The Leisure 17 is the boat of unlimited possibilities: She has such a shallow draught and is so seaworthy that you can go anywhere with her. If not, that's down to the captain, not the boat
Tell me, Mrs Ufer: Why are you a Leisure 17 fan?
She is the boat of unlimited possibilities: She has such a shallow draught and is so seaworthy that you can go anywhere with her. Especially with a mast-laying device. If you don't arrive, it's the captain's fault, not the boat's. She is so small that she fits into a corner in any harbour. She is also a deeply democratic boat.
Please explain that.
The Leisure 17 makes it possible for people with a small budget to experience wonderful hours on the water. Sailing often has the reputation of being reserved for the rich and famous. Yet there are plenty of videos of people sailing small boats and having great fun. Including a couple of really crazy Brits who have equipped their little boats for sailing along the not exactly easy British coast with recognisably little money.
How did your passion for leisure come about?
I wanted to start small and was looking for a boat in the small cruiser segment. I came across a picture of a brave little boat with a reefed mainsail pounding through not inconsiderable waves. I was totally impressed. Enquiries with the British Leisure Owners Association revealed that No Leisure 17 is ever known to have capsized. That convinced me, and I finally bought the "Frya". She really does sail like she's on rails. And if you overdo it, she simply shoots into the wind as if she had a built-in brake. This combination of safety and sailing fun also evokes unforgettable memories for many former owners, as I have experienced time and again.
How so?
When I was moored in Travemünde with "Frya", people kept looking down from the pier and saying: "Oh, I used to have a Leisure 17. I sold it, what a huge mistake!" Older people in particular like to buy another Leisure 17, and when they do, they often say: "This is my last boat." Perhaps they are recalling their youth, all the stories. And these small boats have certainly written them - including a very special one.
Which story do you mean?
In 1968, the German John Adam sailed from England to Cuba in his Leisure 17 "Eve" and invented windvane steering along the way. He wasn't a madman who just sailed off, but a trained nautical officer. When he arrived in Cuba, in the middle of the Cold War, he was immediately arrested and spent weeks in prison. Nobody believed him that it was possible to cross the Atlantic in such a small boat. They thought he was a spy.
And then?
After his return to Europe, Adam optimised the windvane steering system and marketed it for many years under the "Windpilot" brand - a beneficial invention for every long-distance sailor, which was developed on a Leisure 17.
