Once The Sea Raged Here 1/4 ()

Huub Stapel investigates what the construction of the Afsluitdijk meant for the former coastal residents of the South Sea. What was it like to be affected by the government’s drastic decision to tame a sea? He speaks with both experts and direct descendants of the former coastal residents. Descendants of South Sea fishermen, fishermen’s wives, dike workers and pioneers of the land tell the stories they have learned from tradition. Our Little Sea Storm surges and shipping disasters were a regular occurrence for the coastal residents around the South Sea for centuries. Huub Stapel speaks with competitive sailor Gerd-Jan Poortman and writer Eva Vriend about what made the South Sea so dangerous and problematic. He also meets a fisherman in Urk, and he visits the old harbor of Schokland.