Boat Mail

It's around 9 a.m. and like almost every morning for the past 30 years, Fide Nissen can be found with his cargo at the ferry station in northern German Schlüttsiel. His job is to deliver mail to approximately 160 residents of the Halligen Islands.

Everything -- letters, newspapers and packages -- gets stashed each morning in the boat's waterproof cabin for its journey from the mainland. The group of 10 small islands, unprotected by dykes, sit off the North Friesland coast near Denmark.

There's not much about the operation that looks like a traditional postal service -- least of all its captain. Nissen looks more like a fisherman, with his beard, the waterproof clothes and the captain's hat.

Happily afloat

Jobs are hard to come by on the small islands, which are often flooded by storms. When he got the offer to be a mail captain in 1977, he didn't hesitate. He's been an aquatic postman ever since.

"Since I love to be on the water and fish, I've got my hobby and my job tied together, and of course that's a fine thing. Naturally, summer days are nicer than winter ones, but you get through it," Nissen said.

Nissen commandeers an eight-meter-long (26-feet) rescue cruiser with a 40-horsepower motor. Weather permitting, he heads out six times each week.

On his daily tour, Nissen maintains radio contact with his wife so he knows what jobs are waiting for him on shore and also for safety purposes. Additionally, he has a high-frequency marine radio with him, so that he can reach other ships in an emergency.

Nissen heads towards the island Oland where he leaves letters and packages in a small postal box below a thatched roof house. Nissen is responsible for getting the mail to the islands, but not for actually delivering it. He takes the outgoing mail under his arm and heads in the direction of the island Langeness.

It's a cool spring morning. The air smells of sea spray and on the horizon you can see the island dwellings that have been built on stilts to protect them from flooding.

After two hours, we arrive at Langeness, where Nissen lives. Postal carrier Liv Schladenhaufen waits for him at the landing. The 100 pieces of mail are sorted in an old milking parlor while sheep bleat outside. For Nissen, the day has only begun. The letter carrier works on his parents' farm. He rents out holiday homes and is also involved in an acting group.

Staying connected

These days, the mail arrives more quickly than to many large German cities. The German postal service, Deutsche Post, doesn't charge extra to send letters to the islands. It also doesn't matter if the islands lack street names or house numbers.

Officially, there are house numbers.

"Companies had problems with their computers when someone ordered something but didn't have a house number," Schladenhaufen said. "So most people have a zero or a one. Eventually house numbers were allotted."

With or without house numbers, there's been mail delivery by boat to the islands for around 200 years. If it's up to Lageness Mayor Boy Andresen, it'll stay that way. Even with e-mail and fax services.

"When there's mail, it will be delivered. With the postal services here, we're very happy. It can't get any better," he said.