Norderney and Waddenzee

[island163]

We are on our way to the Baltic, currently in the Dutch canals. In the next week we will be on passage from Delfzijl to Norderney and then on to Cuxhaven. We know the channels in the Waddenzee have changed as well as the channel in to Norderney but can't find a source to say what they have changed to, would anyone have that information to hand or know where to look?

Thanks
Paul

 

[Tidewaiter2]

There is a Dutch Hydrography website with this on, plus a very very good branch of a chain chandlers in the middle of Scheveningen-Vrolink Watersport, Treilerweg 65
2583 DB Scheveningen phone +31 70 416 8282, email scheveningen@vrolijjk.nl, who may be able to help if wifi links poor.

BTW, if going into Borkum and using the YC pontoons(recommended!) not Port Henri, make sure Jackie & Heinko, the Club Stewards, gets some English/Scottish books to swop with you!
Give them our regards-Club very helpful about latest Friesian pilotage tips. Expect to go 'ploughing' at some stage anyway

 

[johnalison]

On the passage to Norderney, I'm sure you know that you need to follow the marks and not the charted soundings. The best time to leave Delfzyl is a couple of hours before LW, and then anchor in calm water before the first shallow patch to wait for the tide. With luck, there will be a local boat to lead the way, but you need to get a move on to keep the tide most of the way. There should be free fingers in Norderney at this time of year and the HMs are very helpful. Good eating at the marina club.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Whatever you do, don't follow a mysterious German with a beautiful daughter in his yacht if he offers to guide you. He'll lead you into danger and then leave you to your fate, mark my words.

 

[vyv_cox]

A couple of weeks ago I read that the seaward channel at Nordeney was closed, completely silted over by winter storms. May have been resolved by now but worth checking before you commit yourself. When we left Nordeney harbour going west, there was a NW force 6 blowing. Waves were breaking right across the channel out to sea and we continued through the wats.

 

[AliM]

We did exactly that trip about 10 days ago. Well, actually, we did the Borkum to Nordeney bit behind the islands, so not exactly. We are now in Denmark. It was all totally straightforward. The tracks were almost exactly the same as last year. As Viv says, follow buoys not any waypoints or charts, but I doubt anything has moved. If in doubt, talk to the harbourmaster in Nordeney. In Borkum, go to the Burkana haven inside the large commercial harbour, not the silted up marina.

 

[Joker]

I went into Nordeney about a month ago. Had heard about the silting of the Schluster so chickened out and went round by the Dovetief. Not too much of a diversion.
It can be daunting in strong on shore winds - and you need good visibility.
In Borkum, the Burkana is the better bet, although it is not all that yacht friendly.

 

[island163]

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses. We met several boats in Delfzijl going to Norderney so in the end there was a convoy doing the inside route. We left Delfzijl two hours before LW and made our way to Emshorn where we just had to anchor for 30 minutes while we waited for a bit more depth, the shallowest bit was just after buoys O35B and O35A where we probably only had 5 cm under the keel, perhaps should have waited another 30 minutes ;-) The deepest draught yacht that went that way had a draught of 1.8m and had no problems but just waited longer.

Nordeney was an interesting place to visit which is fortunate as we had to wait for a couple of days for the sea to calm down after it had been blowing a NW Force 7. Some boats came in from the outside during that period and they said it was horrible. When we went we left Nordeney the sea was much calmer and the channel out did not have breaking waves in it. On the recommendation of the HM we left at 2 hours before LW and after punching the tide for a few hours we had a fair tide for the rest of the passage to Brunsbuttel including periods in the Elbe with a SOG of over 10 knots so the 80 mile passage took just under 12 hours. We were originally going to go to Cuxhaven and then Brunsbuttel the next day but all the Dutch sailors we met in Nordeney said not to bother as it was easy to get to Brunsbuttel in one hit and they were right. We did have to wait for 2 hours to lock in at Brunsbuttel because they were only using the big new locks and in the end we had 10 yachts and a container ship in one lock together which was interesting.

From Brunsbuttel we went to Rendsburg and have left our yacht there for a couple of weeks.

 

[johnalison]

Glad to hear that all went well. Your Dutch friends are right about going on to Brunsbuttel, though Cuxhaven is not a bad stopover in the other direction. An alternative that we have used is to stop at Cuxhaven and then go to Rendsberg the next day, which is nicer than Brunsbuttel. Our record for waiting is also 2 hours too!

 

[BoyBlue49]

Whatever you do, don't follow a mysterious German with a beautiful daughter in his yacht if he offers to guide you. He'll lead you into danger and then leave you to your fate, mark my words.

That was wasted on this illiterate lot, interesting book considering it was written before WW1. I enjoyed reading it having sailed in the area.

