Ascent
As ascent to upstream referred to in the inland waterway journey ( § 1:01 Number 40 BinSchStrO ). The ships that go in this direction are called mountain ships or mountain drivers . The opposite direction is called downhill accordingly ; the running with the current ship is Talschiff or Talfahrer called. Since artificial waterways do not have a natural direction of flow, the ascent is defined in the respective chapter of the inland waterway order . It can happen that the ascent is defined as a journey from both directions to the apex position and thus corresponds to the actual topographical conditions, for example with the Main-Danube Canal . In other cases, such as the Mittelland Canal , the ascent does not follow the actual altitude. As a result, it can happen that a climber is actually sluiced down, for example at the Sülfeld and Hohenwarte sluices .
The distinction between going downhill and uphill is necessary because the ship going downhill is more difficult to navigate and therefore has priority when encountering it ( § 6.04 number 1 BinSchStrO ). The ship going uphill is still maneuverable even if it is no longer moving on the ground because it is still moving against the current. Also for nautical reasons and for the safe communication of ships with each other and in contact with locks, descent and ascent must be clearly defined. The side designations on the right and left side in the river are determined from the direction of view of the valley driver.
Rhine shipping
The Rhine Shipping Police Ordinance stipulates, among other things, that the ship going uphill should display the side on which the encounter is to take place. When they meet starboard to starboard (the right side of the ships viewed from stern to bow), the climber shows a blue sign. This regulation applies to mountain journeys above the Rhine from Rhine km 769 (Duisburg – Ehingen). In the stretch between the German-Dutch border to Duisburg, the ascent is on the left bank, so basically an encounter port (left) to port. From Rhine km 556, St. Goar, to Rhine km 540, Lorch, there is a right-hand traffic law, which stipulates that the center line of the fairway may not be crossed. From Lorch to the mouth of the Neckar, Rhine km 428, the regular encounter then applies again. There is one exception to this rule: a mountain driver who wants to enter a port / canal on the right bank shows the ship going down the valley the blue sign for an “illegal encounter”. A white sparkling light (flashing light) is installed in the board for night vision.
Blue board with built-in sparkling light as a sign of the encounter starboard to starboard
Blue sign by day
Blue sign at night
Other meanings
The word ascent is also used in a different sense:
- With cable cars (and the same applies to the descent ). Driving up the mountain can already be prohibited if efforts are made to bring all passengers down from the mountain at the end of the day.
- In road traffic , where one also speaks of driveway . In the event of a close encounter, however, the climber has priority here, as it is more difficult to start uphill again than to start rolling downhill.
- For mountaineering in the summit region. However, this use of the word has become rare today.
