A long day on a Parker 630

[dnv]

Today was a long day out. Came back from the easter frisian island Wangerooge. Forecasted wind (up to BF7) made me use the way thru the backyard. 65nm to Cuxhaven with no bunker station, and then another 45nm to Hamburg. Part of the trip was passing sands, banks and bars, strong currents and many wrecks. Fortunately great visibility today - some buoys not in place, perches missing, do not dare to think about this in a fog or rain...


Thanks to good planning all the way with the tide, over 7 hours from departure to arrival including a break. 't was not a day for wind against tide today.

We were passing the container vessel "Flaminia", the one that caugth fire in the atlantic. Now it is in Wilhelmshaven for, well, discharge and then presumably scrapping.


Yesterday we rib'ed from the island Neuwerk to Wangerooge. Neuwerk is a mud-hole as can be seen in the picture. However, still home to the ghost of our famous pirate Klaus Störtebeker.


It was a safe trip due to good planning and equipment - newest charts, Parker Rib, Ursuits, Geckos and Maui Jim's mastered the elements, and sufficient food mastered the beast inside.

The Parker did well. Mainly one possibility for improvement - bigger tank:-)

Jan

[whisper]

Great, thanks for posting

I nearly bought a Parker 630

[Siochair]

Sounds like a cracking day out.

If you thought you needed a bigger tank with the diesel engine imagine the size of tanks you would need with a petrol engine!!!

[Maximus]

..Long Day's on your RIB are'nt like Long days at Work eh!

[Channel Ribs]

Superb post

[gohelm]

Wauw it looks like a really nice trip on the german 'Wattenmeer' - is there sufficient water in the Channels or 'Rinnen' or whatever you call them ? On the map they look like some reason for concern....

[dnv]

Originally Posted by Siochair

Sounds like a cracking day out.

If you thought you needed a bigger tank with the diesel engine imagine the size of tanks you would need with a petrol engine!!!

In fact the distances are longer than they seem to be. When doing the voyage planning on the paper chart I ended up with two hours voyage time (abt 40nm) Neuwerk-Wangerooge. It turned out to be three!? A detailed planning with iPad and software ended up with three hours - the distances are fractals. Actually, you need to take each bend and twist into account, they sum up. And yes, you have to do them if you do not want to risk sitting high and dry for six to ten hours...

[dnv]

Originally Posted by gohelm

Wauw it looks like a really nice trip on the german 'Wattenmeer' - is there sufficient water in the Channels or 'Rinnen' or whatever you call them ? On the map they look like some reason for concern....

;-)
The small ones we call "Wattfahrwasser" and the big ones between the islands "Seegat" or simply mouth of the river for Ems, Jade, Weser, Elbe and Eider.

At some places we had 1m under the keel at high water. No reason for concern, you need to know your tides and the weather. And you need to know where not to go in what conditiions. Finally you need to know that the bloody passages are constantly moving, that buoys may be not in place or at the wrong place. Usually after a storm the area looks different, sands and "Wattfahrwasser" may have moved.
And you need to know that crossing the bar outside the Seegat for most of them is safe only at rising tide to an hour or so after HW with wind with the current and not too much wind. Behind the islands and sands it is safe in any wind.

Ever read Erskine Childers "riddle of the sands"? Best description in English available of that area:

[Andre]

Hi Jan

super photos and what a cruise. My vote is on you as the top German ribster as I do not think there is another one like you.

Nice to see Der Delphin doing very well