Een club voor liefhebbers en/of bezitters van een zeiljacht van het Oostzeejol type Midget.
A week of "England"
Midgetsong 1998
Affliction or virus
German Sands
Razzle Dazzle
"The
Passage" 2003
From
Greetsiel to..
2350 seamiles against the
clock
From Greetsiel to Lauwersoog
by: Henk -Sfaeren- Brockhoff
translation: Win Hart Canada
After the Midget-reunion 2003, which ended in Den-Helder, I made an additional trip with the aim to visit the German West Frisian Island, together with my friend Bernard. As a result of persistant easterlies, that idea fell kind of flat; we never got any further than Borkum and Greetsiel. We did, however, have an enjoyable vacation, with the nicest weather imaginable. This is a report of the trip from Greetsiel to Lauwersoog.
"If you leave today, we'll stretch a chair across the harbour". Tempers flared in a discussion with a couple of sailors from Delfzijl, who, like ourselves, just found refuge in Greetsiel. Yesterday a warning had been issued for for northwest winds force 8 with gusts up to 10. For today west to northwest winds 7, diminishing to 6. I felt that that would be possible with our 20' Midget "Sfaeren", as long as we would stay out of the inlets. That's why we had intended to go to Delfzijl. In that case we should leave at about 2 hours before high tide, in order to cross the shallows between the Osterems and the Westereems. The most difficult stretch would be on the Westereems just before Eemshaven, because with a northwest wind and slackening tide seas tend to be very confused there.
Bernard did some last minute shopping and I was going to ask the crew of a boat from Delfzijl of what I should be especially watchful on this trip. On board I was met with nothing but amazement: "What kind of a boat've you got?" "What does your wife think of this?" I told them I did not have just a boat, but a Midget 20, but that did not seem to impress them in the least. I also told them that I was not sailing with my wife, but with a friend. "Hey buddy, at Eemshaven you're gonna get wallopped, even the pilotservices have been cancelled" In Delfzijl we have a saying: "The seas are piled high" One of the skippers had been at sea all his life and had been pilot on the Eems for many years. The women took a different tack; "You want a cup of coffee?" The moment I replied yes and accepted a piece of cake on top, I felt our planned journey slip through my fingers. Before I had finished my cake and coffee and had wound up the session in an agreeable manner, the tide would have run out.
An hour later, a German next to us, with a flawlessly outfitted steel yacht of about 10 meter, was getting ready to leave. "Woh gehen Sie hin? we asked. "Ach, zu Emshafen und zuruck." We were flabbergasted, but for us it was too late to leave after all. Such a trip with strong winds in unfamiliar waters requires the necessary preparations and if you have to do that in a hurry, there is a good chance that mistakes will be made. That afternoon we sent postcards. Not quite the adventure we had sought.
The next day though, we did depart, with considerably less wind: northwest 4. Nicely timed we crossed the shallows and everything went as planned. But as we appropached the Westereems we started to question our plans. Why go to Delfzijl? Can't we think of something more adventurous? Today would be the last day we'd sail together, because Bernards holidays were finished. Tomorrow he should be able to catch a train somewhere. Couldn't we take the outside passage to Lauwersoog? The charts out and calculate. So, don't turn left to Delfzijl on the Westereems, but to the right into the direction of Borkum and from there off shore. Once at sea you have to pass Rottummeroog, Rottummerplaat, Simonszand and Schiermonnikoog to finally turn in via the Westgat. Sure, in principle it is possible, but from Eenshaven we'd have to cover another 41 nautical miles and it is already 15:00 hours. The current appears favorable for the outside passage, because the tide is running out and in the neighbourhood of Borkum the current is running at at least 3 knots. When we approach the Westgat the tide should almost have turned so we get a following current into the direction Lauwersoog. The main channel is completely lit, so if it is getting late, that won't be a problem. And if it turns out that it is too rough at sea, we can always run with the turning tide to Delfzijl.
