Dear readers,
Last week saw the publication of our special edition of YACHT classic, in which we report twice a year from the world of classic boats. We cover a wide variety of topics. From traditional boat building and yachting history to the classic boats themselves and, of course, the people who sail and maintain them.
A glimpse into the wake of sailing? It may seem that way to some. I am regularly proven wrong and am amazed at how many topical references arise from studying the origins of our sport. Even when working on this magazine.
The story came about by chance. I travelled to Lake Constance with our photographer Nico Krauss in June. We visited a few spots on the classic yacht scene, including various shipyards where traditional craftsmanship is still practised and old yachts are restored or even new ones are built based on old models. We were even allowed to sail two of them. An 8-metre racing yacht traditionally built from solid wood at Josef Martin's shipyard in Radolfzell, based on cracks from the American Starling Burgess from 1937, from which yacht designer Juliane Hempel had created contemporary construction plans and data on the computer.
And a racing yacht from 1906, which measured 6 so-called sail lengths according to the measuring method used in Germany at the time. The sail length measurement method was used in Germany until the introduction of the international metre formula by the Sailors' Day in 1907. The yacht was commissioned by the Hamburg shipowner Erich F. Laeisz. The man with the tea clippers that went down in history as the Flying P-Liner. He also christened his sports vessel, which had a hull length of just nine metres, with a "P" - "Pirat II".
Laeisz wanted to compete with the boat in the famous Kiel Week 1906, which was organised as a national competition between England and Germany and led to a boom in new boat building like rarely before. Many boats were built just for this regatta season. What happened to them afterwards was a matter of indifference to most owners when they placed their orders.
This was also true for Laeisz. His 6-SL yacht "Pirat II" was built by Willy von Hacht on Sieg and was therefore so light that people are still amazed today: with 400 kilograms of ballast, the ready-to-sail all-wood boat of nine metres in length weighed only 940 kilograms. The secret was its construction. It ensured that the hull lasted not just one summer, but well over 100, thanks of course to professional care and restoration in the 1990s. It inspires awe in me today. Respect for the designers of the time - sailing was still in its infancy - and the shipyards.
I called the owner who began restoring the sailing yacht in 1989. He was a Swiss man who had once learnt to build wooden boats himself. He commented that the hull, which was 90 years old at the time, was still completely solidly joined and he had puzzled for a long time about the order in which the individual components of this complicated construction had probably been put together.
We are currently dealing with many questions about sustainability - including in sailing. I ask myself what can actually be more sustainable than a boat made of naturally grown material that is still doing what it was built for after more than a hundred years? And against this background, how sensible does it seem if yachts are still being built today as they were a hundred years ago? Josef Martin's aft, for example, has at least as long a life expectancy as the sail-length yacht if it is cared for properly. Without sacrificing functionality or losing its aura characterised by timeless lines.
If you superimpose the two yachts' plans, you will be amazed once again. By today's standards, the much older sail length yacht with its split lateral plan and short, deep keel looks much more modern than the metre yacht. Certainly, the underlying formulae explain why this must be so. But the realisation remains that changes that are later celebrated as new achievements are often much older.
It's mind games like these that have kept me busy over the past week since YACHT classic came off the press. Pleasant musings. About what value terms such as "modern" have - or should have - in connection with sailing yachts. About what is - or should be - included in boatbuilding when we talk about sustainability. Questions to which everyone will find their own answers. If at all.
A by-catch of this fishing for ideas can certainly be that dealing with classic yachting is more than just a look in the wake. If you want to see this for yourself, we recommend reading our special issue.
Lasse Johannsen,Editor-in-Chief YACHT classic
The week in pictures:
Recommended reading from the editorial team:
EAST SEA
Lippe becomes an emergency harbour and is dredged
The yearly hassle about the usability of Lippe harbour for larger yachts has come to an end and is thanks to a sailor who took the problem into his own hands
CLASSIC YACHTS
These are the highlights in the new YACHT classic
In the new issue of YACHT classic, we present Lake Constance as an area for classic yachts and take a tour of several shipyards where traditional boatbuilding is still practised
37. AMERICA'S CUP
"Cool as cats" - Italian-style capsizing
The Italian Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team capsized its LEQ12 test and training boat in the bay of Cagliari. However, the crew parried the involuntary manoeuvre with aplomb and the boat remained largely undamaged
SAFFIER SE 24 LITE
Successful concept in a compact format
Easy sailing. This is what the concept for the new and small boat from the Dutch Saffier range promises. The daysailer experts in IJmuiden are bringing the new Saffier Se 24 Lite to the boot trade fair in Düsseldorf as an exciting world premiere
OBITUARY FOR ERICH WILTS
"One sailing life is not enough to discover everything"
"If only a small part of your wishes come true for us, then we still have a wonderful decade ahead of us," reads the last entry on Heide and Erich Wilts' website. But not one of them was allowed to come true: On 2 December, Erich Wilts passed away after a serious illness at the age of 80
More about Erich and Heide Wilts:
KNOTS
Sailors must be able to do these six knots
These knots are part of the basic equipment of the complete sailor. Expert Egmont Friedl shows six of the most important knots in short videos
SCHONER-REFIT
Huisfit extends the "Athos" by 1.25 metres
Royal Huisman's refit division lengthened the 62-metre schooner "Athos" by 1.25 metres at the stern, added a deckhouse for the crew at the front and renovated the main cockpit and owner's cabin
The top articles of the week:
PORTRAIT
The minimalist self-builder and his tiny boats
Thorsten Bender sails in spring, works in summer and builds micro cruisers in autumn and winter. A visit to the shipyard of an unusual self-builder
DECK SALOON YACHT
Scandi 42: New all-season boat from Finland
The market for yachts with a raised seating area is growing around the Scandi 42, which stands out from the deck saloon yacht competition due to its low weight
GENTLEMEN'S YACHT
"Mingary"- Grace, Pace and Space
The Scotsman Alfred Mylne wanted to equip his large cruiser yachts with grace, speed and living space. Even after 100 years, the "Mingary" proves how well he achieved this. A portrait
SOLARIS 50
A true Gran Turismo and a feast for the senses
The look is simply stunning, the sailing characteristics excellent and the workmanship first class. Solaris Yachts in Italy sets new standards for exclusive performance cruisers that other manufacturers find difficult to match. The brand new 50 can further underpin this reputation
"CORONET"
After 27 years of refit, the legendary US schooner from 1885 is afloat again
The 131-foot yacht was already an exceptional phenomenon when it was first launched. Her resurrection also exceeds all standards. Since 1995, "Coronet" has been stored at the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport. And for a while it looked as if she would never be finished. But now the hull has been restored and the boat has been transferred to Mystic Seaport for the final work. Insights into a project of the century
MOTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Spectacular images of daredevil high-flyers
The Moth World Championships in Argentina delivered action-packed images and a new champion in Dylan Fletcher-Scott. German becomes runner-up
