Small, wide, reduced to the essentials, equipped with a flexible 7/8 rig: The "Düsselboot" became a trendsetter, and it was one thing above all: successful. In 1981, she surprisingly made it onto the German Admiral's Cup team and set the first highlights. Under her new name "Outsider", she just as unexpectedly brought the cup back to Germany in 1983 together with "Pinta" and "Sabina".
However, the "Düsselboot" was more than just a fast IOR racer The cupper marked the start of the career of designers Judel/Vrolijk & Co, who had previously enjoyed success with smaller IOR boats and modifications. Today, they are one of the leading and largest yacht design studios. And the "Düsselboot" made their builder and skipper Michael Schmidt famous, who later founded Hanseyachts and is still active today with his Michael Schmidt Yachtbau shipyard.
"Düsselboot"/"Outsider" was sold to the USA after the AC victory and eventually rotted away there. A few weeks ago, a yachting enthusiast from southern Germany bought the Hulk and had it shipped across the Atlantic as deck cargo.
And now, at the instigation of trade fair director Petros Michelidakis, it was back where the project began 40 years ago: at the eponymous boot Düsseldorf.
You can read more about the unique "Düsselboot" project in YACHT, issue 3/2020. Order directly from the publisher or download the portrait directly via the link below.
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Fridtjof Gunkel
Deputy Chief Editor YACHT
