Summer, sun, sea – and Sylt!
I'm on my way to Germany's biggest North Sea island.
Sylt can be easily reached by train.
The last few kilometers of track pass through a World Natural Heritage site
– the unique Wadden Sea.
The final stop is Westerland – the largest town on Sylt.
From here I plan to explore the island.
The North Sea island of Sylt has an almost legendary reputation:
the endless west beach, the often rough sea and then this promise of freedom and adventure.
But the island is suffering more and more from the consequences of tourism.
I want to find out more about that and what you can discover here despite the COVID-related restrictions!
Let’s go.
Like in the summer of 2020, there's a lot going on in Sylt this year.
Most of the island's hotels and holiday apartments are right here in Westerland.
In this second summer of the pandemic, many Germans have opted
for a staycation instead of traveling abroad.
Where are you from?
From Karlsruhe.
And why have you come to Sylt?
Because it's nice, and it's Germany.
It's wonderful here. You have to see Sylt.
We often come here. Everything's special.
Nature, waves, everything.
But Germany has quite a few islands. Why Sylt?
No idea.
Maybe you know?
Yes, I've been coming here since childhood.
It started when I was three and I came with my parents.
So I got hooked back then.
Sylt has such amazing variety.
There are so many different ways to have fun.
All of Germany is represented here.
Everyone ranging from street musicians to the super-rich.
And they all get along somehow.
That's what makes it so special.
I see you're always ready to go swimming!
Yup, like today. For sure.
Have fun!
Thanks! Enjoy yourself.
I want to travel as sustainably as possible.
So I rent a bike, like lots of vacationers on Sylt.
Most of the cycle paths on Sylt go through the dune landscape away from the roads.
And because the sea is never far away on this narrow island, I stop for a swim.
Let’s get into the water!
The North Sea is pretty chilly, and refreshing!
And the sun is out!
The Sylt of yesteryear may be long gone.
But the magnificent Frisian homes of whalers and captains overlooking the Wadden Sea
have remained.
This one’s really beautiful.
Take a look – the captain’s house at the mud flat.
I'm in Keitum.
This was once the main town of Sylt and it's still sort of the heart of the island.
There are no more captains living here.
In fact, not even many locals.
Today, Frisian houses like these are coveted as holiday homes.
Katharina Kress is familiar with the problem of real estate speculation that is displacing Sylt residents.
She takes me to one of the many construction sites in Westerland.
This building will mainly have apartments for holiday guests.
Around the corner we see renovated Frisian houses that have become second homes
– that mostly stand empty.
Katharina has joined up with others from Sylt in a network called 'Merret reicht's'
– or Merret has had enough.
You're with the 'Merret reicht's' initiative.
Why has Merret had enough?
'Merret reicht’s' is a group of proactive locals from Sylt and friends of the island
who say that the sell-out of the island has to stop, and that building in every open spaces
and creating traffic gridlock by bringing more cars has to end.
We say: less is more.
What exactly do you want to achieve?
We want public involvement, and see ourselves as a citizen’s council.
The government says that democracy has to be active and alive, and that we should be included
in projects and have the right to participate in decision-making.
Things shouldn't be decided over our heads by some back-room investors, but citizens
should be included so that things can be decided through collaborative dialogue.
To be honest, if I can earn more money with a holiday apartment than with a permanent one,
then I'll go for the holiday apartment. How can you prevent that?
We want the municipality to define permanent residences and make it harder to turn them
into holiday rental homes or second homes.
What's wrong with second homes?
People buy up living space on Sylt, but they then only visit a couple of times a year.
That means the homes remain empty most of the time
and it blocks them from being permanent residences.
So this destroys community life on the island.
What do you wish for your Sylt in the future?
I 'd like my children to be able to experience the beautiful nature here, I'd like guests
and locals to mingle without tension.
An easygoing time for everyone would be lovely.
Good luck.
I figure, If I'm on Sylt, I have to try surfing.
The island is well-known for windsurfing and there are several schools
where you can learn this sport.
How often are you on the water, Calle?
