Tilikum, a 1924 pilot cutter, delivered from Aalborg to Terneuzen
A gaff rigged lodsskøjte built in Eckernförde in 1924, still in fine shape, sailed from Aalborg in Denmark across the North Sea to her new owner in Terneuzen, Holland.
1924
Year built, Eckernförde
Autumn
Season
Aalborg → Terneuzen
Route
Helgoland
Stop on the way
The passage
An old lady of the North Sea, handled with care
Tilikum is a gaff rigged pilot cutter, a lodsskøjte, built in Eckernförde in 1924. The previous owner kept her in very good condition and that is the main reason she can still be sailed without bigger problems. For us it was an honour to take a boat like this from Denmark to her new owner in Holland.
We left from Aalborg on the Limfjord and went out through Thyborøn on the Danish west coast, where the shallow water asks for attention. Then south across the German Bight with a stop in Helgoland, through the traffic separation scheme off the German coast, and into the Dutch inland waters down to Terneuzen on the Westerschelde. Coastal and inland sailing mixed, which suits a heavy wooden cutter far better than a straight North Sea slog.
The yacht
A traditional wooden pilot cutter with a gaff rig, the kind of boat Danish pilots used a hundred years ago. Heavy, seakindly and slow to manoeuvre in a lock, so the crew and the passage plan have to match the boat, not the other way round.
How we ran it
What the owner got, step by step.
Crew and plan
A professional delivery skipper and crew matched to the yacht and the route, a passage plan and the weather window agreed with the owner before departure.
The passage
Position updates along the way and decisions made for the safety of the boat first: port stops for fuel, provisions and weather as needed.
Handover
The yacht handed over at the destination with a written report on the condition of the boat and anything worth the owner’s attention.
Planning a similar passage?
Tell us the boat, the route and the dates. A captain, not a call centre, replies within one working day.