Overview
- The collision occurred Sunday evening near the Pollendamm outside Harlingen, with Dutch lifeboat crews alerted around 21:30.
- Twenty-five students, five supervisors and a dog were aboard; five pupils were lightly injured, and one was treated in hospital and discharged.
- KNRM responders and a local operator towed both the damaged sailboat and the freighter into Harlingen, with photos showing clear bow damage to the sailboat.
- The group was a 9th-grade class from Potsdam’s Dalton-Gymnasium; they spent the night in Harlingen, then returned home with offers of counseling and two days excused from classes.
- Authorities have not determined a cause, and reports noted strong winds and a yellow weather warning along the northwest Dutch coast at the time.