HEEMSKERK/WIJK AAN ZEE, 16 MAY 2023 - Last weekend, grid operator TenneT and CrossWind organised a number of activities on the beach of Heemskerk/Wijk aan Zee, that were free to attend for everyone. The programme was all about wind and was a way of saying ‘thank you’ to the local community for their patience and understanding during the year-long work on the beach to connect the offshore wind park Hollandse Kust Noord.
The activities for the younger visitors took place near the beach pavilion Noorderbad. Nearby, at the Sun Sea Bar beach pavilion, the older participants had fun with blokarting, kite surfing and wave surfing clinics. A covered wagon travelled between the two venues to transport the participants. With the sun shining and the wind blowing, at least 800 people took part in the activities on Saturday and Sunday.
Free ice cream
For Rob van der Burgt from IJmuiden, the coupon for a free ice cream in the house-to-house magazine De Jutter was the reason to come to the beach on Saturday. "Today the sun is shining and there is a lot of wind, in short, the perfect weather for blokarting, power kiting and kitesurfing," said the IJmuiden resident. "I saw the advertisement and when I come across an article in the newspaper about offshore wind farms, I read it with interest. It's good that we're all supporting the climate and energy transition now.”
Light bulb on
There was plenty of tinkering, building and painting going on at the various stands and tables. At the OffshoreWind 4 Kids stand, children could assemble a real wind turbine themselves and place it in the sea, while it was working. Meanwhile, OffshoreWind 4 Kids ambassador Jorgen Kerssens explained the children how wind turbines work. "It is great to see the looks on the children's faces when the light attached to the wind turbine actually turns on. At that moment, the light bulb goes on in the children themselves and they realise how valuable the wind can be for a cleaner and better world".
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