Stuck in the Wadden Sea, Nordernay, Heligoland, Borkum, Amsterdam, Den Haag and more.
6 September 2025 · 20 min · 461 views · Norderney
What this video covers
Northern Brees, a cruising sailboat, navigates the Wadden Sea and the North Sea coast of Germany and the Netherlands during a late-season transit toward winter haul-out. The crew encounters challenging conditions in Norderney, where they tie to oyster-covered pilings and rely on fender boards to manage a 3.5-meter tidal range.6:24 While transiting to Borkum, the vessel grounds on a shifting sandbar during a falling tide but is successfully refloated after 30 minutes by a passing sailboat.8:15 The crew subsequently avoids shallow harbors, opting for an overnight 130-mile passage to Amsterdam to ensure sufficient depth.13:39 Throughout the journey, the crew manages low battery levels by hand-steering and utilizing solar and wind power.5:14 They also navigate heavy shipping traffic near Heligoland and utilize local rail transit in Borkum and Den Haag.1:23 The experience highlights the necessity of monitoring tidal charts and current-assisted routes when navigating the shallow, shifting channels of the Wadden Sea.
Boats in this video
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