Tell me, Mr Kaeppel, why is your boat in the forest?
I never actually had anything to do with the boat. It belonged to my uncle Heinrich Frischke, who had set his mind on building a ship. He was an adventurer by nature and admired people who explored the world on their own. He read the reports of Heinz Helfgen, who travelled around the world by bicycle in the early 1950s. He was later inspired by Francis Chichester and other single-handed sailors of the time and probably decided to take on the same challenge and follow the call of the seas.
How did the unusual building site on a hill near Bad Kreuznach in the middle of the forest come about?
My uncle didn't have much money at the time, but he had this woodland plot where he could pursue his boat-building project undisturbed. He brought all the building materials up by bike and trailer. These included metal barrels and bed frames, which he dismantled at the top and then welded together to fit. All without electricity or machines. The welding machine was the only real tool, everything else was done by hand. A respectable achievement, in my opinion!
But the ship was obviously never completely finished. Did your uncle abandon his project?
As far as I know, an advert in YACHT led him to an offer to sell a ten-metre steel sailing yacht in Puerto de Andratx on Mallorca. As Heinrich now had the means to do so, he bought the boat without further ado. His building project then fell somewhat out of focus.
What happened then?
In November 1987, at the age of 73, he left Mallorca for Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where he wanted to meet up with my family. However, he got caught in a heavy storm off the Algerian coast near Khadra. Heinrich was shipwrecked and drowned. It was as if he had followed a call of destiny that was so powerful that he couldn't avoid it. He is buried in Algiers.
So his unfinished ship has been lying in the forest for around 50 years?
Yes, who would have taken it away after his death? My mother had inherited the property and the ship, but she couldn't take care of it any more than I could when I was later to take over her inheritance. It's generally difficult to transport anything over the unpaved roads here. But I also see it as a kind of memorial to my deceased uncle. In the meantime, the boat has become a bit of a celebrity, and a local historian and storyteller even offers guided tours of it.
The name "Windhuk" can still be recognised on the boat. What was it all about?
My uncle had a great interest in history. He was particularly interested in the German Empire and its former colony German South West Africa, now Namibia. The capital Windhoek seems to have inspired him, although he never travelled there himself. I can't say whether he intended to sail there. But the idea is nice!
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Morten Strauch
Editor News & Panorama
