The Kochel police are very happy: a new boat is available for operations at Walchensee. It will be christened Marga and presented to the population on Sunday, April 21st.
Kochel am See/Walchensee – A new boat for water police duties at Walchensee has been the focus of the Kochler police for a long time. “Our previous boat was simply no longer suitable for the operations at Walchensee,” reports Police Chief Inspector Johann Eder, who has been in charge of this project over the past few months. The police headquarters in Rosenheim reacted quickly, released funds and carried out the tender. A company in North Rhine-Westphalia was awarded the contract; an initial inspection took place in November and the model was found to be good. A few days ago the officials picked it up near Paderborn.
The new police boat for Lake Walchen is named Marga
Since then it has been standing in the Kochler fire station, waiting for the baptism, which will take place on Sunday, April 21st, when the Kochler fire department's new turntable ladder will also be blessed. The boat is named Marga. The godmother is Lisa Grünwald from the Walchensee water rescue service. The Kochel police want to express their thanks to all the volunteers from the rescue organizations with whom they have been working “greatly” for many years, as Eder says: “If it weren’t for them, a lot of things would collapse here.” This also applies to the employees of the construction yard , which would now help, for example, to prepare the boat hut at Walchensee or the one at Kochelsee, where the older boat will now go.
The name Marga refers to the little church of St. Margareth on the Zwergern peninsula. “We wanted to choose a name that had a connection to the lake,” says Eder.
The new boat is 80 hp and has a powerful lighting system
The tasks that the Kochler officers perform as water police are diverse. On the one hand, there are rescue and assistance services. In 2023, they rescued three exhausted people from Lake Walchensee and helped search for two missing people, including in the evening. “You need strong headlights. We have these now.” On the other hand, the officials carry out fishing inspections on the lake (“In 2023, there were no violations in 60 inspections”) and respond when reports of environmental violations are received. This happened 131 times in 2023, for example because of camping on the island of Sassau or campfires in the nature reserve. “There are areas where you can get there faster and easier by boat than on foot,” says Eder. The officers also go on regular inspection trips, support the rangers and have to accompany them at sailing regattas; this year five are registered. All of this is part of the daily business of the six officers in Kochel.
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The new boat is 80 hp and has, for example, a powerful lighting system, external speakers, blue lights and a horn. The radio system is also state-of-the-art. Something special is an entry aid that makes it easier to rescue people lying down in the water.
Motor shipping on Kochelsee is “run in an exemplary manner”
The older boat is now coming to Kochelsee. The police didn't have a boat there until now; the officers were taken along by the fire department. However, the missions at Kochelsee are increasing. “The number of day trippers has increased at both lakes,” reports Eder. Nowadays there are not only swimmers, sailors and surfers, but also stand-up paddlers, kite surfers, wing foilers (a combination of kite and wind surfers) and then divers at Walchensee in autumn and winter. There are also more ice swimmers than before. Last year one had a fatal accident in Walchensee.
According to police observations, the fact that there are more water sports enthusiasts at Kochelsee is due to the downdrafts that have been there more frequently and stronger for several years. “We suspect this is related to climate change,” says Eder. In some cases the waves are up to 30 centimeters high. There are always people who underestimate this. And on Kochelsee, officials also have to go out again and again for nature conservation tasks, for example on the western bank near Schlehdorf.
Incidentally, the police are also checking passenger shipping on the MS Herzogstand. “In recent years the boat has always had no defects,” praises Eder. “It’s really run in an exemplary manner.”
(Müh)