She was shrouded in myth, and every sailor in the region associated numerous stories with the red buoy 6 off Holnis on the Flensburg Fjord. In future, the "mother-in-law" will adorn a crossroads in Glücksburg.
The lateral sign was often misunderstood. It not only indicated the port side of the fairway (entering), but also a point where the bottom rises from twelve to one metre deep.
"If you cut your mother-in-law, she'll run you aground!" was a much-quoted saying among the Flensburg sailors. And many of them knew the meaning of this phrase better than they would have liked.
Now the sea mark is history, at least at the familiar location. For cost reasons, the Lübeck Waterways and Shipping Authority has retracted the buoy and replaced it with a pole.
In YACHT 2/2010, the current issue, we called for suggestions for a name for the pile. Many have already been received. You too can join in. Your e-mail can reach us at
schwiegermutter@yacht.de.
Lasse Johannsen
Deputy Editor in Chief YACHT
