Tell me, how does it feel on an X-79?
Torben: Absolutely relaxed and informal! There was only room for us and the pastor in the cockpit, but he had organised a small church choir and a pianist with a keyboard, so that the fusion of harbour and church ambience was perfect. Our friends moved their boats to the nearest moorings especially for the day and flew their flags over the tops. After the ceremony, we moved to the yacht club, where we celebrated on the terrace until four in the morning.
How did you come up with this idea?
Nina: As we had both been married before, we didn't fancy the traditional procedure with the registry office, church and endless speeches. So we thought back and forth and finally came up with the idea of our boat. But then we fiddled around with the date until it became too much for our friends and they quickly fixed the wedding date for us. It was also important to us that the guests could arrive in sailing gear or shorts.
How did it go with the authorities?
Nina:If you want to get married in Denmark, you have to apply online to the municipality. I did that and Torben received an e-mail similar to an Outlook invitation to a meeting. He could then accept or decline. So I invited him to his own wedding ceremony online via the municipality. Fortunately, he accepted, entered his details and specified Fredericia marina as the wedding venue. Everything was completely uncomplicated - the Danes are absolutely painless!
Why is the X-79 your dream boat?
Nina: For us, the boat is the best compromise of our preferences. My husband is a total regatta sailor and I am an enthusiastic touring sailor. We sail a lot of regattas with the X, but we can also go on a leisurely tour without a spinnaker. We have both learnt to appreciate and love the other. And from September I'm even organising my own regatta.
Which would be?
Nina: As there are still too few women sailing regattas, I have created the Love Boat Cup. Contrary to what the name suggests, this is a race for existing couples. You should take the person you wake up next to in the morning on the boat. The idea is to get more women on the regatta course, but I also believe that the men will discover new sides to their wives in race mode. Torben always says that there's suddenly a completely different person on board when I start roaring.
Did the honeymoon also take place on the boat?
Torben: Yes, of course! The night before we left, our friends tied tins to the back of the boat and fired heart rockets inside the boat, so we still found a few hearts. We sailed to Endelave the very next day. We actually wanted to continue on to Samsø, but we ended up drifting in quite romantically. The island is very small and idyllic, and you can easily explore it by bike. Perfect after all the wedding stress!
More interesting interviews:
Morten Strauch
Editor News & Panorama
