Waddencode

 Yachtcharter Waddeninzicht is a company which facilitates people to make acquaintance with the Waddenzee and her inhabitants in a natural manner. And where there are many, some matters will have to be arranged as otherwise the right of the strongest - and not always the most sensible - will prevail. Hence Waddininzicht appreciates it very much that a code of honour has been developed by the Association of Wadsailors together with authorities for among others the behaviour of skippers, ships and their crews on the Waddenzee. This code of honour forms an indissoluble part of the charter parties with lessees of the ships of Waddeninzicht.

One can read the Code and its backgrounds on the site of the Association of Wadsailors www.wadvaarders.nl The code reads:

Birds

• We leave the ship only after such a time as foraging birds have left.
• At rising tide we are back in time without disturbing the birds.
• We stay together as a group, close to each other and do not scatter out wandering along.
• When the first birds fly up that is an indication that we are too close . We are aware of that and comprehend it.
• We stay away at an even greater distance from bigger birds like curlew and spoonbill.
• We stay away from breeding birds and birds with young ones.
• We do not sail close along the high-water flee-places. There we surely do not anchor.
• On or around high-water we do not walk towards groups of birds.

Seals

• We stay away from resting seals.
• We never walk towards them.
• Once a seal lifts its head we immediately take more distance.
• We do not sail close along the steep shores where seals are resting. There you will surely never see us dropping anchor or falling dry.

What speaks for itself

• On the shallows our dog is always lined-on.
• Our ship has not got a polonaise of paint, oil, diesel , detergents . at least not on the Wad.
• No noise from us from radio and vhf/marifoon, tender with outboard engine.
• We would feel ashamed for being released with senseless violent engine force.
• High stern-waves: not for us .
• At night we keep it dark.
• We do not throw trash over-board.
• We do not fly kites on the Wad.

Typical Wad-sailors.

• We do not leave any marks.
• We fall dry on the same place two, three tides at the most.
• We are well prepared in the sense of navigation, tide and weather. We sail on updated sea-charts.
• The wind, the current and the tide determine our route. We make use of the circumstance and are not going against them.
• We do not wish to set foot on areas as described in article 17 of the Nature preserve-law.
• Good seamanship is paramount.

Finally

• We think that the skipper is and remains responsible for the behaviour of his crew.
• When making a walk over the Wad we obey and apply the Provincial Wadloop-ordinance (1996) . We thus do not pass or cross gullies deeper than knee-high, as that is dangerous.
• Groups of more than seven people do not get further away from their boat than 500 meter.
• The Code of Honour apllies to everbody on the Wad. We demand others to also respect the rules.