Avoiding Legerwall: What skippers can learn from the groundings off Norderney
Off the coast of Norderney is Another sailor has run aground. On the evening of Sunday 26 July 2026, a Polish solo sailor ran his yacht aground on a groyne at Nordstrand. Several risk factors converged at the time: rising water levels, a lateral tidal current towards the beach, north-westerly gusts of up to 6 to 7 on the Beaufort scale, and poor visibility. This incident is a prime example of why Legerwall is so dangerous: anyone who checks their course deviation, distance and break-off point too late will have virtually no margin for manoeuvre when facing a leeward coast.
How to avoid getting stuck in a snowdrift or how to free yourself from one
- Lee instead of Luv: Where possible, always choose the leeward coast. If anything goes wrong, this gives you more time to adapt to the new situation.
- Plan B: If there’s no alternative but to sail close to the wind along a coastline – for example, through narrow shallow-water passages – always have a Plan B or even a Plan C in mind – and make sure the crew are aware of them.
- Taking currents into account: Passing a windward coast with concentration and foresight – the slightest mishap can lead to disaster in the blink of an eye. If, on the other hand, currents go unnoticed, this can have serious consequences.
- Anchor ready to be dropped: A modern and sufficiently heavy anchor should be on board and ready to be dropped. This buys time in an emergency.
- Weight and long chain: If you only have a light anchor to hand, tie additional weights to the anchor or the chain. A long anchor chain also adds weight and flattens the angle of pull.
- Chain and lead: Always secure the anchor chain to the boat with a line so that it can be cut quickly and easily if necessary. The line also acts as a shock absorber and protects the boat.
- Small sails, greater safety: It is easier to tack with the mainsail reefed and a small headsail. You should therefore reduce the sail area in good time as the wind picks up.
- Keep the sails ready to hoist: Don’t rely solely on the engine. If it fails unexpectedly, you must be able to set the sails in a flash.
- Sparks: It’s better to call the sea rescue services sooner rather than later. The safest way to do this is by radio. Especially as other vessels in the vicinity will then be able to hear the call and come to your aid.
Legerwall – What does that actually mean?
The term ‘Legerwall’ describes a dangerous situation in which a vessel, as a result of onshore winds, ground swells or strong currents, drifts ever closer to a leeward coast and thereby runs the risk of running aground, unless it can cross away from the coast or gain distance using its engine. Even whilst at anchor, it is possible for a vessel to end up in a ‘Legerwall’ situation following a change in wind direction and increasing wind speeds. This can happen, for example, if the distance to all sides of a bay has not been adequately calculated, or if the anchor breaks loose.
For the historic tall ships, with their imposing superstructures and characteristic square-rigging, the Legerwall posed a particularly high risk, as they presented a large wind-catching surface and did not have good tacking capabilities. Furthermore, the navigational methods available for determining precise positions were much more limited in the past than they are today. Consequently, the German and Danish west coasts, for example, with their offshore islands, sandbanks and reefs, became a deadly trap for countless ships.
Nowadays, the dangers lie elsewhere. For example, when the helmsman of a yacht focuses solely on the next buoy, without ever glancing astern. Depending on the drift caused by wind and current, the vessel then gradually drifts further and further out of the fairway – which may go unnoticed for a long time. In such a case, we refer to the notorious ‘dog’s curve’, as illustrated in the diagram below.
Dangerous situations can arise that quickly
September 2021: A single-handed skipper, with sails set, races towards the southern approach buoy off Marstal in a 22-knot south-westerly wind. The wind is too good not to savour it for as long as possible. Just before the buoy, the mainsail comes down and the engine is started. With the genoa up and the engine running, he luffs up and sets a half-wind course. “At the second pair of buoys, I started to furl the furling genoa,” recalls the sailor. “That’s when the mishap happened: The reefing line jammed, and in the next moment the sheet, whose eight-knot knot had come undone, shot out. It didn’t just end up in the water, but straight into the propeller!” Immediately, his boat was driven, unable to manoeuvre, onto the shallows to leeward.
The skipper reacts quickly and drops the stern anchor, which he always keeps within easy reach. This enables him to prevent his boat from running aground, which could have serious consequences. Only the front part of the keel has already dug slightly into the silt. The rudder, however, which is aligned with the anchor, is still floating freely in the water. Time to catch our breath – and to radio the volunteers from the Danish Sea Rescue Society (DSRS).
So this precarious situation does, after all, turn out well in the end. However, that is not always the case. Recently, there have been an increasing number of incidents in which yachts have run aground and become stuck, or even stranded, sometimes with disastrous consequences for the vessel and its crew.
Causes of ‘Legerwall’ situations: inexperienced skippers and overconfidence
Ulf Kaspera, Director of the Federal Bureau of Maritime Accident Investigation (BSU), confirmed as early as 2023 that the majority of reported recreational boating accidents are attributable to mooring walls. “Particularly during the COVID-19 boom and the associated rise in the number of inexperienced skippers, there was a significant increase in groundings and strandings. Many boat skippers had either not been out on the water for a long time, or they had overestimated their abilities after buying their first boat or having just obtained their recreational boat licence.”
As well as overestimating one’s abilities, a lack of preparation, unfamiliarity with the area and technical failure are the most common causes.
Every year, there are numerous strandings on the leeward coasts of Germany and Denmark. One A curious case made the headlines in mid-September 2022, when a Russian man washed ashore on the North Sea coast of Jutland, was looked after by German tourists and eventually applied for asylum in Denmark. His original plan had been to sail to North America.
