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Harvest season at the Wadden Islands: Texel

For some it is just a bird's island. But Texel, the largest of the Frisian Islands on the Dutch shallows, has a lot more to offer. National Park the Dunes of Texel has some beautiful landscapes with dune area typical of the West European coast and sandy beaches. The people from the islands have a colourful tradition of rummaging the beach after a big storm to find treasures from wrecked and stranded ships. They say you can't stay on the island for long without becoming a beachcomber yourself.
One of the inhabitants of the mud flat is the seal. Threatened by diseases and fishermen who tried to protect their livelihood the population of seals ran dangerously low in the 80's. Thanks to the efforts of the rehabilitation centre Eco Mare in De Koog their population is again flourishing with around 20.000 on the Dutch shallows alone.
Today the islanders still live from agriculture, cattle breeding and fishery. The struggle with the sea is an important part of their lives. Due to the strong current the coastline of the island changes from year to year after high tides and storms. On the northeast side Texel can beat the water, but the island loses terrain to the sea on the southwest side. Making the most of the natural conditions, Texel hosts the world's biggest catamaran race every year in June. Over 100 boats beat the strong current and high waves to round the lighthouse of the Cocksdorp in the north and finish in De Koog around 4 to 5 hours later.