Round up the crew, empty the boat, clean the underwater hull, change the sail wardrobe from everyday to regatta, adjust the rig, ramp up concentration, go! - Far from it!
Around 25 classic boats of all kinds are moored in the Hard harbour basin east of the mouth of the Rhine into Lake Constance, just behind the German-Austrian border. Whether pirate, folk boat or dinghy cruiser, whether motor boat, 45cc national cruiser, dragon or 80cc sea cruiser. Diverse in size, diverse in appearance. Beautiful to look at and all made of wood. Many of them flagged over the topsides, with the banner of the Freundeskreis Klassische Yachten (Friends of Classic Yachts) flying out from under the spreaders.
The accompanying sailors gather on land, talk, laugh and eat grilled chicken legs and potatoes. For dessert, there is homemade ice cream, delivered by a specially ordered flying ice cream stand en vogue on a converted cargo bike. Most of the participants have already sailed together from Immenstaad near Friedrichshafen, while a few others have joined them here in Hard, coming from all over Lake Constance.
Swimming and barbecuing together is part of it
Now they are sitting in front of the small sailing club on the pier and celebrating the 70th + 1st birthday of the Havskryssare "Sydia". The owner couple have invited everyone. Everyone who wants to is proudly given a tour of the boat, whose day of honour could not be celebrated last year due to coronavirus.
What is striking is that the conversations do not recapitulate barrel manoeuvres, discuss launch scenes or go over overtaking manoeuvres again. It's more about friendships, holiday experiences, plans and, of course, boats. It's about tips and tricks and solutions for the care and maintenance of these wooden beauties rocking in the harbour basin.
No barrel manoeuvres are recapitulated in the conversations and no launch scenes are discussed
We also reminisce about yesterday's opening ceremony and today's day of sailing together. The collective swim stop, the glorious weather, the unfortunately non-existent wind and the nevertheless successful crossing from the start harbour in the morning to the finish harbour now.
First a good night's sleep, then let's see when we sail
The atmosphere is exuberant and noticeably familiar. Many of the classic car enthusiasts have not seen each other for a long time due to the coronavirus, so the joy of meeting up is all the greater. The Classic Weekend Bodensee takes place every two years under normal circumstances.
It's getting late in the evening, hardly anyone says goodbye early, everyone is relaxed and enjoying the moment at the harbour. Everyone moves close to the house for a brief shower, then the socialising continues before most of them disappear into their boats for the rest of the night. We'll find out exactly when tomorrow via chat. First of all, a good night's sleep and breakfast. Rain is on the cards and there's no rush.
The Classic Weekend came about because the group wanted to see each other more often
And indeed - the next morning it is quiet. Nothing moves on the boats for a long time. The hustle and bustle of a regatta morning is nowhere to be found. The sailors rest in their boats and let the rain run off over the folded-back tarpaulins.
"This event came about because we were all running out of time between the 'Lake Constance Traditions Week' classic yacht meeting organised by the Lake Constance Classic Boat Association, which only takes place every two years," explains Sylvie Schneider. As the regional contact for the southern Germany area of the Freundeskreis Klassische Yachten (FKY), she is the organiser of this classic boat trip together with Jörg Kadgiehn.
Of course, even without an organisation, you can meet up with classic sailors on the lake, but the area with its many destinations is too big for a real sense of togetherness.
The Classic Weekend Bodensee is not a regatta, but a family festival
"What makes our event special? It's not about racing," says Schneider, explaining her concept, "We focus on togetherness and socialising. We all treat our boats like family members, and so the Classic Weekend Bodensee is a huge family reunion." Sailing together, enjoying the sight and aura of these beautiful ships, eating together and spending time together - that is the goal.
Against this backdrop, the title of the gathering is also understandable: "Far Niente" - "The sweet idleness", as the Italians say. The format is well-known on Lake Constance, as the Lacustre Association has been organising a "Far Niente" there for 59 years.
The Far Niente is a round trip across the lake, designed as a "holiday week"
Ernst Zollinger, Fleet Manager of the Lacustre Association of Lake Constance, explains in broad Swiss German: "The Far Niente is a round trip across the lake, set up as a holiday week, during which the boat owners are out and about with their families and the regatta crews stay at home. The registered boats sail together from one place to another, and the winner gets a colander for the next day, which he then has to attach to the stern."
At the Classic Weekend, the love of classics is lived out
Unusual for the organised regatta scene, which is mostly about sailing as fast as possible and training to shine in races and win prizes. It is precisely this niche that fascinates Torsten Jegminat, one of three spokespersons for the FKY. He travelled all the way from the north to "immerse myself in traditional class sailing in the south". He knows the northern German classic scene and its regattas well.
