![]() In the week prior to the trip, Iede and I looked at the charts and brainstormed other options to add more paddling to the mornings. The high tide was relatively late in the day, which meant we couldn't leave Holwerd until ~3pm on Saturday. The weekend we chose - August 4/5 - was a bit tricky in terms of planning. We decided to lower the bar for our first trip, and move one island to the east, to Ameland! The town of Nes in Ameland is a ~10km crossing from Holwerd, which can take 1.5 to 3 hours depending on how much current you have in your favor. The initial idea was to paddle to Terschelling, but Iede informed us that it's a 6-hour non-stop crossing. So as we were sitting in the sun on the banks of the IJssel River, we discussed the possibilities of an overnight trip on the Wadden Sea. Only North America, Central America, South America, the Philippines, Japan and Korea use "red, right, returning." The rest of the world is the opposite. By the way, did you know that the expression "red right returning" that we use in the US does not apply in Europe? In Europe the red and green buoys are on opposite sides, as compared to in the US. For this reason, it's important to stay out of the navigation channel, which is marked by red and green buoys. For the crossing to Ameland, a ferry departs Holwerd and Nes every hour, which means a large ship passes by every 30 minutes while you're crossing (plus the occasional speeding water taxi). Luckily, the large barrier islands provide a bit of sheltering from the larger waves on the North Sea. Wind and waves are also a factor, as the wind can change quickly. ![]() Some access points become wide, squishy mudflats at low tide, making landing/launching with gear-laden boats a very messy endeavor. ![]() Another thing to consider is whether the put-in and take-out points are accessible at certain water levels. It's essential to time your trip based on the currents the current speeds in the channels can easily exceed those of your fastest paddle stroke, and it's easy to fall dry on a mudflat during falling tide. Each rising tide pushes water from the North Sea between the islands, into the tidal channels, and over the flats.
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