In 2026, there were once again strandings along the German coast. This is particularly evident from a series of incidents off Norderney: on 26 July, a Polish sailing boat ran aground at Nordstrand on a groyne, just a few weeks earlier, a Dutch skipper had already run aground there with his eight-metre-long sailing boat. These incidents do not necessarily share the same cause, but they do highlight the same underlying problem: in a narrow, fast-flowing stretch of water, with the wind coming from the sea and little leeward clearance, there is hardly any time to make course corrections.
Straits such as the Norderneyer Riffgat therefore require careful preparation. Even a slight lateral deviation can be enough to take a boat out of the safe channel. Regular position checks, back-bearing checks on buoys already passed, and a clear point at which to abort the passage are not optional extras there, but part of good seamanship.
Minor problems can trigger a chain reaction
But even experienced crews can be caught out when, for example, in strong winds, what starts as a minor technical glitch triggers an unfortunate chain reaction that spirals out of control. At this year’s Golden Globe Race, the sailor who had been at the helm for 30 hours and a completely exhausted Guy deBoer Whilst passing Fuerteventura, he fatally decided to sail along the windward side of the coast. Apparently exhausted, he fell asleep – only to run aground on a rock a short time later. He was almost thrown overboard on impact. The 66-year-old, who was ultimately rescued unharmed, was self-critical in hindsight: “It was a bad decision not to sail past Fuerteventura on the leeward side. I paid dearly for it!”
Port entrances can become an obstacle
Harbour entrances, too, can turn into veritable cauldrons when onshore winds cause high, breaking waves and strong cross-currents. This led to a disastrous yacht accident off Rimini in Italy in 2017, when a Bavaria 50 was hurled onto the rocky jetty. Four crew members were swept overboard and drowned, whilst the vessel’s keel, rig and rudder were broken. A fierce Bora with winds of over 40 knots had taken the otherwise experienced crew by surprise, prompting them to decide, with radio support from shore, to head for the harbour. However, a combination of engine failure and a headsail that would not unfurl then led to the disaster.
The German training yacht “Meri Tuuli”, an X-Yachts 442, also met with disaster whilst approaching a harbour in 2013. The crew had attempted to reach Figueira da Foz in Portugal in onshore winds. However, a high wave from astern caused the boat to heel over, and the mast snapped. During the subsequent rescue operation, a police officer and a crew member who had already been rescued lost their lives after a RIB that had rushed to their aid also capsized. The yacht and the RIB were later washed up on the beach. The images from that time still send a cold shiver down your spine today.
However, the danger does not lurk only in distant waters such as the Adriatic or the Atlantic. Even in the Baltic Sea, there are harbour entrances which, in rough seas, become an obstacle that should not be underestimated. In Kolberg, Poland, for example, where the harbour entrance is situated at a river mouth, huge shock absorbers have been fitted to the long jetty to prevent the worst from happening. Essentially, however, any harbour entrance – or indeed any approach – can turn out to be a challenging manoeuvre in adverse weather conditions. You should therefore always be well prepared.
Bold manoeuvres, an optimal approach angle that takes wind, waves and currents into account, and good timing are the key requirements for reaching a safe berth in the harbour without sustaining any damage. The entire crew must also be briefed and secured with lifejackets and safety lines.
Some harbours are closed in certain weather conditions, or come with an explicit recommendation that, if at all, they should only be entered with the utmost caution. If in doubt, it is safer to ride out the storm on the open sea and wait for better conditions. Alternatively, you may have to accept a longer route in order to head for a more accessible harbour.
A thunderstorm front in August 2022 demonstrated that even anchoring or mooring to a supposedly safe mooring buoy can turn into a nightmare when offshore winds pick up. This front had swept in from the west, passing over Corsica towards northern Italy, and had cleared entire bays. Numerous yachts ended up among the rocks and on the beaches.
Almost the same thing happened in Croatia in 2026 in the event of a sudden power cut.
Does the insurance cover damage caused by Legerwall?
It is almost impossible to protect oneself against such an unannounced severe cyclone; that is a force majeure event. However, if onshore winds that are growing in strength are forecast and the skipper fails to take adequate action, there is a risk not only of losing the vessel but also, subsequently, of potential trouble with the insurance company. Charter skippers risk forfeiting their security deposit, and they must even expect to face a claim for compensation from the charterer’s hull insurance. This can quickly add up to enormous sums.
Good skipper’s liability insurance, which also covers gross negligence – and, of course, careful seamanship – will protect you from such situations. After all, when in doubt, it’s also a matter of your own safety and that of the crew. As well as assessing the weather forecast, this involves finding a safe anchorage, checking the anchoring gear and organising anchor watches.
When sailing off a leeward coast, on the other hand, it is important to maintain as much distance from the coast as possible. To do this, you must familiarise yourself with the area beforehand and exercise due care both at the chart table whilst navigating and at the helm whilst steering. Otherwise, it is easy to overlook shoals or coastal currents – which can be dangerous.
Even greater caution is required when there is no room to manoeuvre due to narrow shipping channels. This is the case, for example, in areas with numerous islands, such as the Danish South Sea. Or in the North Sea, in the Seegatten area between the Wadden Islands. There, tidal currents further complicate matters.
The anchor is the last resort
It is therefore advisable, if you can see that you are running low, to keep the engine running so that you can react as flexibly as possible at all times. And be careful with all the lines: if one falls into the water and gets caught in the propeller, you’ll quickly find yourself in the same situation as the skipper in the case described at the start. Often, the only last resort is to quickly drop an anchor, which will hopefully hold the boat in place before it runs aground.
Before carrying out an emergency anchoring manoeuvre of this kind, one should, of course, try to manoeuvre out of the dangerous situation. The sails should therefore always be ready to be hoisted quickly, in case they have previously been stowed whilst under engine power, for example.
In strong winds, however, these measures are unnecessary, and the only option is to radio the coastguard. You shouldn’t wait too long to do this either.
Morten Strauch
Editor News & Panorama