Dear readers,
It could be nice all round. The days are getting noticeably longer again. When the sun manages to break through the thick cloud cover, it is almost warming at times. Boat owners are focussing on the remaining winter storage work and are already thinking about the approaching winter storage. Charterers are planning their trips. And as if all this wasn't enough, boot Düsseldorf once again has the potential to be another highlight, the kick-off to the coming sailing season.
In fact, what better way to celebrate the end of the dark season than in the last week of January? We don't need the longest bar in the world or a jester's cap: the world's largest (dry) water sports fair on the Rhine provides us with equipment and accessories - you always need something anyway or find things that sailors didn't realise they needed until now. We look for the latest equipment, find out about new sails, buy fresh halyards and sheets, update nautical charts, plotters, electronics, compare, look, get smart.
If the desire for a sun-safe spot is on your mind, head for the charter hall. Diving, fishing, canoeing? Interesting side activities that can diversify and enrich life on a boat.
And, yes, then of course there are the boats. The eponymous main theme of the event, the focus of sailing interest. Cruising yachts, performance cruisers, explorers, blue water boats, multihulls, dinghies, small cruisers. Regardless of whether you are actually interested in buying: first have a look, get informed, have a say, meet your dealer or boatyard representative.
But what's going on in Halls 15 and 16, the nucleus of international boatbuilding? Nasty gaps between the stands, empty spaces at the ends of the halls, Bavaria and Hanse are not at the start. What? The two largest German shipyards, two of the world's top five players, are not at the world's largest trade fair, which takes place in their home country? Nope! RM Yachts, Garcia, Elan? Not a chance! Sirius, Nordship, Faurby? No show. Benches instead of cruisers, plastic palms instead of GRP boats, bare concrete instead of aluminium or plywood boats on a clean carpet. Scandalous, disappointing, sobering!
Hanse and Bavaria say that the presentation is too expensive, that they first have to earn their money and that the alternative small solution with just a few boats is not a good sign either. In-house exhibitions, showrooms and direct invitations are intended to retain old customers and attract new ones.
Dark clouds over boot Düsseldorf?
No, or at least not really. We discover new manufacturers such as Pure Yachts from Kiel, surprisingly exhibited premieres such as the Maxus 31, classic small keelboats from the Loire, for example. In the absence of the popular major brands, potential customers take a look at exhibits from other manufacturers that are less familiar to them and practise their infidelity at the trade fair.
Defiance almost spreads: Without them then: "I've paid the entrance fee and won't let it spoil my enjoyment of the trade fair". Visitors can get their fill of exciting boats, time to look at a Swan, Solaris or Saffier, Contest, Amel or Dragonfly, the new XR 41, Eagle, Black Pepper. Sure, it's a shame that some shipyards and their new products are missing, but I won't let that spoil the show for me. And the equipment hall has lost none of its variety, innovative strength and brand diversity anyway, on the contrary.
But next year will be exciting - will more exhibitors stay away from the trade fair? But this year: off to Düsseldorf, it's worth it.
The only annoying thing is that the curry sausage now costs seven euros, about the same as a metre of Dyneema halyard.
Everything else is fine and worth a visit. As always.
Fridtjof Gunkel
Deputy Editor-in-Chief of YACHT
Click on it to see through:
The week in pictures
Recommended reading from the editorial team
Vendée Globe
The race in the live tracker
The live tracker of the Vendée Globe 2024/25: This tracking shows the race of the tenth edition of the round-the-world regatta - with Boris Herrmann!
Malizia 4
First the damage to the foil, now the mainsail has torn
First the damage to the foil, then broken hull reinforcements, and now a tear in the mainsail. Two new videos show how Team Malizia is repairing and further developing the IMOCA ahead of the Route du Rhum.
Silting up of the Elbe
Small ports are fighting for every metre of water depth
The Lower Elbe is silting up, time windows are shrinking and ports are becoming difficult to reach. With flat-bottomed boats and homemade dredgers, sailors are fighting to preserve their fishing grounds.
Propulsion
Max Bianchi variable-pitch propeller, which adjusts its pitch whilst the aircraft is in flight
A variable-pitch propeller that automatically adjusts its pitch whilst in flight: this is what Max Prop’s Max Bianchi model is designed to achieve in powered flight and motor-sailing.
Interview
What is it like to work on board the ‘Thor Heyerdahl’?
The ‘Thor Heyerdahl’ has been sailing the world’s oceans for more than 40 years. YACHT editor Fabian Boerger explains why this historic vessel remains relevant.
Hurricanes 2026
Dramatic rescue off the coast of California – El Niño shapes the storm season
A lifeguard rescues a sailor from a partially flooded yacht off the coast of California. Why the 2026 hurricane season is turning out so differently between the Atlantic and the Pacific.
Blue-water yachts
These five are heading to the ends of the earth
Five blue-water yachts, five designs: the Boréal 56, Kraken 58, Pure 49, Stem 50 and Breehorn 55 demonstrate their strengths and weaknesses on a long-distance voyage.
Record low water level in Lake Zurich
Sailing yacht flown by helicopter to its winter storage facility
Water levels in Lake Zurich are below the previous record low. Because his sailing yacht was stuck in the shallow water and in danger of capsizing, a 65-year-old owner had his boat airlifted out by helicopter. The operation cost around 2,000 francs and highlights just how much the exceptionally low water level is now affecting navigation.
Series of thefts continues
Thieves make off with two 300 PS outboard motors from Wieltsee
Thieves have struck again at Wieltsee: they have stolen two boats and removed heavy outboard motors. This is already the fourth such incident in three months.
Second-hand boat of the week
Arietta 31 – the dawn of an era
A narrow waist, mahogany hull and elegant overhangs: the Arietta 31, designed by Olle Enderlein, prioritises balanced lines and seaworthiness over maximum living space. As a forerunner of later Scandinavian cruising yachts, it is now an interesting classic for sailors seeking a traditional, compact cruising yacht.
Breehorn 55 review
Is it the ideal home at sea?
A pilothouse, teak fittings and an unusually accessible service tunnel: this is how the Breehorn 55 works below deck, and these compromises remain.
Newsletter: YACHT-Woche
Der Yacht Newsletter fasst die wichtigsten Themen der Woche zusammen, alle Top-Themen kompakt und direkt in deiner Mail-Box. Einfach anmelden: