Face of the Island: Captain Jane Bothe

Magazine
Captain Jane Bothe
©
20.08.2020, Usedom Tourismus GmbH

In 2011, Captain Jane Bothe purchased the "Weisse Düne," a cargo sailing ship over a hundred years old. Since then, she has been offering various sailing excursions together with her husband and her team, in which cuisine often plays a major role.

Slowing Down on the Achterwasser

Ms. Bothe, you offer a variety of sailing excursions on the “Weisse Düne.” What can you tell us about your ship?

The “Weisse Düne” is a Dutch flat-bottomed ship. It’s an old cargo sailing ship from 1907, built in the Netherlands. It used to sail as part of a fleet of about 1,000 other cargo ships, transporting charcoal and potatoes. These were the first riveted steel ships built by the Dutch. At that time, the Germans were still building their cargo sailboats out of wood. Because the Dutch were already using steel, this fleet still exists today.
The ship has, of course, been rebuilt several times. In the 1940s, the first engine was installed. After that, the masts and sails were removed, and the ship continued to operate under motor power. The “Weisse Düne” lasted the longest in the fleet: it remained in cargo transport until 1999! In recent years, the ship supplied the North Sea island of Norderney with building materials. That is why the sailing ship was named after the town of the same name on the North Sea island.

Even landlubbers can come along for the ride!

Do you need to have sailing experience to sign on as a guest for one of your excursions?

No, we also sail for complete landlubbers (laughs). But anyone who wants to can lend a hand under our guidance. We even climb the mast with our guests.

What can you experience on a trip aboard the “Weisse Düne”?

If I had to sum it up in one word, I’d say that on the “Weisse Düne,” you experience a slower pace of life. Because everything happens so slowly and the passengers are at the mercy of the ship, guests are practically forced to slow down.
Right at the start, I tell the guests all about the history of cargo shipping and the “Weisse Düne.” Anyone who’s interested can learn even more throughout the entire tour. We also offer a knot-tying lesson.
And, of course, one of the highlights is setting sail. We set sail on every tour—though I can’t promise, of course, that we’ll actually make any headway. A dead calm is a dead calm; in that case, we have to use the motor. If there’s a storm, we can only set two sails. But basically, we sail on every tour!

You offer a whole range of different tours—whether during the day or in the evening, with brunch or dinner, beer or wine tastings. What’s your personal favorite tour?

I really can’t tell you, because for me it’s really all about the mix. But I think the natural harbor at Neppermin is truly fantastic, because it’s located in a sheltered bay and offers a gorgeous sunset. Especially when the crew is done for the day. However, you can’t even grab a quick bite or drink there. By the time we arrive as a crew, everything’s already closed. That’s why we look forward to Peenemünde every Thursday—that’s where the “Kragenhai” is. It’s a sailors’ bar where the crew gets fed, too. So for me, it’s the combination of the people, the ports, and the variety that makes it so appealing.
For the guests, I think the dinner tour is great because it’s simply a culinary highlight. My favorite this year is the picnic tour to Gager. We’ve noticed that passengers are even more thrilled by this day trip than by the shorter tours. Guests come on board with a completely different, much more relaxed attitude and enjoy it much more.

Away from the hustle and bustle: a natural idyll on the Achterwasser

From the “Weisse Düne,” you and your guests get a completely different view of Usedom than most locals and tourists do. How do you experience the island from the water?

Especially in the area where I’m staying—that is, the Achterwasser, the southern Peene, and most of the Greifswalder Bodden—there’s incredibly little traffic on the water. That’s why it’s so idyllic. You almost feel like you’re alone on the water. This also adds a whole new dimension to the view of the countryside, because nature here radiates an incredible sense of peace.
So it’s the perfect counterpart to Bansin, Heringsdorf, and Ahlbeck. Here, you really feel like you’re all alone in the world. And from the water, of course, the birds in the bird sanctuary are a joy to watch. Our guests are often amazed at how vast the wetland area is and how undiscovered it remains.

The "Weisse Düne" sailing ship on the water
©

How did your love for sailing begin? Why were you so determined to become a captain?

I think it was just in my blood, even though my family doesn’t have any particular affinity for the water. I grew up in Berlin, and even as a child, I was fascinated by every passenger ship I saw. Through the Youth Red Cross in Berlin, I had the opportunity at age ten to sail on the old sailing ships in the Netherlands. And that’s when I thought: Yeah, that would be perfect for me! Especially since there are so many women sailing in the Netherlands. Back then, I didn’t even know that sailing wasn’t all that popular among women in Germany.

I wanted to do the training, but my parents wouldn’t let me because they thought I should learn a “proper” trade, like banking or hotel management. So I studied art first and eventually ended up in the shipping industry after a few detours. I ended up doing the training later, together with my husband, at the maritime academy in Enkhuizen, after we already had children.

What’s your personal favorite spot on Usedom? Aside from the “Weisse Düne,” of course!

Personally, I find the lake landscape on Usedom very fascinating—Gothensee, Schmollensee, and so on. And I think the most beautiful part is the inland area toward Lieper Winkel. Especially the Neppermin region and everything beyond it—it’s a dreamlike spot that you also get to see on the island safari. Here, too, you get the feeling that you’re all alone in the world. I’ve even flown over the island in an ultralight plane, and the Usedom lake landscape looks absolutely incredible from the air!

Thank you very much for the interview!

Mr. Koprek conducted the interview on behalf of SEMSEO GmbH for usedom.de on August 9, 2019.

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