Crossing Harlingen – Vlieland (Minerva) Thursday, May 1, 2025 12:00 PM Dry-out trip
Crossing
From half an hour before departure you can board the ship. We do not have a permanent mooring in the port, but you can recognize our ships by the large Eilandhopper flag. You can put your luggage on board, if you have a bicycle we will find a place for it on deck. Afterwards there is a free cup of coffee, tea, water or lemonade. In the meantime you will also meet your fellow travellers.
Dry-out trip
Flat-bottomed ships such as the Willem Jacob and the Minerva are made to run aground. When running aground, the ship sails above a sandbank at high tide. Because the water level drops, the ship ends up on the sandy bottom of the Wadden Sea. You can then disembark and walk across the seabed.
Make sure you are back on board when the tide rises. The ship comes loose again because of the tide and we sail on. After a few hours, we continue our sailing trip. How long it takes to run aground depends on where we are on the sandbank.
Sailing with the Minerva
This elegant lady launched in 1878 from one of the many yards on the Kinderdijk (on the river Lek). She was built as a Stevenaak, a freight ship with outstanding sail characteristics, especially in a headwind.
Sailing from Harlingen
De Minerva ligt in 't Dokje, bij de blauwe kraan en naast het treinstation Harlingen Haven.
