Outside, along the Wadden Sea

Vlieland : Busy , Expensive , and Early Departure

The first Wadden Sea port we visited was Vlieland. Man, it was incredibly busy there! We even had to wait a bit "at the roadstead," which was new to us.

wachten op de rede

Fortunately, we received professional guidance from the harbor masters. Our weight meant we were given our own box, which was nice.

Of course, they're taking advantage of the high tourist numbers here, and that's reflected in the high mooring fees. After a short night, because at our next stop, we can only enter at high tide, so that's a lot of calculating and recalculating. At 5am we were on our way again for our longest trek so far.

Vlieland verlaten

From Vlieland to Borkum : A New Flag !

From Vlieland to Borkum, that meant a new host country flag in the mast! After a good 11 hours of sailing, Borkum finally came into view. Navigating between the current and traffic demanded considerable concentration.

We chose the former Port Henry.

Port Henry

A harbor known as "in decline," whose depths aren't really clear. I'd done a lot of research beforehand, and recent information suggests it should be possible to enter.

Entering the harbor was no problem. But the first spot we chose? It only had 40 cm of water at low tide, so we were soon 1.2 meters deep in mud!

Zina zit in de modder

Oops. So we had to walk around with the gauge, and luckily at another jetty, there was still 1.2 meters of water at low tide. So as soon as we could, we moved Zina.

Bootverhaaltjes 79

Only this jetty was so old that during Monday's storm, the anchor points came apart, and we still had to move it. That was quite a nerve-wracking experience in 30-knot winds.

De boel komt uit elkaar.

Old German Charm on Borkum

We love that "old" German charm, and we're absolutely loving this island! We're staying for a week for our vacation. The weather isn't ideal for sailing either, so we let the wind blow. That's the beauty of it when time is no longer a factor: you can just stay where it feels right. We finished our first evening with delicious, truly fresh sea bass and a fantastic schnitzel for Erna.

De oude Duitse charme

Starting Saturday, fully rested, we'll be heading to Helgoland, passing through the German Wadden Islands. It'll be something completely different! And we'd love to take you along.