At eight o'clock in the morning, the mood in Heligoland's south harbour is one of departure, the packs of up to seven boats are breaking up and the net of lines that has just tied everything together is unravelling. First the outermost boats cast off, then they continue inwards until the last boat can cast off directly at the jetty. Those with other destinations today leave the harbour to stop by the duty-free petrol station in the inland port, which has just reopened, or head straight out into the North Sea. The others sail in circles until they can moor again, either at the same harbour or somewhere else.
The clocks on board the "Rolling Swiss 2" also say goodbye. Two wonderful days on the red rock lie behind us. At the same time, the visit to Germany's only high seas island marked the centre of our summer cruise with the Cruising Club of Switzerland, from the Ems to the Elbe, once across the German Bight. After two legs on the East Frisian islands of Borkum and Norderney (see BOOTE 4/22 ) we now have the three large North Frisian Islands off the bow, i.e. Sylt, Amrum and Föhr.
We say goodbye to our neighbours on the "Tabaluga", an Elling from Wedel, and want to refuel ourselves first. But when our Trader 42 pulls into the newly renovated harbour basin next door, five other boats are already waiting. On top of that, it's Sunday, so we won't be filling up at the petrol pump until 9.30 am. As our diesel tanks are far from empty, we decide not to wait any longer. We leave Heligoland on a north-westerly course via the Nordreede, the dune to starboard, the Lange Anna to port.
At the "Sellebrunn-West" buoy, we finally set course 035° to the North Frisian Islands. Our first destination is Hörnum, around 35 nautical miles away at the southern tip of Sylt, where we will moor again for two days as the rest of the crew are not yet familiar with the island and want to explore it by bus tomorrow. After that, we have two more days for Föhr and Amrum before we head back south towards the mouth of the Elbe, probably with a freshening northerly wind.
During the first two hours of the crossing we still have quite choppy seas; an old swell from the north intersects with new, albeit smaller, waves from the south-east. Fortunately, the wind is only blowing at three to four forces. With the huge offshore wind farm Meerwind Süd/Ost and its eighty turbines to the left and an otherwise empty horizon, the "RS2" is travelling at around 1400 rpm at nine knots towards Sylt. When I return on deck an hour and a half later after a short nap in my bunk, not only has the wind calmed down, but the sun has also come out. Amrum is already to starboard with its dunes and the unmistakable lighthouse to starboard. Soon Hörnum Odde is also clearly visible ahead; the land is narrow and, with its own lighthouse, looks like another island, albeit a very small one. From this perspective, you would never guess that Sylt stretches another 35 sandy kilometres to the north from here.
Dunes with thatched houses in between become visible, then the south beach with beach chairs, sunshades and the short promenade to the harbour. People are swimming and surfing. A Hobie Cat shoots back and forth off the shore. We enter the harbour between the pier heads, with two white excursion boats from the Adler fleet on the left, a shrimp boat bringing fresh catch ashore and the Sylt Yacht Club marina on the right. Without looking for long, we go alongside a large Grand Sturdy 500 right at the front of the jetty. Nobody is on board, probably for a long time, as it soon turns out. Once out of the wind, it's immediately hot. Off to the beach!
A perfect holiday atmosphere. The quiet bay in the south of the Odde even has a Caribbean feel with its flat, white sand and shimmering green water. Shoes off, barefoot onwards. The North Sea is anything but cold, maybe tomorrow we'll even be able to take that long-delayed swim! At the South Cape bar, I pick up a blond mudflat from List and sit down on the sand. It's on!
On the morning of our second day on Sylt, however, it is suspiciously humid, and on the way to the supermarket an uneasy premonition spreads. Back on board with the bread rolls, the weather bomb bursts: the northerly wind forecast for Wednesday evening is now expected to be much stronger - and sailing south before the wind with six, maybe seven Beaufort is not an option.
So there's only one thing left for us to do: cancel Amrum, call at Föhr tomorrow and then head for the Elbe early on Wednesday with Cuxhaven as our destination. And now? I look out of the window. There's already a queue at the back of the Weiße Flotte jetty. A quick glance at the flyer, which has been on the saloon table since yesterday, reveals that the "Adler Express" leaves for Amrum and Hooge at noon. I think about it for a moment, pack my things and stand in the queue myself five minutes before departure with a 33-euro ticket.
The ship runs with its jets close under the coast of Amrum to the south, rounds the wide expanse of the Kniepsand and finally goes with the bow to the ferry dock. Most of the day trippers head straight for Wittdün, I walk along the dyke to the marina, where the signal red deckhouse of the rescue cruiser "Ernst Meier Hedde" confirms from afar that the approach and harbour always have enough water. The location is also really beautiful. The guest berths are located alongside a long floating dock, and in the worst case scenario you have to go into the harbour. But that would be nothing new in this area.
