The roadstead of Texel was a household term in the fifteenth century. Ships which sailed from towns on the Zuiderzee would anchor at Texel in order to sail out when the wind was favourable. Sometimes they would have to wait weeks or months for cargo, crew and a favourable easterly or north-easterly wind. The roadstead of Texel was particularly busy during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Apart from East India Company vessels, whalers, West India Company ships and warships would be anchored there. Ships would be loaded and unloaded. A lot of places on the island are reminders of this merchant past, including the port town of Oudeschild itself and the Maritime and Beachcombers Museum.
The water between Texel and Vlieland is very hazardous as a number of strong currents coincide there. These would regularly cause ships problems. The large number of ships running aground on the coast of Texel (72 between 1848 and 1860) gave cause for the then-notary of Texel to order the building the lighthouse. This lighthouse was built on the northernmost point of Texel in 1864.
