The thunderstorm had been on the horizon for a long time - humid air, dark clouds, weather lights and not least the reports on the usual radio frequencies and on the radio. Nevertheless, many yachts remained at anchor.
"It won't be that bad," is what many skippers obviously thought. A misjudgement, as it later turned out for some water sports enthusiasts. No fewer than 20 units of the KNRM, the Dutch equivalent of the DGzRS, were deployed on our neighbours' largest freshwater area on Sunday night. Most of them were anchors that no longer held and the ships drifted. A total of six of them even ended up on a pier, for example in the Gouwzee near Marken or near Enkhuizen.
Another phenomenon was observed in the bay of Lemmer: according to the KNRM, the water level fluctuated by up to 1.5 metres within just two hours due to the wind. As a result, some anchored yachts were lying on their sides. For example, a German crew who had abandoned their Marieholm 26 had to be rescued from knee-deep water with slight hypothermia.
No one was seriously injured. According to the KNRM, however, the emergency situations could have been avoided, as is so often the case, if those affected had sought shelter in a harbour in good time. The right equipment and preparation is required to weather such a storm at anchor. The Royal Rescuers therefore strongly recommend listening to the hourly reports of the "Centrale Meldpost voor het IJsselmeergebied" on Channel 1 or the "Kustwacht" on Channel 23 and 83. It is also helpful to listen to www.knmi.nl monitor the weather development. This allows the necessary measures to be initiated in good time, such as another grounding or a return to the harbour.