 

[Dockhead]

We are on our way to the Baltic, currently in the Dutch canals. In the next week we will be on passage from Delfzijl to Norderney and then on to Cuxhaven. We know the channels in the Waddenzee have changed as well as the channel in to Norderney but can't find a source to say what they have changed to, would anyone have that information to hand or know where to look?

Thanks
Paul

Note that the current Reed's Atlas has the berthing in Borkum wrong. In the main harbour, there is supposed to be yacht berthing along one of the commercial pontoons. There is not.

There is supposed to be NO visitor berthing at the yacht club. This is false. There are a couple of spots alongside and a fair bit of bows-to mooring on short fingers at the yacht club, with a friendly Scottish lady managing it, and very cheap.

Keep in mind however that there is no infrastructure at all within walking distance, and Borkum is not a good stopover if you are passing around the outside of the Friesian Islands (not the OP's case, I realize), as you have to make your way 10 miles West and over Borkum Riff before you can carry on East.

 

[Dockhead]

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses. We met several boats in Delfzijl going to Norderney so in the end there was a convoy doing the inside route. We left Delfzijl two hours before LW and made our way to Emshorn where we just had to anchor for 30 minutes while we waited for a bit more depth, the shallowest bit was just after buoys O35B and O35A where we probably only had 5 cm under the keel, perhaps should have waited another 30 minutes ;-) The deepest draught yacht that went that way had a draught of 1.8m and had no problems but just waited longer.

Nordeney was an interesting place to visit which is fortunate as we had to wait for a couple of days for the sea to calm down after it had been blowing a NW Force 7. Some boats came in from the outside during that period and they said it was horrible. When we went we left Nordeney the sea was much calmer and the channel out did not have breaking waves in it. On the recommendation of the HM we left at 2 hours before LW and after punching the tide for a few hours we had a fair tide for the rest of the passage to Brunsbuttel including periods in the Elbe with a SOG of over 10 knots so the 80 mile passage took just under 12 hours. We were originally going to go to Cuxhaven and then Brunsbuttel the next day but all the Dutch sailors we met in Nordeney said not to bother as it was easy to get to Brunsbuttel in one hit and they were right. We did have to wait for 2 hours to lock in at Brunsbuttel because they were only using the big new locks and in the end we had 10 yachts and a container ship in one lock together which was interesting.

From Brunsbuttel we went to Rendsburg and have left our yacht there for a couple of weeks.

I found Cuxhaven to be a great stopover, with very good and cheap berthing at the LCF marina, good rail connections to Hamburg, and great provisioning at the Real hypermarket. We sailed from Cuxhaven all the way to Bruensbuettel, locked through, and got halfway through the Canal in one easy day.

There are a few great places to stop in the Kiel Canal, but berthing limited to one night other than (IIRC) at Bruensbuettel.

 

[Dockhead]

A couple of weeks ago I read that the seaward channel at Nordeney was closed, completely silted over by winter storms. May have been resolved by now but worth checking before you commit yourself. When we left Nordeney harbour going west, there was a NW force 6 blowing. Waves were breaking right across the channel out to sea and we continued through the wats.

I was there in early May and the channel was fine, just as charted. In a NW F6 (or F7, like when we were there), it is a washing machine, very hard going.

 

[dancrane]

Whatever you do, don't follow a mysterious German with a beautiful daughter in his yacht if he offers to guide you. He'll lead you into danger and then leave you to your fate, mark my words.

I only looked at this thread because I saw the name Norderney, and recalled Michael York's Carruthers, exasperatedly correcting the pronounciation by McCorkindale's Davies.

The film adaptation was a long way short of Childers' novel but retained plenty of atmosphere. I've never been across the North Sea, but the idea of encountering those ghostly fogs, sands and islands in a timber centreboarder is to a large extent responsible for why I like sailing - and traditional boats. A sort of Swallows and Amazons for grown-ups.

 

[Sire]

I only looked at this thread because I saw the name Norderney,

Same here, for the same reasons!

 

[johnalison]

I found Cuxhaven to be a great stopover, with very good and cheap berthing at the LCF marina, good rail connections to Hamburg, and great provisioning at the Real hypermarket. We sailed from Cuxhaven all the way to Bruensbuettel, locked through, and got halfway through the Canal in one easy day.

There are a few great places to stop in the Kiel Canal, but berthing limited to one night other than (IIRC) at Bruensbuettel.

Although I wouldn't go out of my way to go to Cuxhaven, I have spent nearly a week there quite happily on one occasion, waiting for the weather. You need to get a berth as far in as possible to get out of the swell, but otherwise, it is comfortable. It is something of a resort in the season and the harbour area is quite lively. There is a man by the river who broadcasts the details of passing ships to those nearby, like the cabin at Rendsberg. Last year, I found the fish dock, where there are some fish restaurants that look worth exploring, though I didn't get the chance. There is also a decent chandler not too far away and the marina club serves good food.