Boat building: "Backe baut'n Boot"; and has written a book. He presents it

Jan von der Bank was world champion in the one-man sailing dinghy Contender and is known in sailing circles by the nickname "Backe". He is a writer ("The Colour of the Sea"), scriptwriter for TV thrillers ("The Old Man", "Tatort") and has now been an enthusiastic amateur boat builder for five years.

His favourite motto comes from Erich Kästner and best describes how he approaches things: "There is nothing good unless you do it."

It took Jan von der Bank 3,650 hours to build his retro racer "Rémy", made of plywood, epoxy resin and mahogany veneer, from the tiny garage yard next to the house and launch it.

In his lecture and in the book, Jan von der Bank documents all the construction steps from erecting the first frames in February 2017, through the removal, veneering and painting of the hull, the interior fitting of the cabin, the casting and installation of the keel and the rigging of the mast, to the christening and the first successful sails off Kiel in June 2022.

It also provides a very personal view of an intense, sometimes adventurous time, which, in addition to the joy of craftsmanship, gave the author and boat builder many new friendships and some surprising realisations about himself. And in the end, a special yacht that is unlike any other with its many surprising details.

This might also interest you:

• Trial run: "Rémy" - the first of its kind
• Silverrudder 2022: A baller start, counter-current, a doldrums finish, and why it was still magical
• Mahogany dream completed after five years! On-board visit