Theme Beach

The Beachcombers hall

Groundings

Wreck-authorities

The Beach-guard

Wreck-authorities exist for many years, but since 1931 we have a Jetsam-Law. In this law beachcombing is prohibited because anything washing ashore in our country is immediately owned by the state, unless the original owner is found. While the law only controls the beach and jetsam, it actually only has a local character. This is shown by the fact that vindication is done locally. For the chief wreck-master is the mayor of the city to which the beach belongs. This mayor appoints several deputy wreck-masters that have to do what is prohibited for beachcombers: Beachcombing!! Texel has six deputies, of which four are in charge of the North Sea-beach, one of the Wadden Sea and one is of the Razende Bol (a shoal just of the Texel coast).

The Beachcombers hall of the Maritiem & Jutters Museum shows in an intrusive way that life of the people on Texel is not only connected to the sea by islander-ship or fishery. Since hundreds of years the islanders have been beachcombers, they go and make their rounds at unseasonable hours to look for jetsam. This used to be sheer necessity because most islanders were as poor as a church mouse and had to search for (free) wood to build with, and for heating the stove and stay warm in winter. It is done still, because one can’t find cheaper building materials. Every day a Texel beachcomber tells about his adventures with the sea and his opponents, the wreck-authorities.

The Beach-guard on Texel exists of two groups of volunteers that are standing by on the beach during the summer holidays to help people in distress. Since the Fifties of the last century the southern part of the island is guarded by the Utrecht corporation of students who are all trained for first-aid and expert swimmers. The northern part is manned by beach-guards from the island with the same skills and papers. For assistance, on every guarded beach, at least two lifebelts with long lines and an open rescue boat with outboard engine are stationed. In case of emergency, they may always count on the KNRM (Royal Dutch Rescue Society) who come with all-wheel driven trucks to bring a drowned person from the beach to the waiting ambulance.

Groundings on the shores of the North Sea occur since thousands of years. Although today’s ships have much better means of navigation than the early vessels, groundings do still happen. Sometimes because the engine stalls, or while the ship is underpowered in storm and head wind. One grounding of ill repute was that of the “Compass I” in 1986, a coaster that announced its arrival by the hatches that were found by beachcombers along the shore. Part of the hatches has found its way in the picnic-tables and the benches in the Maritiem & Jutters Museum. Traces and remains of the many groundings over the past centuries are literally visible everywhere in the museum.