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Through the Wadden Sea. Part 7. Wangerooge – Norderney
The fuel question
9 August 2025. All thirty litres from the cans had gone into the forty-litre tank yesterday. Refuelling soon, then.
Left at ten, three hours before high water. Boats on both sides made departure difficult. We pulled back on a line to angle the stern forty-five degrees. Thankfully, neighbours helped.
Along the banks
Between Wangerooge and Spiekeroog, depths fall to half a metre. Chart and buoys don’t always agree. Carefully along the red marks, then safely offshore. Light south-westerly, clear sky. Motor-sailing, course set, autopilot on, shirts off in the cockpit.
Minimum goal Spiekeroog, maximum Norderney. Constant checks of speed, ETA and tide tables. Norderney looked reachable. A quiet passage: one island astern, another ahead, again and again.
Thirty-one miles in six and a half hours.
Arrival and the diesel dilemma
Norderney’s jobs: diesel, water, route. €20 berth. Fuel? The harbourmaster said cans only, B7 only — biofuel blend. Not what I wanted.
Rolls and water at Edeka’s tables. Google Maps, ChatGPT, Navionics open. The last bio-free diesel was Cuxhaven; nearest GTL, gas-to-liquid, Lauwersoog in the Netherlands.
Back aboard, neighbours offered a gift of advice: enter via Delfzijl, pass Groningen, emerge at Lauwersoog. Possible in a day, mast up, no concern about wind in the canals. Inspiring: canals had long been a dream. Just a red-white-blue courtesy flag needed. The harbourmaster had one, €5. The Netherlands it would be!
Town and festival
Evening promenade. Dozens of hares in a field, horses grazing with more hares round their legs. A funny sight. Wine festival in the centre, welcome German sausages. Sunset along the waterfront: cafés, restaurants, easy festive bustle. Cosy.
East Frisian tea
I bought rock sugar, a local speciality. East Frisia has a famous tea culture. Legend says Hitler tried switching Germany to coffee, but the Frisians protested so fiercely he left them alone. True or not, an interesting story.
The ritual: strong Assam and Darjeeling, poured over rock sugar in the cup, a layer of cream gently added. Never stir. Drink the layers: cream, bitter tea, sweetness. Above all, three cups. Frisians accept no fewer.
#passage
The fuel question
9 August 2025. All thirty litres from the cans had gone into the forty-litre tank yesterday. Refuelling soon, then.
Left at ten, three hours before high water. Boats on both sides made departure difficult. We pulled back on a line to angle the stern forty-five degrees. Thankfully, neighbours helped.
Along the banks
Between Wangerooge and Spiekeroog, depths fall to half a metre. Chart and buoys don’t always agree. Carefully along the red marks, then safely offshore. Light south-westerly, clear sky. Motor-sailing, course set, autopilot on, shirts off in the cockpit.
Minimum goal Spiekeroog, maximum Norderney. Constant checks of speed, ETA and tide tables. Norderney looked reachable. A quiet passage: one island astern, another ahead, again and again.
Thirty-one miles in six and a half hours.
Arrival and the diesel dilemma
Norderney’s jobs: diesel, water, route. €20 berth. Fuel? The harbourmaster said cans only, B7 only — biofuel blend. Not what I wanted.
Rolls and water at Edeka’s tables. Google Maps, ChatGPT, Navionics open. The last bio-free diesel was Cuxhaven; nearest GTL, gas-to-liquid, Lauwersoog in the Netherlands.
Back aboard, neighbours offered a gift of advice: enter via Delfzijl, pass Groningen, emerge at Lauwersoog. Possible in a day, mast up, no concern about wind in the canals. Inspiring: canals had long been a dream. Just a red-white-blue courtesy flag needed. The harbourmaster had one, €5. The Netherlands it would be!
Town and festival
Evening promenade. Dozens of hares in a field, horses grazing with more hares round their legs. A funny sight. Wine festival in the centre, welcome German sausages. Sunset along the waterfront: cafés, restaurants, easy festive bustle. Cosy.
East Frisian tea
I bought rock sugar, a local speciality. East Frisia has a famous tea culture. Legend says Hitler tried switching Germany to coffee, but the Frisians protested so fiercely he left them alone. True or not, an interesting story.
The ritual: strong Assam and Darjeeling, poured over rock sugar in the cup, a layer of cream gently added. Never stir. Drink the layers: cream, bitter tea, sweetness. Above all, three cups. Frisians accept no fewer.
#passage
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