As often as possible.
I try to get people into windsurfing.
How was your first time?
You just went out on the water and it worked?
That’s how I thought it would be.
But for two hours I was in the water, with bumps and scrapes on my legs,
and muscle cramps, and I wasn’t getting anywhere.
I gave up and I called the American who had delivered it to me and said
“Man, I’m sending this back, it’s defective”.
And then?
The second day it went fine.
And then it went perfectly.
It worked perfectly.
My mistake was practicing in a gale, not in a light wind.
On the second day I had light winds and I got the hang of it.
Calle Schmidt is a surfing legend on Sylt.
I want him to show me how to get the hang of it as a beginner.
The golden rule in windsurfing is to always to stand and sail with your back to the wind.
So I should..
Yes, come 'round. Stand here.
Always crawl up onto where it's widest — do that, please!
Your mast hand, the hand that holds the mast has to hold it really tight.
And your sheet hand, the gentle hand, holds the sail – keep it soft.
Like that, excellent.
Piano?
Yes, piano.
You know the shaka sign — the middle fingers go down and that's the surfers' greeting.
THAT's where it comes from!
Now I finally know.
When the people in the photos always go like this.
Yes, that's right!
What do you think is the greatest speed you can reach in windsurfing – the world record.
50?
Almost — a bit more, 102 kilometers an hour.
This is the fastest monohull sailing vessel in the world.
And that’s just because you create this flying state.
You can pull the sail right in close
and that’s how you start flying over the water.
Let's keep it relaxed.
You can start by going back and forth, and ending up where you started from.
That would be a big success.
Balance, balance, balance – that's right.
Pull the sail in.
Look ahead.
Pull the sail over the back of the board.
Okay, start over again.
That's great. Turn it around.
This was exhausting.
My respect for all those who already mastered windsurfing.
It was fun and I think it wasn't the last time I tried it.
My last stage takes me to the north of the island.
I've heard there's something really rare here on Sylt:
migrating sand dunes.
Since they are in a nature reserve, you can only enter as part of a guided tour.
That is why Christine Karlinski from the Forces of Nature Experience Center here on Sylt
is accompanying me.
Christine, why do I have to come here with you?
Why can't I walk alone in this beautiful landscape?
Because we are in a nature reserve, and it is the oldest in Schleswig Holstein.
It was founded in 1923.
Why does this landscape, these dunes, need protection?
Preserving the dunes is preserving the island.
It really is the case that the island keeps shifting east, and it would disappear
if we didn’t do anything.
That’s why it has become consensus over the years that if we can keep the dunes in place
and protect them by not letting people run around on them,
the sand won’t be blown away, and the island can be protected.
Let’s talk about the dune for a moment. It’s of course beautiful,
but in the end it's just a heap of sand.
What's so special about it?
What’s so special about it?
For me it’s the fact that it is one of the last remaining symbols
of how dynamic this area is – how it’s always in motion.
We'd like to turn it into a museum.
But that doesn’t work.
We live here, and the tourists come here and admire it, and that's a contradiction.
On the one hand this huge dynamism that's part of nature,
on the other this enduring and static aspect that humans want.
And to be caught up in this tension and enable people to experience it here
— that’s what I find so special.
The migrating dunes of Sylt can be seen best from this outlook point.
It can get really crowded on Sylt in the main season.
But if you prefer some peace and quiet, you should take a trip to the northern tip,
to the so-called elbow of the island.
The trip to the northern tip is well worth it.
That’s what I was looking for!
No umbrellas, no beach chairs...
but lots of North Sea and a beach that seems endless.
Another typical feature of Sylt is this kind of beach restaurant.
You'll find them all over the island.
Somehow you can always find a quiet spot — no matter how crowded the island is.
I love when I can be out in nature so much like on the island of Sylt.
You don't need a car here, a bike is perfectly fine.
Don't be afraid of headwinds and you should bring a liking for the chilly North Sea with you.
Then you’ll have a good time.
I am curious how the island will deal with the problem of mass tourism in the future.
We’ll see.