by Luisa Conroy
When a rogue and a scoundrel meet, it usually doesn't bode well. You half expect cunning and evil intentions, half imagine you're watching an early evening thriller.
This weekend in July, "Schelm" and "Schuft" are meeting up in Berlin to go sailing, together with ten of their kind. But don't worry, the protagonists are 45cc national cruisers. And they are sailing for their European Cup.
It is the annual highlight of the class and a historic meeting at the same time. This is because the boats, most of which have travelled from southern Germany, are visiting the Wannsee, the birthplace of their class. And last but not least, two of them are celebrating their 100th birthday at this event.
Spectrum during the race
However, anyone expecting a hive of activity on the grounds of the Seglerhaus am Wannsee (VSaW) club on Friday morning, the first day of racing, will be disappointed. The 45s have spread out on the various pontoons at the VSaW as if they don't want to attract attention. But neither boats nor sailors have to hide here. On the contrary. The spectrum ranges from brand new racing yachts to classics from the last century, the list of participants includes Olympic participants, Bundesliga sailors and J70 sailors. Couples, families, sailing enthusiasts, students and pensioners are all represented. And somehow this class is also based on these contrasts, demands tradition and promotes development, allows modernisation and celebrates the originals and its own history.
This began shortly before the First World War. Due to the introduction and success of the metre classes, sailing had increasingly developed into a playground for the elite at the beginning of the 20th century. The metre yachts were expensive to build and maintain. What's more, they were unsuitable for light wind areas such as the German inland lakes due to their weight and large turning circle and were not cosy enough for cruising.
So it's no wonder that the German sailing scene was calling for an affordable, raceable cruiser class. In the skipper's parlour of the Potsdam Yacht Club, the then chairman August Mütze and his vice chairman Heinrich Rauchholz put the ideas for such a class down on paper.
The introduction of the "National Cruiser Class"
At the 20th Sailing Day in 1911, the Potsdam Yacht Club submitted a motion to introduce a "National Cruiser Class". Mütze and his fellow campaigners had already obtained the approval of many member clubs in advance and could be pretty sure of their cause.
Two new classes were to be created: one with 45 square metres of sail area for inland areas and a larger one with 75 square metres for sea areas. However, there was opposition from both the association and the Imperial Yacht Club.
"There was then a battle vote," explains the co-owner of the 45 National Cruiser "Schelm", Daniel Heine. "But the Imperial Yacht Club was outvoted. The bourgeoisie had won against the nobility." Heine's enthusiasm for class history is palpable.
"Daniel is a yacht historian," jokes co-owner Florian Schmid during his speech on Friday evening, earning laughs from the audience. To celebrate the 100th birthday of the 45 "Schelm" and "May", the owners' associations have invited guests to a cocktail reception on board the saloon ship "Marlin".
Atmosphere like on a school trip
It is a balmy summer evening, there was no wind on the first day of the race, but the atmosphere is still fantastic. With the exception of one boat, the crews have travelled all the way from Lake Constance or Lake Starnberg with their boats. But even the owner of the "Windspiel", which is now at home in the VSaW, lives in the Palatinate. And so on this evening, with rosé and canapés, the atmosphere is like on a school trip - everyone knows everyone here.
Markus Glas is one of the people responsible for the fact that the class is so strong on the southern German lakes. The master boat builder has been building 45cc national cruisers at his shipyard in Possenhofen for more than 20 years.
"At the beginning of the millennium, we were looking for a class for racing and cruising, and that's when we came across the 45s. They can be sailed competitively, but still offer a lot of comfort. You can also just about trailer them yourself, making them perfect for inland lakes."
To date, 15 new 45 National Cruisers have been built at the Glas shipyard. Glas, who everyone calls "Buale", is at the start in Berlin with his very own new build "Southern Comfort". All 45s from his shipyard have the same hull - designed by Klaus Röder and manufactured by Bopp & Dietrich in Steinhude. "We still planked the first two 45s here, but all subsequent ones are moulded and glued," explains Glas.
The rig on the new 45s is positioned relatively far back in the boat, which allows for a modern sail plan with a larger foresail triangle. Glas builds the cockpits individually. The cockpit is classically closed on some, while the rear section is slightly lowered on others. "That's nice if you want to dangle your feet in the water," Glas explains proudly. On his own boat, the cockpit is even completely open at the rear.
Comfort on board the 45 National Cruiser
The comfort on the new boats cannot be overlooked: The hatch on the foredeck slides below deck, preventing halyards or sheets from getting caught in it. "They all have a fridge below deck, and some also have a coffee machine. We've also fitted good speakers," Glas continues.
