Claas Lehmann and Sophie Heyer planned their current trip a year ago. Then came corona and, with the pandemic, the uncertain situation. Nevertheless, the heart surgeon and the teacher stuck to their plan. After a 14-month sabbatical at sea, during which they sailed around 10,000 nautical miles in European, Atlantic and Caribbean waters on their classic "Hera" in 2016/2017 with their daughter Daphne, who was only a few weeks old at the start, they are now embarking on a three-month family cruise with two daughters. The goals of the 505 world champion and his partner, who is also very experienced in sailing, are to go wherever their hearts take them. This evening, they sailed through the Kiel Canal towards the East Frisian Islands, with Helgoland on the agenda for the end of May. After that, they could head to Scandinavia in the direction of the Åland Islands.
The family quartet took off last Friday. Daphne (4) and Adele, six months old, are also part of the party. They feel at home together on the 69-year-old A&R yawl "Hera", even if the current temperatures could be significantly improved, according to the parents. Nevertheless, Claas Lehmann and Sophie Heyer can hardly imagine their parental leave being any better. They are not afraid of corona, but they do have respect. "We are cautious," says Claas Lehmann, who could hardly believe his luck when sailing was allowed again in the family version just in time for the long-planned departure date. "We won't be doing much more than perhaps sitting outside in a restaurant now and again."
Before the trip, Lehmann explained to his older daughter what a Moses has to do on board. The four-year-old has spent more than a third of her life on the water and should already know what mum and dad are talking about. The family will keep an eye on coronavirus developments on land and in the various countries and keep the itinerary flexible accordingly. The mood on board is currently excellent. Everyone is grateful that they were able to set sail at all. That they managed to equip their boat in time after the coronavirus restrictions and are back on the water together. They don't need much more for their happiness right now.
Although: the trip to Heligoland also has a very private reason. Claas Lehmann and Sophie Heyer are getting married there in the legendary Hummerbude. The wedding rings come from a sailing goldsmith in Hamburg-Altona and do not bear the names of the future spouses or the wedding date, but the coordinates of Heligoland's eastern harbour. "We wanted to capture something that you can sail to," explains Lehmann. Friends Vicky Jurczok and Ulrich Steenken will be there as witnesses. And, of course, their daughters. However, should the current official regulations thwart the plan, the wedding will be postponed to the end of the voyage. In any case, the wedding celebration with family and friends will have to wait until after Corona and, above all, after the cruise.