"I'm incredibly impressed by this event. Putting the focus on sociability rather than competitive sailing is new in this form and is rarely done in this way," says Jegminat. "Here, the love of the classics is lived, and the fascination of these boats does not depend on whether you come first, second or third with them. I see real potential in this for us as the Friends of Classic Yachts," enthuses the sailor from the north. "The regatta sailors are well organised, but all the others, who perhaps don't fancy racing at all, haven't been addressed much by us so far. With events like this Classic Weekend Bodensee à la Far Niente, we could perhaps also attract sailors to events who use their boat more for recreational sailing with the family than for sport and competition."
In the meantime, the late risers have also crawled out of their bunks. Everyone has a cosy breakfast on board, sheltered under tarpaulins and tarpaulins. The rain slowly subsides until the pack continues on its way to Bregenz. Before that, a sea mark was set as a turning mark, which was eventually cancelled unbureaucratically via group chat due to a lack of wind.
Whether cruiser, pirate or motorboat- all belong together
The differences in speed are huge. The 80cc sea cruiser "Hoc" is of a completely different calibre to the small pirate "Pan" or the folk boat "Stjerne". Nevertheless, they all belong together for this weekend, even a motorboat is among the participants.
The main thing is that they are made of wood or steel or according to cracks from back then, so that everything fits into the beautiful picture"
"As long as it's made of wood or steel or based on cracks from back then, so that everything fits into the beautiful picture," explains Sylvie Schneider, who created a successful setting for this extended weekend with a lot of enthusiasm and warmth. "It is very important to us that we cater to the needs of the participants. For many, the Classic Weekend Bodensee has become an integral part of their holiday planning."
This is also the case for Thomas Henkel and Antje Schmidt from the folk boat "Stjerne": "Sometimes it almost makes more sense for us to come here and meet our friends than to go to a regatta," say the two convinced wooden boat sailors as they proudly present the refinements they have developed over the years on their touring boat - including a built-in glass rack.
Whether there is wind or not doesn't matter in the end
"There is often no wind on Lake Constance, especially in summer. You get your boat ready for a regatta, you go there, everything is tense, and then you wait and wait until there might not be any wind at all for a race," they say. "But here it doesn't matter what the weather is like. We meet our friends and new like-minded people. No pressure at all. The boat remains fully loaded with a fridge, air cooler and all the bells and whistles. And it doesn't matter whether there's wind or not - we're all together, enjoy the wonderful atmosphere of the classic boats and have an incredible amount of fun - what more could you want?"
In the evening, as the boats are once again moored close together in the Suppersbach marina near Bregenz with their smart flags flying, you get more and more of an idea of this form of idleness. The party is on again. This time it is the crew of the "Tir Na Nog" who are hosting an aperitif to celebrate the 100th birthday of their L-boat. And thanks to a generous donor, plus the money left over from the registration fees after deducting all the harbour berths, even the dinner of every single participant is paid for.
There is often no wind on Lake Constance in summer. Regattas are then cancelled, but not this meeting
Some also used the weekend as a prelude to a holiday on their own keel on Lake Constance. "It just slips in when you're there," says the blonde organiser with a broad smile, visibly delighted that this fourth Classic Weekend Bodensee was also a complete success after 2014, 2016 and 2018. "You get to know people and harbours and get important insider tips." Even though there are certainly many cruising guides and information about Lake Constance, the filtered tips through the eyes of like-minded people are irreplaceable.
Only the sailors of the typical Lake Constance classes - such as the 8 mR yachts, the 45 and 75 national cruisers or the Lacustre - are not represented here in large numbers. But: "What is not, can still be," summarises Schneider and sees it as a task for the future to perhaps win over more of the "class sailors" as participants.
Just as she would perhaps like to extend the meeting to include a feeder regatta on Wednesday. "But that is only loosely envisaged and depends above all on our participants, whether they want that. We are simply one big family here," emphasises Schneider.
A love of wood and sailing
The next day, everyone heads home again, scattered colourfully across the lake to their respective home ports. The meetings will then be more of a random affair until next year, when the Lake Constance Traditionswoche will once again bring everyone together in one place and the Classic Weekend will take place again the following year.
The final words of thanks in the joint Classic Weekend chat emphasise the enthusiasm of the participants for the weekend spent together. "I would like to thank you very much for the weekend with you, the boats, the opportunity to sail with you, your hospitality, the sleeping facilities, the good conversations, the free beer and and and and (I'm deliberately not mentioning any names, it goes to all of you)," wrote one participant, for example.
Or another: "After such a long time, getting together again with so many nice people, good friends and the many lovingly maintained boats was really good, thank you very much for that and hopefully again soon."
And so they drift apart, the classic sailors, and yet remain united in their love of wood, the joy of sailing and this very special empathy for the perfection of often honey-coloured, shiny wooden planks on turquoise water under white sails - without any thoughts of competition, without higher, faster, further, without a knife between their teeth.
Text: Sina Wolf
- More information and registration at classic-weekend-bodensee.jimdofree.com
