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Ostfriesische Inseln - Teil 2

The islands are an irritating experience. In the beach hall on Langeoog, German pop music is played as soon as it opens in the morning.
- We're not part of the target audience here either: I said, and ordered a hazelnut-flavored latte.
Later I was annoyed when I loaded too much useless luggage.
- I thought wellies were ubiquitous on the coast: I complained.
Stefan wore neoprene booties with a light, integrated sole.

We planned our daily stages so that we reached our destination at high tide, because when the water is rushing out, the current can be so strong that it would suck our small boats right through the inlets and half way out to Helgoland. The rising water created short, chaotic waves in the backwaters and on the shallow sands, wind against current. So we paddled through the channels first and then set sail on the mudflats before entering the tideways. We kept roughly to the pricks, with shortcuts. The centerboard came up by itself when the water became shallow. Then the man in front continuously indicated the water depth and kept closer to the tideways.

We got the current wind forecast from windfinder.com. Stefan had a small lugsail with one reef. From Langeoog onwards, the wind often blew up to F5, on the nasty side of F5, fortunately from behind. Then, Stefan had to be careful that his little boat would not go too fast and undercut a wave. On the spur of the moment, he invented the paddle brake or took the sail completely away in higher winds. His boat had a tarpaulin over the front, which was tied below the gunwale. As long as the wind came from behind, no problem.

My Bermudan sail reefed smoothly around the mast, but the rig that came with it was annoying: functional but bulky, heavy and difficult to stow. In the end, I lashed the much too long mast to the side deck when I wanted to paddle. I often thought about a handy sectional carbon rig for this sail.

In the waves, the decked sailing canoe with its wide ends and generous rocker ran no risk of undercutting, and the low center of gravity when seated provided additional stability. The boat stayed completely dry thanks to the spray covers on the cockpit. Paddling my wider boat was somewhat more work than Stefan had. We made sure to keep both boats close together on the way. - All good: said Stefan.
- Everything still in the green area: I confirmed.
We looked out for each other and that was really good.

On Baltrum we had beer on the terrace at sunset, lots of beer, first light and then dark beer from large misted glasses so that the waves wouldn't follow us into our dreams.
- It's also a good roof box: Stefan said.
Bengt had already emphasized that at the canoe builders' meeting in Bern. I had helped him unloading his "roof box": his mahogany MacGregor sailing canoe weighed between forty and fifty kilos. Not necessarily what I imagine a good roof box should weigh.
- It's different with us: said Stefan. - The plastic canoeists don't seem to realize that there are excellent lightweight boats. Ours weigh between twenty and twenty-five kilos. With a tarpaulin around the coaming, they are completely watertight. That makes them the perfect roof box. And when the whole family goes on vacation to the lake, everyone can spontaneously go paddling or sailing for a few hours, a little time out on the water.

Baltrum has the advantage that the island is so small. In fact, everything is only five minutes away from each other. It is considered a family island, but in the off-season it tends to be the island of footsores.

Real people live in Norderney, not just pensioners and guests. That's why they can be forgiven what they have done to the lakeside promenade, which today looks like a small Riviera. All of the historic architecture is hidden behind single-storey stalls with stores, filled to the brim with junk. There was a lifestyle fair in front of the Conversationshaus, where the stuff was being flogged that no longer had a place in the stores.

- Hm: I say. - Juist is obviously totally overrated. Then we'll go to Norddeich on the mainland tomorrow.
- You should write about this trip," said Stefan.