Sailing the Wadden Sea

Finally, vacation! 

Last September, after a long year of hard work, I finally finished my master’s thesis. It was time for a well-earned sailing vacation. The Monday after my graduation, I and my boyfriend set sail for a three-week sailing trip.

The first two days we sail to the north of the IJsselmeer Lake, to the locks that are the gateway to the Wadden Sea. Although it is September already, the weather is still nice and sunny. We enjoy the Dutch version of the Indian summer. But when we arrive at the north of the IJsselmeer, the weather forecasts start to change. Stormy rain and winds keep us pinned down in the town of Makkum.

 Sailing the Wadden Sea is worth the effort

After almost a week, there appears a weather window that allows us to cross the Wadden Sea. We sail between the Wadden Sea’s sand banks and mud flats up to the island of Vlieland. Sailing the Wadden Sea takes a lot of planning. You have to take the tides, currents and water depths into account. Then, you have to calculate a specific route and time of departure. Otherwise, the tide could set you back hours. Or you could get stuck on a sand bank or mud flat.

  Approaching Vlieland

But sailing the Wadden Sea is definitely worth all this effort. This area is very beautiful. It is one of UNESCO’s world heritage sites. Because the sea is so shallow here, there are almost no waves. The clouds and the sunlight give the water a silvery shine.

The island of Vlieland is quiet, unspoiled. The beaches are almost completely empty. There is only one small village. The rest of the island belongs to nature. The island smells like pine trees and sea salt. It is a big contrast to the densely populated rest of the Netherlands. The Wadden Islands are the northernmost area of the Netherlands. It is almost as if the region of Scandinavia begins at the island of Vlieland.

Vlieland is quiet and unspoiled

After a week on Vlieland, we set sail for the next Wadden Island. We aim to reach the island of Ameland, by taking the northern route, over the North Sea. Unfortunately, there is too little wind. We cannot sail fast enough to reach the island in time, before the currents reverse and drive us away from the island. We cannot really use our engine either. We only have a small outboard which doesn’t work in big waves. And the sea is still choppy from the storm we had a few days earlier. We have to change our plans.

The wetlands of Vlieland

We choose to go for the island of Terschelling instead. This island is a bit more crowded than Vlieland. But you can still see, hear and smell the nature all around you. Sea gulls, oyster catchers and sand pipers roam the mud flat at the outside of the harbor. Seals and birds rest on a drying bank at the east of the island. 

 

The harbor of Terschelling, with the Brandaris on the right

The town next to the harbor is full of cozy restaurants and bars. In the Netherlands, it is a cruiser’s tradition to spend New Year’s Eve in the harbor of Terschelling. Now that I am here, I can understand why this is a tradition. It is only September, but I already feel the warm and glowing December holiday atmosphere. It must be great to arrive here after a cold winter sailing trip and to enjoy an Irish coffee in one of these bars…

At the center of the town square is the Brandaris, the oldest lighthouse of the Netherlands. The medieval tower was finished in 1594. Because the tower is so old, the Brandaris resembles a church tower instead of a typical light house. At the top of the tower there is a high-tech control room, monitoring all traffic on the Wadden Sea. We frequently hear the traffic control center Brandaris on our VHF radio.

After a day at Terschelling, we take a second attempt to reach Ameland. This time, we have more success. Approaching the harbor of Ameland is quite challenging. The currents are fierce here, and the fairways are not properly lit. Also, the Wadden Sea is shallower here than it is at Vlieland or Terschelling. There are only a few small channels you can sail. The rest of the area dries up at low tide. Twice a day, the entire body of water that separates the island from the mainland disappears completely. You can see the ferry maneuvering trough a small canal of water in a plain of mud and sand. An impressive sight! 

 

At low tide, the water that seperates Ameland from the main land dissapears completely

When we arrive in Ameland, we walk around the island a bit. There are several old towns and villages on the island, built in a typical local style. The main town of Nes, with its cobbled roads and neatly trimmed hedges almost looks like an open-air history museum. Outside the village center, the islanders maintain several chicken pens, small farmlands and herb gardens. People have lived on this island for more than a thousand years. They have really created a place of their own here. 

 

The town of Nes

The next day, we leave the island of Ameland again. It is time to go home. The plan is to sail from Ameland to the harbor of Lauwersoog, on the mainland. From there, we will follow the canals to our own harbor, Lemmer.

Crossing this part of the Wadden Sea takes even more planning than our initial trip to Vlieland. We have to cross three mud flats that completely dry out at low tide. Our boat is not built to dry out. Therefore, we are in a bit of a hurry! We have to calculate the right window to cross those flats and we need to get there in time. 

 When we sail from Ameland to Lauwersoog, we have to pass three mud flats, wich dry out completely at low tide

There is enough wind to sail fast. We actually sail too fast and arrive too early at the first mud flat. The water isn’t high enough yet, so we get stuck. We have to wait ten minutes, before the rising tide sets us afloat again. After the first time, we get stuck two more times. When you sail here, you have to stick very close to the sea marks!  

 Sailing trough the mud flats

In the afternoon, we reach Lauwersoog. We sail for a bit on the Lauwersmeer, the lake at the other side of the sea locks. The Lauwersmeer was once a part of the Wadden Sea, but in 1969, it got closed off by a dam and became a sweet water lake. 

 

Some beauties we came across on the way home

The next two days, the wind disappears completely. This means that we have to motor all the way home. Fortunately, the weather is warm and sunny again. And the lakes and canals are very peaceful. We spend the last two days enjoying the sun and the sights around us, soaking up that last bit of that holiday feeling, before returning to the working life again. I am already looking forward to the next sailing trip… 

Peace and quiet on the Dutch lakes and canals