There was not much time for deliberation, because in the meantime we had arrived on the Westereems. At any rate, to keep both option open we started to sail into the direction of Borkum. That went so well that, after half an hour, we decided to carry on. The wind was NNW, a little on the nose, but because of the strong current we hardly had to tack. Once in the Hornsborngat we could sail. From there we reached the Huibertgat, which would be our course for the next 11 nautical miles. Once there, two surprises were awaiting us. In the first place we did not find the buoys that were indicated on the chart. I had a new 2003 chart and in addition I had kept records of the Notices to Mariners until the day of our departure. It really throws you off if you see a bouy other than the one on the chart. Out there that is no small matter because a couple of hundred meters to the north we saw huge waves on the Ballonplaat. They look like dunes, only they move. If you end up there, it is game over. A little nervous I asked via the VHF on channel 16 for clarification. The Coastguard referred us to the tower of Schiermonnikoog, were we were put at ease. Apperantly the buoyage in the Huibertgat was replaced by a mid-channel buoyage. An obvious advantage because those high red-white sparbouys are more visible at a distance than the regular buoys, especially in heavy seas. A positive surprise was that in the Huibertgat we had a much stronger following current than what I had read in the currentatlas, certainly 3 knots. Actually, the currentatlasses of the Waddenzee could afford a little more information about the currents just above the islands, as they are of immense importance when planning trips off shore.
The wind abated to force 3, but because of the current we still made almost 5 knots as measured on the GPS, so over the bottom. At 20:15 hours we had reached the entrancebuoy of Huibertsgat. From there we headed for the entrancebuoy of the Westgat. But then suddenly the GPS gives up the ghost. All the screens work normally, but it doesn't recognize any satellites. Corrosion in the antenna connection? No,nothing. So we go on without GPS. On the charts we calculate the distance to the next buoy. Although it is only one mile ahead,it is impossible to make it out because of the high swell and because a Midget 20 rides rather low in the water. The main and the jib wing to wing are making searching for it very difficult, especially with binoculars. Are we heading for trouble? At the entrancebuoy we noticed that the current was still running westerly, but how strong is that now? Isn't there a danger we might run aground on those dangerous shoals of the Plaatgat west of the Westgat?
Slight panic, but we are keeping our wits about it. Here you cannot permit yourself to make any mistakes. With the handbearing compass we get a range on the lighthouse of Schiermonnikoog and we learn that there still is no danger of grounding on those shoals. The depthsounder indicates 10 meter and just to be safe we decide to keep to the east and head for the lighthouse until a 5 meter reading or until we see surf somewhere or strange wave action. In the meantime dusk has set in and suddenly, among the waves, we see a red flashing light. That can't be anything else but the buoy we were seeking, because according to the chart that is the only flashing light in the area and lights on ships do not flash. A quarter of an hour later, when we are able to read the number on the buoy, we are sure. Upon reflection we learn that our search has taken a full hour, as I conclude from the daily log. From the buoy we can see the water running inward, so we still have a following current. That's correct, because it is now 21:30 hours, one hour after low tide Lauwersoog.
Slowly it is getting dark and that presents a new problem. Which light is which buoy? An unlighted channel is awful, but too many lights aren't everthing either. At least five green and five red buoys are visible. The blinking lights are easily discernable, but with those waves it is not easy to distinguish between the flashing and occulting lights. And then they also have different time periods, which in itself is useful of course, but if you don't concentrate acutely, you soon loose track. It's like a midway. To top it off you have to change to a different chart, which confuses the issue. We follow the proven method: I read the charts and look for the buoy and Bernard is at the tiller. On the chart I notice that the Westgat runs in a wide turn to the left and I decide that it will work well if we keep a bearing on the buoy closest to our right. It stands to reason that we keep a close eye on the depthsounder, because an error is easily made. The range for Lauwersoog, the Zoutkamperlaag, starts at the end of the Westgat. As we get there the wind is virtually gone and we decide to furl the sails and to continue by motor. In the meantime it is 23:00 hours and we call it a day. Without additional problems we dock at 0:30 hours in Lauwersoog were we relax a little and prepare a warm meal at our leisure: fusili with mushrooms, pesto, cherry tomatoes and a glass or white wine. We feel we've earned that. At 2:30 we crawl into our sleeping bags.
The distance from Greetsiel to Lauwersoog is 51 nautical miles, which took us 12 hours. Until Borkum we regularily saw sailboats, but after that it grew quiet. In the Huibertgat we still encountered three sailors, but from the entrancebuoy until Lauwersoog, not a soul, not even fishermen. Long live wide open spaces, silence and solitude.
