Bike and Sailing on the ‘Meander’

Moored beside the Old Pilot Station is the two-masted topsail schooner “Meander,” from Kampen in the Netherlands, on the IJsselmeer. It offers a concept not previously available in these waters: “bike and sailing.” And many people like it very much. “We were drawn here primarily by the sailing area, the landscape, and how easy it is to get here,” explains Captain and owner Gerrit van der Veer when asked why he initially chose Stralsund and then Wolgast as his home ports. He has been sailing the Baltic since 1985 with his German partner, Ingela Abbing, and knows the adjoining straits and lagoons like the back of his hand. “We’ve visited many ports,” the young woman adds, “but this area is ideal for what we do.”

“Bike & sailing” is the magic phrase. It means a combined sailing and cycling trip. “It’s more or less the most Dutch way to travel,” Gerrit says with a smile, “because we combine varied bike rides and appealing opportunities for excursions with a pleasant stay on board.” The traditional schooner “Meander” is, in a sense, a floating hotel: a place to live, eat, and sleep under sail—and relax after cycling. There’s plenty of space on deck, a comfortable lounge, a kitchen, a bar, four twin cabins and two single cabins, as well as two showers and toilets. The boat can accommodate ten guests, in a welcoming maritime setting with gleaming brass portholes, wood-paneled walls, and cozy lighting. In the evenings, it’s a pleasure to gather at the stern and chat about the day’s cycling and sailing. The double-decker berths are reminiscent of those on the great sailing ships. But “Meander” offers a more personal experience in a small group.

While you explore the landscape independently, the boat follows by water. “Of course,” Ingela says, “you can leave your bike on board and sail to the day’s destination if you feel like it.” I had no trouble bringing my own bike from home, either. I joined the trip for a taster, from Gager on Rügen via Lauterbach to Stralsund. Part of the group sailed, while the rest pedaled and took the final leg on the “Rasender Roland” steam train.

Rounding Cape Horn
Take a closer look at the “Meander’s” bow and you’ll spot its painted-over registration, HF 499. Lutz Riemann, a Zeesboot skipper and NDR editor who happens to be passing by, knows exactly what it means: deep-sea fishing in Finkenwerder. Gerrit and Ingela can tell him and me even more: built in Hamburg in 1949 as the fishing cutter “Anna Woltmann,” and in service until 1989; 25.16 meters long, 6.20 meters wide, with a draft of 3.10 meters; 350 square meters of sail; and a 250-horsepower MAK “calm-weather pusher.” Completely renovated in 2001. As a shipwright and carpenter, Gerrit naturally does much of the work himself. His lifelong dream began with an auction. He converted the two-master on his own, in the space of a year.

Then the skipper brings out a photo album. Riemann and I are astonished by the sight of icebergs, and learn that in 1998 the “Meander” even rounded the notorious Cape Horn, sailing with guests as far as Antarctica and South Georgia. Gerrit proudly attributes this to the ship’s excellent seakeeping and stability: it is at home on all seven seas.
They spent the winter in the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. After two years, they finally began the long journey home via South America, the Caribbean, and New York.

Text and photos: Peer Schmidt-Walther

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