Dear readers,
In these days of political sermons delivered with a warm, cosy, will-it-all-go-well timbre, it would make sense to gather the sailing community behind a rhetorical candlelight fire. Between the Christmas address (Federal President) and the New Year's address (Federal Chancellor), what is actually missing is a seasonal speech that looks back as well as forward.
But don't worry: I just want to say a quick goodbye, as they do in Hamburg!
After almost 23 years on the bridge, this is my last week as foreman of the YACHT. From January onwards, Martin Hager will take over the helm, with Fridtjof Gunkel and Lasse Johannsen, two highly experienced caleus, at his side.
The change of guard is a flying one. Martin, previously editor-in-chief of our sister magazine BOATS EXCLUSIV has been preparing for this with his deputies since November. He knows the industry, the crew and has been sailing himself since he was a child.
I myself am not moving to the old man's quarters, but to the aft deck, so to speak. Just please don't imagine my new job as a life between the pool and the champagne bar, like on supposed dream ships. That would annoy my publishing director. After all, we're not travelling on a cruise ship here, but on an ocean-going yacht, where every hand is needed and sometimes good advice too.
In any case, I'll be out and about even more, on and off the water. On 2 January, I'll be heading straight to Alicante to report on the preparations for the start of The Ocean Race. Following the switch to the Imoca 60 as a boat class, this will take place with a historically low number of participants - but with a record number of German sailors.
Since the announcement of Susann Beucke as a team member of Kevin Escoffier's "Holcim - PRB" A few days ago, three out of five boats will be skippered by local professionals: Boris Herrmann as skipper of the "Malizia - Seaexplorer" and Robert Stanjek as co-skipper of "Guyot Environnement Team Europe" had already been confirmed long beforehand. And just because she comes from the French-speaking part of Switzerland, I don't want to forget the marvellous Justine Mettraux, who will be on board "11th Hour Racing".
It's going to be a spectacle!
Perhaps this year we will experience again what moved everyone 20 years ago. Shortly after I started at YACHT, Michael Illbruck's "Pinta" arrived in Kiel as the first German Volvo Ocean Race winner. The convoy of hundreds of boats was a unique summer fairytale in 2002. Wilfried Erdmann was the star guest with his "Kathena nui" just a stone's throw away from the regatta pontoon on the Kiellinie. A year earlier, he had completed his legendary solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world against the wind, a feat that is still unrivalled today. Another moment for the ages.
But I should call it a day. I just wanted to say goodbye - and thank you for reading YACHT! It's been a pleasure doing it for so long.
Jochen Rieker,Editor-in-Chief YACHT
The best stories of 2022: recommended reads from the editorial team
Ghost ships: Can you actually keep an abandoned yacht?
Time and time again, crews are stranded at sea. What happens to the boats then? Do they have to be scuttled? Can finders claim them for themselves? This year, we have compiled facts on the subject of ghost ships.
Self-build yacht - the end of a dream
It was to be a generational project. A self-built yacht that would carry several families around the world. This year, the dream came to nothing. The endearing story of an unfinished yacht.
Price increases: Will sailing soon be too expensive?
Rising costs were one of the topics that accompanied us throughout the year. At the beginning of the season - even before the Russian attack on Ukraine - YACHT highlighted all the areas in which sailors have to dig deeper into their pockets.
Curious maritime emergency: Russian stranded in Denmark and cared for by German tourists
This was one of the most unusual of the year's many accidents: a Russian citizen stranded his 28-foot sailing yacht on the Danish west coast near Hvide Sande in September. After struggling ashore, the exhausted and hypothermic solo sailor found help from German tourists.
Norske Jagt "Norden": 152-year-old traditional ship to be scrapped
Sailing freighter, motorboat, traditional ship under the German flag for 30 years: the Norske Jagt "Norden" looks back on an eventful history. She had to be scrapped in the autumn. The story of an eventful ship's life and its end.
Ugly or awesome? Trimaran Hanstaiger X1
We have presented a series of boats that stand out from the crowd and polarise because of their design or special functionalities. The Hanstaiger X1 trimaran is one of the most polarising designs in yacht building.
Performance cruisers: six fast cruising yachts compete against each other
We compared and contrasted six performance cruisers around eleven metres in an extensive test. Sailing characteristics, interior fittings, technology and quality were scrutinised in detail. Who was the winner?
Boris Herrmann and the new "Malizia - Seaexplorer"
From the construction and the first launch to the big christening in Hamburg and the first real regatta at the "Route du Rhum" - we accompanied Boris Herrmann and his "Malizia - Seaexplorer" throughout the year. We were able to present the boat in detail around the christening!
Record attempt: crossing the North Atlantic in the one-metre "Big C" boat
Briton Andrew Bedwell wants to cross the rough North Atlantic in an incredibly small microboat. We visited him before the start.
Jeff Bezos' mega yacht "Y721" secretly towed out of the shipyard
Of the many superyachts we have reported on, it is the most spectacular: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is having nothing less than the world's largest sailing yacht built with "Y721". The ship made headlines in the summer - but not only good ones.
"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. For a while, it looked as if she would never be finished. But now the hull has been restored and the boat is ready for the final work. Insights into a project of the century.
The top articles of the week:
Test: Hanse 510 - bigger, more space and more volume
Can the yacht builders in Greifswald build on the brilliant success of the smaller 460s with the new Hanse 510? Find out in the YACHT exclusive test.
The Ocean Race: Susann Beucke ahead of premiere under the Swiss flag
The belated crew presentation of Team Holcim - PRB for The Ocean Race is here. And with it comes a nice surprise: in addition to the very experienced, three-time circumnavigator Abby Ehler from Great Britain, skipper Kevin Escoffier has brought newcomer Susann Beucke from Strande near Kiel into his team.
Season extender: How to install a diesel oven
When it gets cold and wet outside, the stove keeps the saloon warm and the boat dry below deck. Classic diesel stoves can have advantages over hot air heaters. We provide installation instructions!
The new J/9: Sailing pleasure reduced to the essentials
J/Boats in the USA has a new weekender on offer. The concept of the J/9 is very simple, the look attractive. The first boat has arrived in Europe. YACHT had the opportunity to test it in Switzerland.
Used boat test: Spækhugger - get on the Spæk!
The Dane Peter Bruun created a symbiosis of the shapes of whales and historical pointed gates in 1969, at a time when GRP boatbuilding was on the rise. How does a Spækhugger sail today?