However, the class rules also set limits on innovation endeavours, such as the fact that 45cc national cruisers with a modern underwater hull must have an engine to compensate for the hydrodynamic advantage. Markus Glas therefore installed an electric motor on board.
Despite all the enthusiasm for his new 45, until a year ago the boat builder was still competing with the classic "Aika". The ship from 1927 belonged to Prince Franz of Bavaria in the meantime.
Glas decided to breathe new life into the "Aika", which had last been housed on a golf course in a dilapidated state, and modernise it in the process. "I wanted to prove that you can sail ahead with an old boat," says the 67-year-old. He gave the 45 a modern rig and enlarged the cockpit. The underwater hull, however, remained the original with a long keel and rudder attached to it. The "Aika", which was reborn in 2020, was an immediate success - Glas won the European Cup with her three times in total.
History of the 45 National Cruisers preserved
Schmid and Heine cannot imagine such far-reaching interventions in their "Schelm". The external appearance of the ship is particularly important to them, explains Schmid. They both believe that boats with a certain history should be preserved first and foremost. "Excessive modernisation doesn't do the history justice," says Heine.
"Schelm" is 100 years old this year, but in excellent condition. Despite all the nostalgia, you can see the sporting ambition of her owners. In the cockpit, for example, Schmid and Heine have made sure that they can move around better. Massive benches have given way to smaller seating blocks. The aluminium mast has been on the boat for a long time; there are hardly any wooden masts left in this class. And the winches and halyard stoppers are unlikely to have been on board in the last century.
But "Schelm" is still a long keeler without a free-standing rudder. In general, the owners are very keen to keep the boat as close to the original as possible. They have only allowed themselves one structural change: last winter, they installed a frame bulkhead and moved the jib inwards.
With conviction
Do the different views regarding the preservation and restoration of classic yachts divide the class? Glas, Heine and Schmid all deny this. "We are one class," Glas explains with conviction. "We all want as many people as possible to stick with it."
And that's lucky, because sailing a 45 is great fun. Saturday morning, they finally hit the water. From the skipper's parlour where it all began, August Mütze and Heinrich Rauchholz can now see the results of their efforts, more than 100 years later.
Twelve 45cc national cruisers are making their way around the Wannsee this weekend, adding a touch of glamour to the turbulent summer holiday activity on the lake. The boats exude elegance and the field looks homogeneous. Only when you take a closer look do you notice the different designs, equipment and trim of the 45s.
The reason for this is a very liberal policy in the class association. "The 45s are a construction class, and we want to keep it that way," explains Florian Schmid, who is the chairman of the class association. "If you put a stop to development and modernisation, a class will die at some point. And of course we want to avoid that!"
However, the class association still has to intervene if modernisation measures are too extreme. After Peter König installed a hydraulic mast pump on his "6.Q", for example, the class association decided to put a stop to this development. "It's always difficult to decide what is still okay and what goes too far," says Florian Schmid. König, however, was granted grandfathering and will also start this weekend with a corresponding advantage. Markus Glas takes a relaxed view: "They're so busy with their boat when it's windy that they don't get to sail," he says jokingly.
Concentrated crew on board the 45 National Cruiser
Shortly before the first race, however, nobody is thinking about modernisation or class regulations. On board "Schelm", three headsail changes are carried out and the gusty wind in Berlin is clearly causing Florian Schmid a lot of trouble. "Where did that come from again?" he exclaims in amazement when, after a long period of light wind, a gust comes across the lake again. But the hectic pace was worth it. After the start, "Schelm" keeps up well with the field, travelling at a good height and speed. The crew is focused, now every metre counts.
Yet "Schelm" doesn't feel like a classic on the regatta course at all. It absorbs the pressure well in gusts and accelerates quickly. It is only later in the race that it becomes clear that the older boats simply cannot keep up. The new racing yachts take metre after metre from their ancestors and fight their own battles at the front of the field. But the classic boats don't give each other anything either, as the best long-keeler is rewarded with a special prize at the end of the regatta.
Berlin is showing its tropical side this July weekend. A total of six races are sailed in temperatures of 35 degrees and gusty winds of up to 23 knots. At the award ceremony on Sunday, the sailors are visibly exhausted but satisfied. With "Ahoy Baby!", "Papillon" and "Southern Comfort", three newbuilds ended up on the podium. The prize for the best long-keeler was won by the hundred-year-old "May". An all-round successful birthday weekend.
