On our third day in Heligoland, a storm came through bringing southwest winds over 40 knots. In the large port basin, Dirona was moving around a bit in the wind and waves, and the boats in front of us on the dock were really tossing. The harbour would be removing the dock for the winter the following week and it makes sense once we saw how rough it can be in a relatively tame storm for the North Sea.

At the height of the system, the 177ft (54m) high-speed catamaran Halunder Jet took some damage while leaving the dock and elected not to leave port. Another ferry that had left port 45 minutes earlier was called back to pick up the 100 displaced passengers.

Below are trip highlights from October 18th, 2019 in Heligoland, Germany. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.

Bunte Kuh Position: 54°10.70’N, 7°53.28’E We had a delicious meal last night at Bunte Kuh, but forgot to take a picture. We passed by while out walking today—the outdoor tables were quickly filling in the sunny weather.

Warehouse Position: 54°10.65’N, 7°53.36’E A warehouse full of duty-free goods.

Witte Kliff Position: 54°10.84’N, 7°53.44’E The nearby island of Dune is a popular excursion—this frequent ferry run is often packed.

Heligoland Position: 54°10.78’N, 7°53.58’E View north to the town on Heligoland from the Dune ferry dock. The white top of the Heligoland lighthouse is visible just to the right of the communications tower at the left of the photo.

Dune South Position: 54°10.92’N, 7°53.36’E We escaped a brief downpour with a drink at Dune South. It’s really dark outside for 3pm with the storm.

Rafting Position: 54°10.60’N, 7°53.72’E Pleasure craft have been arriving and departing each day that we’ve been at Heligoland, but now more are arriving than departing and they’re starting to raft up. We’d really like to avoid that for a number of reasons: the risk of taking damage is high, we lose privacy and flexibility in leaving, and we’d rather not have people climbing on the boat.

Stefan Brockmann Position: 54°10.58’N, 7°53.78’E Stefan Brockmann, who was visiting Heligoland from mainland Germany, noticed us coming in on AIS the other night and sent us an email welcoming us to the island along with some great recommendations on excursions and restaurants here.

40 knots Position: 54°10.58’N, 7°53.78’E A major storm system is passing through, bringing gusts above 40 knots. In the large port basin, Dirona is moving around a bit in the wind and waves, and the boats in front of us are really tossing. The harbour will be removing the dock we’re on for the winter next week and it makes sense now that we see how rough it is in a relatively tame storm for the North Sea.

Halunder Jet Position: 54°10.58’N, 7°53.78’E The Halunder Jet catamaran departed the commercial docks, then idled in the harbour for a bit and tied off directly behind us. All the passengers got off and taxis and luggage carts started shuttling to and from the boat. We later learned it had taken some damage while leaving the dock and elected not to leave port.

Passengers Position: 54°10.58’N, 7°53.78’E The Helogland was 45 minutes out en-route to Cuxhaven when it was recalled to pickup the displaced passengers from the Halunder Jet.

Sudhafen Position: 54°10.56’N, 7°53.83’E View to Sudhafen shortly before we walk up for dinner in town. The winds are starting the settle down a bit now, but the harbour still is a little rough.

Broken Window Position: 54°10.58’N, 7°53.79’E We checked out the Halunder Jet on our way to dinner. Broken windows covered in cardboard are visible on the other side of the vessel.

Atlantis Position: 54°10.96’N, 7°53.16’E An excellent meal at Atlantis in the upper town of Heligoland. Jennifer is having their specialty, Heligoland lobster. It’s a real locals place—the staff seemed to know all the customers.

Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise. On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.