Last time we left you at KoffieBoonenPlaat with the tide going out and not much water under the keel. The local seal colony kept popping their heads up and looking at this strange lump of post industrial aluminium elegance perched on a sandbank. As the tide went out we discovered that the boat does indeed rest happily on the bottom as stated in the manual. The swim ladder allows access to the sand below and Bernie needs a bit of a lift to return to ship level after a walk.
Another boat was not so fortunate. We spotted it in the channel heading out to sea, but seemingly stopped and being pounded by the waves. Not a good spot to be on a falling tide. We called the coastguard who confirmed a lifeboat was on the way. They tried to pull it to deeper water and then gave up and waited for the tide to return.
We enjoyed the solitude and wildlife so much we decided to stay another day. As the wind was changing direction we used the high tide to turn the boat around. Unfortunately it got stuck half way round and the tidal current built sand on one side and dug out the other. We spent the next 6 hours on a 10 degree tilt, just like going upwind, without moving up wind.
We decided we had dried out enough and headed out to sea. Our previous track could be followed at high tide, but we got quite a surprise when we went aground in the middle of the marked channel. We guessed where the deeper water was and finally made it back to the North Sea and deeper water.
Our next stop was Borkum which we could access at any tide. It was a commercial harbour with lots of pilot boats, service vessels for the offshore wind mines and ferries. We found a spot next to a pilot boat and dashed to bar which was still open at 9:30pm. Having crossed into Germany, I could try my three German words, ‘Zwei bier bitte’. Worked a treat.
Next morning we left with the crews going to service the wind mines and headed to Nordeney our final Frisian Island stopover. On approach we could see lots of strange boxes spread over the beach, which we would later discover were German deckchairs arranged in ‘fields’ that could be booked using an online booking system.
The bikes were assembled for a ride to the main center. The cute Dutch houses were gone, replaced by a seaside concrete blocks catering to mostly German tourists shipped over from the mainland by ferry.
After a couple of nights on Nordeney and good wind in the forecast we headed for Cuxhaven, our last stop before entering the Kiel canal. We timed the tide so that it was almost with us almost all the way and arrived to take the last big boat berth in time for dinner at the marina restaurant. The tides can run quite spicey in the Elbe, so the next day we had time to search the town for a magnet for our magnet board, before taking the tide upriver to the Kiel entrance. There was a good sailing wind which was unfortunately against the tide making for somewhat bouncy conditions up the river as we dodged the container ships (somewhat bouncy = shaking the left over saw dust out of every nook and cranny of this still new boat). The hull of a small yacht could be seen all the way back to the keel as it became airborne over the short waves.
Once through the bouncy waves, we will head into the Kiel Canal for another inland trip. For an offshore sailing adventure vessel, Away has proven itself to be an excellent canal boat too!