Now I follow the country road through the fields to Süddorf in the direction of the lighthouse. I have three and a half hours to kill, one of which is already up. Soon I'm surrounded by forest and dunes, but unfortunately there's no access to the lighthouse. So back to Wittdün and off to a bench on the boardwalk above the beach for a bit of a view. Sand as far as the horizon - and plenty of solitude. No beach bar, no beach chairs, nothing. After his visit to Hooge, the "Adler Express" comes round the corner right on time. It is now overcast and the sky is grey as the waiting passengers board. Three quarters of an hour later, we disembark in Hörnum. Skipper Marc and co-skipper Ludwig are already in Westerland after their island tour, so a little later I also take the bus that takes me half the length of the island to the bus station in Westerland. Past the Windgeister, then onto Friedrichstraße, where a crowd has formed around Robert Habeck, who is on the campaign trail in the north and would probably like to become chancellor himself in the autumn. But there's a lot going on here too, from the railway station to the promenade. A lot has built up during the long coronavirus winter. Summer has brought back freedom, at least it feels like it. Our taxi driver back to Hörnum later proves to be well informed about the moods and tells us all sorts of things about Zanzibar, the Tyrol and, of course, the weather. The pilot's caraway is served on board. Tomorrow Föhr!
We cast off at 8.30 am. A greeting goes over to the "Tabaluga", which followed us from Helgoland yesterday as announced.
On the same course as the "Adler Express" yesterday - but always within the fairway - the route on the plotter of the "Rolling Swiss 2" initially leads towards Amrum. It passes close to the Jungnamensand, where a whole colony of harbour seals has made itself at home. Not all of them lift their heads as we pass by with the ebb current.
Apart from a few stray rays of sunshine, however, it is hazy and unspeakably humid again today. A northerly wind is actually associated with more freshness! The waypoint line moves past Kniepsand into Rütergat. While Wittdün remains on the port side, the terps on Langeneß now come into view on the starboard side, seemingly floating like mirages on the indistinct dividing line between sky and sea. We continue through the Norderaue, which is soon bordered to the north by the dyke line of Föhr. The wide sands on both sides of the fast-flowing fairway are covered, with no sign of the Wadden Sea. Many ferries and passenger ships are on the move, as well as a few cutters and pleasure craft. We overtake two sailors struggling in the weak breeze.
Wiek then surprises us with a lot of beach and beach life, very different from Amrum. Here, too, we round the Wyk ferry terminal, where the "Uthlande" is unloading cars from the mainland, and then turn right into the marina. There's no question that it really is the best harbour in North Friesland: three long floating jetties with a proper pier all around. There is even a pontoon with a barbecue area! Lots of helpful hands help with mooring.
The way ashore is not far: from the marina to the inland harbour, then to the pedestrian zone and on to the beach promenade on the Sandwall. Wyk is a really pleasant, inviting holiday resort, down-to-earth, with hardly any architectural sins. Of course, there are plenty of holidaymakers here too, but the cobbled side streets, where roses bloom on the façades of old captain's houses, are nevertheless quiet. In the centre street, I buy a bottle of Föhrer Manhattan, the island's "national drink". I am told that there is no occasion when this cocktail of whiskey and vermouth is not served.
As soon as the shopping is on board, the next item on the programme is clear. Swim shorts on, towel in the bag: off to the beach! There I meet the skipper, who is watching a game of beach volleyball. I leave my things with him and jump into the water. You should have done this every day. Floating with the tide, submerging, marvellous! Then onto the warm concrete slabs of the stand to dry off in the sun. Meanwhile, the North Sea lies sluggish and smooth as glass in front of us. It seems as peaceful as Lake Constance on a beautiful summer afternoon. Where is the Manhattan now? We don't have it to hand at the moment, but somehow another ice-cold drink still finds its way to us ...
The alarm clock rings mercilessly at 4.30 am. It's already twilight outside, but complete silence in the harbour. As we set sail, the sun rises, partly obscured by cloud banks, but then fully visible. As it remains cloudy, we also leave the navigation lights switched on. The Amrum lighthouse shines through the grey. I sail for the first two hours. The flat land quickly disappears astern in this visibility. Ludwig comes on deck on time and I lie down in my bunk. It remains unpleasantly humid, despite the northerly wind. It's still light and will only pick up noticeably from midday. The calm before the storm still prevails. My next watch begins and nothing has changed, except that there are now a few more waves and the first ships are in sight.
They are the seaside resort ships on their way to Heligoland, which is now around fifteen nautical miles to starboard below the horizon. The current hardly disturbs us either; the shift to the east can easily be compensated for with the autopilot. We pass the "Süderpiep" buoy and finally reach the first Elbe fairway at "Norderelbe", the last section of our journey. We turn into the buoyed channel and then take the Luechterloch to the main fairway. Many cutters are underway here, in and next to the buoy line. Large ships also pass to the south. The Mittelplate drilling platform can be seen, then Neuwerk as a dark grey shadow on the milky horizon. The sea gets a little rougher, but the only bumps are when we encounter two container giants leaving the harbour and the "Rolling Swiss 2" bumps along in its steep bow wave.
Finally, we can make out the coast of Lower Saxony, the dyke line and the famous Kugelbake, Cuxhaven's landmark. We round the bow of the freighter "Yorktown Express", which is lying rather rustily on the seaward side of the pier, and enter the harbour of the sailing association. Shortly afterwards, we are moored alongside the guest jetty. The harbour is smart and offers plenty of space, so much the better. Even the sun comes out. We are on the home stretch, only the last leg upstream to Hamburg is still missing. The German Bight is behind us.
You can find the travel report "On to the beach" with more pictures, information about the area and a service section in BOOTE issue 05/2022 - available from newsagents from 20 April 2022 or online at Delius Klasing Shop.
