyond the lower windlass we can just make out a boat going up the ramp and one coming down.  Finally, it is our turn and we float over the railcar which is completely submerged except for the top rail.

The boats are secured to the railcar which is then pulled up the slipway by a cable.  We have left the lake behind and now rise above farm land that looks a lot like Ohio or Indiana.

Like a funnicular, there is always one car going in each direction.  At the mid-point we pass a car carrying two small pleasure boats.  A quick look back from the top and we can see why they didn't use locks here -- this makes Lockport, NY look like a level grade.  Presently we reenter the canal and...

... pass  the waterwheel and cable house that make this slipway work.  Ahead are the two pair of windlasses that transfer the direction of the cable, and beyond them is another boat waiting to go down.  As we pass out of the slipway we can still see the waterwheel in the distance.

By the fifth slipway we have slipped away to the lounge to get out of the hot sun and enjoy a cold beverage.  The view of the windlass from here is quite impressive.  We soon enter upon the second lake and are again treated to a fine air show.  By now it is mid-afternoon, and we have passed through roughly half of the canal.

Suddenly, we spy an unmistakable sign of civilization -- a railroad.  The boat puts in briefly at Maldyty and our group decides not to overdo a good thing.   We make the short climb to the station where a quick scan of the board shows that the next train to Elblag will arrive soon.     And it does.