We’re right in the middle of it all:
between relaxation and adventure,
between cosy islands and the open sea
We’re right in the middle of it all:
between relaxation and adventure,
between cosy islands and the open sea
The Jade is an estuary that cuts deep into the mainland; it stretches from Mellum Plate to Wilhelmshaven, where it merges into the Jadebusen bay. As it is very deep and relatively wide, an experienced skipper can navigate it even in bad weather and at night. The Jade fairway is very well marked with buoys and lighthouses.
The Jadebusen Bay, which lies to the south, is a huge reservoir that fills at high tide and empties again at low tide. These masses of water keep the Jade deep and cause strong tidal currents. Off Minsener Oog, the strongest current sets in, reaching up to 4 knots; at Wilhelmshaven, the current is still up to 2.5 knots. To plan your voyage correctly, it is important to know that throughout the Jade, the current reverses direction at high and low tide at Wilhelmshaven.
The mean tidal range in the Jade is 3 m at Wangerooge and 4 m at Wilhelmshaven; accordingly, the Jadebusen largely falls dry at low tide.
Due to the Jade-Weser Port – Germany’s only deep-water port – and the naval base in Wilhelmshaven, you should expect significant shipping traffic on the Jade. You should give large vessels a wide berth in particular.
- From 2025, Hapag-Lloyd’s seven-vessel Hamburg Express Class (399 m) and six-vessel A19 Class (400 m) will no longer call at the Port of Hamburg, but only at the Jade-Weser Port.
- The minimum distance to be maintained ahead of and behind LNG tankers, which have been calling regularly since 2023, is 1 nautical mile… this is routinely monitored and, in case of doubt, enforced swiftly and unequivocally.
For pleasure craft, the simplest option is to stay outside the buoyage, which is easily achievable given the wide, deep waters.
Traffic, weather and tidal conditions are broadcast hourly (h +10) by Jade Traffic control centre on VHF K (channel) 63.
Radar advisory service Jade Traffic I from Buoy 1b/Jade1 to Buoy 33 on channel 63, and Jade Traffic II in the Inner Jade from Buoy 33 to Buoy 58 on channel 20
Other marinas in the area:
- Hooksiel (outer harbour subject to tides, inner harbour behind lock not affected by tides)
- Rüstersiel, Maadesiel (recreational marinas behind the Maadesiel lock)
- Wilhelmshaven (via the sea lock, numerous mooring options)
- Nassauhafen (tide-dependent)
- Dangast (tide-dependent)
- Varelerhafen (behind the sluice lock, not affected by the tide)
View from the dyke across Wanger Aussentief, the Jade, Hooksielplate and Hoher Weg to Bremerhaven
Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park, UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site
The Wadden Sea has the soul of an ancient, legendary tyrant.
Those who are wise enough to recognise this soul can move about here with a sense of safety and security unlike anywhere else.
But those who are blind and ignorant will be destroyed in no time at all.
From *The Riddle of the Sands* by Robert Erskine Childers
Glory be to God upon the sea.
He has ordained the sea
to be the most beautiful part of the whole world.
Thus He revealed His wisdom,
so that not every good-for-nothing,
of whom the earth is so abundantly blessed,
might cross paths with the sailor out there.
Just round the corner: a fantastic spot for anchoring and beaching – Wangerooge-Ost
View towards Horumersiel
Jade Weser Port
Wilhelmshaven Naval Base
It’s always worth a quick detour… even if it’s just a stop-off on the way to the North Frisian Islands: Heligoland, Germany’s only offshore island
