Germany Heligoland
I didn't know much about Heligoland so far, only that there is a Lange Anna and cheap alcohol and fags. The bargain-hungry day tourists had previously put me off this place rather than putting the duty-free island in the German Bight on my travel wish list. Until last year, when I made a plan with Jobst and Flo from BSP Media to pay Heligoland a visit to check out the windsurfing conditions.
Germany's wave spots are numbered, it was simply long overdue to explore this island far out in the North Sea. Heligoland doesn't just consist of this red rock with a steep coast, but there is also a side island with the apt name "Düne", which was separated from the main island by a huge storm tidal wave in 1721. The dune is not large, but unlike the main island, it has beaches all around it. If the wind is not blowing directly from the west and is therefore in the lee of the main island, which is just over 60 metres high, the dune is well ventilated from all sides. There are plenty of waves in the German Bight, so there is always the potential to find a good wave spot on Heligoland.
With the help of my clothing sponsor Chiemsee, we prepared everything and then waited for months for the right forecast with a north-westerly wind and corresponding waves. This May the time had finally come, the temperatures were "OK", the wind and wave forecast was good and as the guillemots were not yet breeding at this time, we also received permission from the island that we could windsurf anywhere without any problems.
Heligoland is the only Central European breeding site for the guillemot, a funny species of bird that walks around and breeds in the red rocks of Heligoland - in the company of up to 370 other species of bird.we boarded the Atlantis, a ferry that runs regularly between Cuxhaven and Heligoland, together with Tom - the photographer, Basti - the film maker, tents, sleeping bags and a pile of equipment. With some grumbling from the crew, the surfing equipment was loaded onto the deck and lashed down. It wasn't supposed to get really windy until the next day, but in order to be able to use the whole day, we set off the day before with a freshening westerly wind.
The swell was still within limits, so that the traditional "Ausbörten" (disembarkation) was also carried out effortlessly by the well-coordinated team of harbour staff. As the ferries from the various harbours arrive in Heligoland at roughly the same time and would have to wait longer for berths in the fairly shallow former military harbour, they drop anchor between the main island and the dune and the tourists are taken from the ship to the island in the small boats. Around midday, we sat on the quay wall with all our luggage and waited for a small ferry to take us to the dune. The small ship travelled back and forth between the two islands every half hour. The boat is not designed for freight, so there was room for my surf stuff between the rows of seats.
You can find the complete travel report as a PDF download below.
Text: Klaas Voget
Windsurfing off the Lange Anna with thousands of trotting dummies is an exclusive and equally dubious pleasure. The trip to Heligoland alone is more expensive than some long-distance holidays.
With a little grumbling from the crew, the surf luggage was loaded onto the deck and lashed down.
Manual labour is the order of the day on Heligoland: even bicycles are taboo. But there is a lift from the upper to the lower land and the waves in front of the dunes also give you a lift or two.
