Very little about Ernst Burmester's life and work conformed to the norm. As a 27-year-old war veteran, the master plumber founded a shipyard in 1920 without any capital and navigated the steadily growing company through inflation, the global economic crisis, war and the reconstruction period. Crises were inevitable, but Burmester and his company always emerged from them stronger than before. When he died in 1965, his shipyard was one of the most important in the country.
But his heart beat just as fiercely for sailing, which was once the driving force behind his life's plans. In order to assert himself, it had to be large yachts, sailing superlatives, such as the second "Aschanti", with which his sailing friends took part in the 1936 Transatlantic Regatta, or the third "Aschanti", a twelve-man with which Burmester competed for the Larchmont Cup in the USA in 1953 and beat the American favourites. Or the fourth "Aschanti", a schooner built after his return, which is the largest German yacht of its day.
Read the full portrait of this dazzling personality in German sailing history in the current issue of YACHT classic, issue 2/2021, which is available now from newsagents, or click on this link and find out how you can order it individually or as a subscription free of charge and take part in the prize draw for a barometer worth more than 1000 euros.
