Tell me, Mrs Hübscher-Krause, how do youhat size do teddies wear?
(Laughs.) That's a really good question that was quick to answer! I still have old doll patterns and my own mascot was pinned with pins.
How did you come to sew the oilskins?
It all started with a fit of laughter at Christmas 2020. While we were all sitting at home in lockdown in Germany, Boris Herrmann was sailing around the world on the Vendée Globe. He performed a little role play in a video with his mascot Alphonso. Alphonso said something like: "Boris, can you put some clothes on me?" and I laughed maniacally. That was a great opportunity for me because I had an almost identical soft toy and, as I've been sailing myself for over 40 years, I also had an oilskin suit at home as a model.
And what was your intention in doing this?
Thanks to my training in psychodynamics, I knew that the role play was an act of overreaction. Boris was lonely and stressed in the middle of the Pacific just before Christmas. Just doing something silly under these circumstances is an escape strategy, or so it seemed to me. Personally, I had given up my practice before the lockdown and dropped from 150 per cent to zero. It wasn't just me at the time. I polished up my English on the side with various Vendée Globe content and all the international programmes I watched.
It sounds as if Boris's skip action has also helped you personally.
To a certain extent, definitely! Like everyone else, I sat at home and hatched strange ideas. In January, I went on a little crafting spree through my household, as there was nothing to buy. I hung up my oilskin jacket and had a look at what was actually in it. Then I sewed my first oilskin jacket.
What did you do with the plush teddy bear?
At first I was a little embarrassed and didn't pass on a bear. But when the book about Boris' trip to the Vendée appeared, I wrote a few lines to thank Team Malizia and simply put the little oilskin jacket in the envelope. I got a reply straight away, including a picture of Alphonso leaning against a pile of books in his new outfit.
Alphonso now has a mate in DGzRS gear on the "Malizia". How did that come about?
I collected donations for the sea rescuers at an event. I dressed a bear in the sea rescuer's uniform and put it on the donation boat. I handed it in afterwards and it was later smuggled onto the "Malizia" by an employee of the organisation.
