Where are they?

[johnalison]

Fortunately, the EU hasn't managed to standardise everything. A sailor in the southern Baltic is faced with an array of differing electricity systems on pontoons. I have coped with many variants and make a speciality of explaining how to operate them to locals in my best patronising voice. Travellers to the area may like to test their powers of observation and work out where each of these came from, mostly German.

 

[Joker]

Number 5 is from Swinoujscie, and I can never get it to work.

 

[johnalison]

Number 5 is from Swinoujscie, and I can never get it to work.

I had no problem myself, though the mediaeval arrangement previously was more fun. The only trouble is that although you get get a rebate for unused money, which goes back into the card, there is no means of getting it a cash. I still have a few zlotis in a card on the boat for a place that I am now unlikely to return to. No 2 is the hardest to operate and we can usually rely on plenty of free electricity from unclaimed sources.

 

[Joker]

No. 2 is Stralsund Citymarina - I have finally worked how to operate that one.

 

[BabaYaga]

The only trouble is that although you get get a rebate for unused money, which goes back into the card

Out of curiosity, do they actually meter the electricity consumed or do you just pay for access to it?
Where I mostly sail the former is very rare, if it even exists. Paying for access is the norm. Sometimes the cost is included in the over night visitor's fee.
This makes sense to me, as the cost for getting the infrastructure in place, and maintaining it, surely must be greater than the value of the power being distributed?

 

[johnalison]

Out of curiosity, do they actually meter the electricity consumed or do you just pay for access to it?
Where I mostly sail the former is very rare, if it even exists. Paying for access is the norm. Sometimes the cost is included in the over night visitor's fee.
This makes sense to me, as the cost for getting the infrastructure in place, and maintaining it, surely must be greater than the value of the power being distributed?

In most of the area, you either pay for 'strum' with the berthing fees, or there will be metered sockets on the pontoon. I was alluding to the enormous variety of metering systems, though two of my photos were 'free'.

The one at No 4 is a coin-operated one although this one at Karlshagen had been changed to free. Some will take 50 cents and some 1 euro. More confusing are the card systems, especially when the card, often purchased with 5 euros installed and 10 euro deposit, also give access to fresh water and showers.

I haven't been to Swinoujscie for a few years now but I remember the card system required you to hold the card until the right flashes appeared etc etc. The best card system is at Cuxhaven. The cards can be got from a machine all 24hrs and unused payments can be put back into the card and redeemed as cash. Another sensible system is at Vitte where you can have 2 amps free but anything more is paid for.

joker is right about Stralsund. They used to give out an A4 piece with instructions which were even more baffling than the ones at the points.

 

[BabaYaga]

Another sensible system is at Vitte where you can have 2 amps free but anything more is paid for.

An interesting system, more like a power limit or threshold, as I understand it.
I reckon it would allow you to run a modest battery charger without paying?

 

[BelleSerene]

Also a variety of socket types, I was surprised to find. Drottningskär on Aspö, off Karlskrona (Sweden), and Allinge on Bornholm (Denmark, although S of Sweden) both had Continental round-pin domestic sockets on harbour distribution panels instead of the usual marine sockets we’re all used to. Fortunately I had a spare Continental mains plug on board to rewire a mains extension cable with.

 

[johnalison]

Also a variety of socket types, I was surprised to find. Drottningskär on Aspö, off Karlskrona (Sweden), and Allinge on Bornholm (Denmark, although S of Sweden) both had Continental round-pin domestic sockets on harbour distribution panels instead of the usual marine sockets we’re all used to. Fortunately I had a spare Continental mains plug on board to rewire a mains extension cable with.

Yes. I think most of Bornholm is two-pin but this connection is now less common in most of the area. Our Orust boat come with a two-pin cable as standard but we have now changed it to marina and keep a separate adaptor. Actually, we used to keep a two-pin to marina adaptor but after a certain member of our boat crew managed to let two of them go into the drink I changed over.