Tell me, Mr Thaden ...
... Do you often hook sailors?
We do indeed have leisure boats in tow from time to time, but also colleagues from time to time. It happens from time to time, even if it's not the fault of the people involved. The situation at sea is somewhat different to road traffic, where you can pull over for a moment. Out on the water, help usually has to be provided immediately so that an emergency situation doesn't get any worse.
Like the dramatic rescue operation in September between the Jade and Weser rivers, right?
Yes, there was a sailor drifting in the middle of the night, unable to manoeuvre in 20 knots of wind in the fairway, while at the same time a container giant, the "Magleby Maersk", was approaching. Bremen Rescue saw on the AIS that my cutter was the closest at a distance of three nautical miles and asked us to provide assistance. Of course, that was no question for us. We raised the nets and travelled to the distressed vessel as quickly as possible.
What happened next?
As the container ship was already too close to stop, Bremen Rescue clearly told us that we had 15 minutes to establish a towing connection in order to pull the boat out of the fairway. Otherwise we would have had to disembark the man and abandon the boat. We were able to pull the sailing boat to the edge of the shipping lane just in time.
What kind of fishing do you normally do?
We mainly catch North Sea prawns, and in the summer months we regularly go flatfish fishing around Heligoland.
Have you ever had anything different or unusual on the net in all these years?
Yes, lots of them! For example, wreckage, 200-year-old anchors, amber in all sizes, erratic blocks, toys and other lost goods from sea containers. But also bicycles, shopping trolleys and Euro pallets. We take the things that can't be recycled ashore to NABU. They have a project called Fishing for Litter. They then dispose of the rubbish from the sea properly. But we don't just catch any items, we also catch fish that don't belong in the North Sea. Some of them come from the Mediterranean. A few weeks ago, for example, I caught my first sea bream in the Weser - climate change sends its regards!
Are leisure captains actually too reckless?
Sometimes yes. There are of course many very good skippers. However, they often lack experience or knowledge of the area. Not everyone who has just passed their recreational boating licence test is a fully-fledged skipper. The same applies to people who haven't been on the water for years and then immediately want to make the Wadden Sea unsafe. Many misjudge themselves and put themselves in danger. I think there should be a practical certificate like in commercial shipping.
Do you have a sailing boat yourself?
Our family owns an old pirate on which my brother and I learnt to sail. However, due to time constraints, I now sail a sports motorboat when I'm not out fishing with my "Christine".
