The second part of the cruise report read here.
The blades of marram grass bend down to the ground. The south-westerly wind whistles over the kneeling sand, driving white clouds of sand grains before it. Without a flap of their wings, hundreds of seagulls float along the Amrum coast carried by the updraft.
Cosily blown in on Amrum
We've been here on the North Frisian island for days now, and not entirely by choice. "The south-west is gripping us tight" - that's what the Frisians call it. Blown in. We actually wanted to set a southerly course long ago. But it's not just the wind that calls the shots in this area - you could tame it with one or two reefs. It's the tide that has the last word here.
Amrum's marina is just a few minutes' walk from the centre of Wittdün, with cafés, restaurants and shopping facilities. It is part of the Seezeichenhafen harbour and is operated by the Amrum Yacht Club. Up to 40 guest boats moor alongside the floating jetty to the north at a water depth of around two metres; the entire interior of the jetty then falls dry and consists of soft silt. Electricity and water are available at the jetty, the harbour master's office (Tel. 0171/ 717 21 22, a-y-c.de) and the sanitary facilities in the Seefahrerhus restaurant.
Planning in the Blue Mouse
If you want to get out of the Amrumer Rütergat when the water is running out, you will encounter the full force of the sea: "Wind against current - there's a steep wave straight away," confirms Onno Lorenzen, a former fisherman. "You really don't want to be out there." We meet him in the Blaue Maus, the legendary Amrum island pub that has been a refuge for decades - for wind refugees, sailors and landlubbers.
Grog, malt whisky, sailor's yarns and music from the good old days - for a while, the wind outside the door seems forgotten. "It's better to stay put in this shitty weather," growls Onno. "And bolting against the wind isn't much fun either." This would avoid the dangerous situation of wind against current, but we would also have the wind plus tidal current with up to three knots on the nose.
A weather window opens
Fellow sailor and app tactician Finn is constantly checking wind and tide data on his mobile phone - and has discovered a weather window for us: "We're leaving two hours before high tide," he announces. "It won't be a dream trip, but we'll get out of here," he promises us.
With a reefed mainsail and engine assistance through the Gatt out into the North Sea. Sounds like a plan. And since high tide is at four o'clock in the morning, it's time to go: Off to the bunk. Onno also gives us his blessing: "What goes, comes, men. Have a good trip!" Even if he will certainly miss our generous on-board cash box at the bar.
Pricking in the spotlight
The rhythm of the tide sets the pace in the Wadden Sea. This can be annoying - but it also leads to unusually beautiful experiences that crews outside the tidal flats can only have if they can overcome their inner bastard. The alarm clock rings at 3.30 am. Out of the sleeping bag, head torches on, lines cast off.
We use the searchlight to find the prick-marked fairway in the Priel, which curves along the coast. Even at low tide, there should be just under two metres of water here - enough for our boat, but little room for error. To starboard, the floodlit ferry terminal lies deserted and silent. We push out into the Rütergat.
As if from another world
Before the turn-off to the Gatt, the fairway buoy 26 flashes our course, the next one remains hidden in the dark until the beam of our handheld spotlight also catches this floating sea mark. Everything is going according to plan. We follow the channel hard on the wind in a very stiff breeze, reefed and with engine assistance, the rising tide has already lost some of its force.
The white fingers of light from the beacons of Amrum and Süderoogsand fly across the night sky, the sound of the surf on the sands mingles with the call of the seabirds. A scene as if from another world - raw, beautiful, almost mystical.
As the current capsizes, the wave formation changes and becomes steep and rough like a mogul slope. But we are already far enough out and approaching the approach buoy. Behind us lie the Gatt and sandbanks, in front of us the long swell of the North Sea rolls and the wind plays its songs in the rigging. We've made it.
Below deck, the watchmen are brewing strong coffee, on deck its aromatic scent mingles with the spray of the overcoming sea. The helmsman grins into the first rays of the morning sun. Aft, Amrum merges with the horizon - beautiful, unpretentious, defiant against all weathers.
Review: Start of cruise on Sylt
North of Amrum lies Sylt - the largest North Frisian island, 33 kilometres of beaches and the finest dunes. Like a fragile breakwater, it protects the west coast of the northernmost federal state, while storms and currents gnaw away at its beaches. Up to two million cubic metres of sand return to the North Sea every year, are dredged up again and washed up on the coast - fodder for the next storm. Sisyphus sends his regards. A better method of securing the island has not yet been found.
Hörnum is located in the very south of Sylt and has a marina that can be approached almost independently of the tide via the buoyed fore-tide. This is where we started our trip. The harbour is owned by the federal government. Parts of the non-leased area appear to be in need of renovation. The area managed by the Sylt Yacht Club with floating docks, on the other hand, is in good condition.
The water depth is 1.9 to 2.5 metres and there are 80 berths available. Electricity and water are available at the jetties, as well as modern sanitary facilities, free Wi-Fi, a washing machine and tumble dryer and diesel at the boat fuelling station. The clubhouse and showers are modern. The harbour office can be contacted on 04651/ 88 02 74, VHF channel 11, hafenbuero@sylter-yachtclub.de.
Hörnum itself has made significant visual and culinary improvements in recent years: Stylish restaurants invite you to dine in the dunes, while the Budersand Hotel offers an excellent gourmet restaurant right by the harbour. And the striking lighthouse watches over everything.
Amrum and Föhr are within sight
From here, Amrum and Föhr are within sight - deceptively close: "The direct course to the neighbouring islands is only for yachts with a shallow draught and local knowledge," says a skipper from the Sylt Yacht Club. The Prickenweg close along the Amrumer Odde is narrow, long sections fall dry at low tide. Tideways shift dynamically, as do sands after storms. Locals often orientate themselves by the course of the ferries - a good indication of the best route through the mudflats.
This is a dream area for dinghy cruisers and other flat-bottomed boats. We tell our keel yacht to take the safer route through the Vortrapptief to the west of Amrum, past the Jungnamensand with its seal colony, through the Kniep fairway along the Kniepsand and on into the Rütergat to Wittdün.
The second part of the cruise report read here.
