24 hours on the Wadden

A day full of sea, silt and sand

Your fully arranged sailing trip starts in Harlingen, the city overlooking the wadden and home base of the sailing fleet. The skipper raises the sails and sets course towards a spot where the ship can run aground. If you like to get busy, you can help the skipper raise and lower the sails – but it is definitely not a must. After a fantastic sailing experience, the anchor is dropped and the ship runs aground on a vast sandbank by the time evening falls. Time for a hike on the mudflats! Once back aboard, it won’t take long for the tide to come in and the ship to re-float from its safe perch on the sand. If you are lucky the night sky is clear, since the Wadden Sea is a perfect place to watch the stars. 

While it feels like a shame to sleep the remaining hours away, falling asleep to the sound of softly swishing water is a wonderful part of the wadden experience. The ship will run aground once more early in the morning, allowing you to explore the mudflats once again. The ship will refloat later in the morning and you’ll sail back to Harlingen. 

In addition to 24 hours on the wadden mudflats, you can also opt for a day tour running aground and mudflat hiking. For more information check out the Historische Zeilvaart Harlingen website.