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New podcast episodeEx-owner of the "Ethel von Brixham" talks exclusively about the accident

Leonie Meyer

 · 20.02.2026

Gerhard Bialek was the owner of the "Ethel von Brixham" for many years.
Photo: G. Bialek/privat
The "Ethel of Brixham" was built in England in 1890 and her red hull was an eye-catcher in Kiel harbour for decades. Now the "Ethel of Brixham" is history after an accident off Cuxhaven. Pictures of the traditional sailing ship have been circulating on the internet for days. In the 60th podcast episode of YACHT - the sailing podcast its long-time owner Gerhard Bialek talks about the dramatic end.

Gerhard Bialek had maintained the traditional ship for three decades with a lot of hard work and passion. However, rising costs, increasing circulation and economic pressure forced him to make a difficult decision two years ago: he sold the "Ethel von Brixham" - in the hope of a restoration in England. However, the first buyer quickly sold the ship on and contact was lost. The owner explains how the sales process unfolded.

The salvage of the "Ethel of Brixham"

The traditional ship finally sailed from Cuxhaven on 31 January. Winter conditions presented the new owner with a challenge and he obviously did not have sufficient knowledge of the special features of a historic ship. In the end, the shipwreck occurred and the salvage operation did not go as planned. Owner Gerhard Bialek explains how he managed the Salvage process assesses. "You have to treat a ship like this like a raw egg."

However, the episode is about more than just questions of guilt. Gerhard Bialek talks openly about the challenges of running traditional sailing boats today, both economically and organisationally. He criticises the lack of support structures for young talent in Germany - in contrast to the Netherlands, where young people are specifically introduced to traditional seafaring. Despite all the sadness, his memories prevail. You can hear what these are from him personally.

Here you can listen to the YACHT sailing podcast with Gerhard Bialek

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Leonie Meyer

Leonie Meyer

Editor News & Panorama

Leonie Meyer was born in Detmold in 1997. The passion for boating runs in her family: every year they spend their summer holidays in Croatia with their boat. Even as a child, she leafed through her father's BOOTE magazine.

After training as a design assistant at school, she moved to Magdeburg to study International Journalism. During this time, she completed an internship abroad at a German daily newspaper in Greece and an internship at BOOTE magazine. After graduating with a BA (2020), Leonie did a graduate internship in Mallorca. Her last stop was a cross-media traineeship at a daily newspaper in OWL. Leonie Meyer has been working as an editor in the watersports digital editorial team since 2023 and turned her passion into a career.

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