⛵ Oostende 🇧🇪 to Cuxhaven 🇩🇪

Departing at 0400 balanced sleep, tide, and the hope of passing Dutch shipping traffic in daylight. The maze of sandbanks, traffic separation schemes, gas platforms, and wind farms proved less daunting than expected. A steady westerly pushed me along nicely until it died - naturally - right in the middle of Rotterdam’s shipping lane.

I became a proper nuisance to the freighters, jibing repeatedly while going nowhere. The VHF conversations with Maas Traffic Control were surprisingly friendly, considering my inconvenient position.

Night fell as I sailed up the West Frisian Islands under genoa, alternating short naps with jibes. The westerlies were dying, but anchoring in the Waddenzee seemed unwise - these shallow waters looked restless despite their flatness. Right at the German border I flew the blister briefly, chasing the last puffs before the wind died completely.

Midnight brought headwinds, and I started tacking east through the German Bight. Luck finally appeared - I reached the narrow Elbe channel entrance just as the tide turned to carry me upstream. I could pinch most of the way, motoring only the final 6 miles to Cuxhaven.

A note on marina entry: don’t charge the narrow entrance at full throttle while 3-knot current runs perpendicular. Pass the entrance, then approach against the stream. Much “tidier”.

Weather Conditions

• Wind: Westerly to 20 knots, then easterly to 13 knots
• Seas: Low initially, choppy in German Bight
• Weather: Clear but increasingly cloudy

Navigation

• Departure: Oostende
• Arrival: Cuxhaven Yacht Harbor
• Distance: 207.5 nautical miles (about 384 kilometers)
• Duration: 2 days, 11 hours

Technical Notes

• Port navigation light failed leaving Oostende harbor
• Water in bilge again, including forward compartment this time

Highlights

• Pleasant VHF exchanges with Maas Traffic Control while dodging ships
• Constructed an anchor ball during a calm patch
• Christoph and crew caught my lines in Cuxhaven, showed me their boat, gifted a courtesy flag and provisions

Photos

Shipping everywhere

Dodging freighters with help from Maas Traffic Control

Sunset off the Frisian Islands

Flying the blister as the wind died

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