Stormy Surprise

As we left the harbour on Helgoland to refuel, the temperature warning began to sound on the engine.  So, we quickly turned it off to check for the problem. With half the crew working on the engine and half tacking as slow as we could in the outer harbour, we discovered a small crack in the pipe that carries the engine coolant so problem found, and, with a bit of duct tape, problem temporarily solved until we can get to a larger town to replace the tube.

Setting off from Helgoland with the wind from behind and waves from the side, we made good speed to the middle of the German Bight, when, before us the sky began to darken ominously. We had expected a bit of rain in the night, but, as thunderstorms are so unpredictable, we were surprised to see the majority of the coast begin to light up with flashes of lightning. As the spectacular light show was still so far away we were able to admire it on calm and silent seas while we prepared the crew for the likelihood of needing to ride out the storm if it decided to make its way off land into the sea.

As the cloud cover continued to darken before us and the storm appeared to approach, we saw a dark gray band in the clouds before us which we accurately predicted was full of rain. Having just the right time to put on our rain gear and take down the foresail, we pulled the main in to reduce speed as the wind increased.

With Hauke at the helm and Charlotte ready at the main sheet to help relieve pressure on the rudder if needed we held course at 120 degrees on the wind which increased to gale force and ended up carrying us in a small circle at 7nm even with our efforts to reduce speed.

Out of the thick of the storm, the endless flashes of lightning, and the downpour that made it difficult to see past the bow of the boat, we were thankful to have our AIS still intact to help keep us from harm as we watched the storm move away and were left to bounce about in the shipping channel as the wind lulled.

With luck, we found enough wind to carry us out of the channel with the rising sun. As the morning wore on the wind increased to a moderate breeze and we stayed on a fairly close course to arrive on Borkum, the last of the German Frisian island on the border with the Netherlands, around noon.

Spending a day on Borkum, we rented bikes to travel the 7km from the harbour to the town to see the old lighthouses and seals on the beach. We also took advantage of our last opportunity to exchange a gas bottle in Germany.

Leaving Borkum with the outgoing evening tide and a moderate breeze from the northwest, we made our way out from between the islands and sandbanks to continue down the coast with the wind changing to north.

Sailing through the night so close to the summer solstice was lovely with only about one hour of semi-darkness before it starts to get light again. We sailed past a large fleet of fishing boats as we made our way back between the islands and into the channel to the lock to enter the IJsselmeer. The wind and rain picked up to a strong breeze just as we entered the waiting area for the turning bridge and lock and we ended up bumping the quayside on port midships, leaving a sizeable dent but nothing that can't be fixed with a bit of Epoxy filler or an awful lot of banging on the inside of the hull.

Passing into the IJsselmeer, we make way for the first harbour, Makkum, and take advantage of the many amenities at this large marina, including the laundry facilities, something that has proven to be a challenge to find in the past years.  We also enjoy seeing all of the flat-bottomed ships famous from this inland bay and the tidal flats of the Wadden Sea.