Interview: The ‘Walross’ skipper on taking part in the parade in New York

YACHT: How did the ASV become Berlin’s ambassador?

Oliver Krist: It wasn’t the first time that we, as the ASV, had represented Berlin on the international stage with our sailing ship. In 1988, following our own centenary in 1986, we acted as ambassadors for Berlin – which celebrated its 750th anniversary in 1987 – in Australia for its bicentenary celebrations. In 2010, we delivered a message of goodwill from Berlin’s then Governing Mayor to Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. That is why we said, we can once again act as ambassadors for Berlin and, following our participation in the USA’s 200th-anniversary celebrations, visit the country again on behalf of Berlin for its 250th-anniversary celebrations to raise our city’s profile. Let’s have a word with the Governing Mayor. So we wrote to him.

How did the Berlin Senate react to your idea?

We received a reply straight away. They said they had received our letter and asked if they could pop round. Two days later, a member of staff from the Senate Chancellery visited us. The ‘Walross’ was still in port at the time, so we were able to show him the ship as well. He was absolutely delighted and left saying, ‘We’d be mad not to make use of this for Berlin.’

And it seems these words were put into practice...

Yes, everything else developed from there. The Senate Chancellery suggested that the Governing Mayor should act as patron for our ‘Atlantic Connections’ project. We said ‘yes’, of course. A few weeks later, he visited us at the ASV with his chief of staff. We sat together in a small group and discussed various ideas.

Which ones were they again?

One of these was not only to promote Berlin, but also to raise the city’s bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games’ international profile at an early stage.

So what exactly was agreed?

With the Berlin elections in September 2026 just around the corner, there would probably be no personal engagements or meetings involving Berlin politicians in New York in July. However, we had been in close contact with the Berlin Business Office – Berlin’s economic representation in New York – since December 2025. We have published joint posts and met up in person. We had the pleasure of welcoming the director, Franziska Ehrhardt, on a sailing trip off the coast of New York, and in return we were invited to a sundowner at her office. There, we discussed further ideas for joint activities.

What happened to the message of welcome from Berlin’s Governing Mayor?

We received them in good time before 4 July, in a bilingual format and presented in a prestigious folder from the State of Berlin. As the ship’s captain, I then had the honour of presenting them to Sebastian Sharma, Director of Economic Development at the NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs. The meeting took place during a breakfast hosted by the German Consul-General, Carsten Rüpke, in New York.

And what was your role in the parade?

‘Walross 4’ was given the honour of representing not only Germany but also Berlin. At such tall ship events, there are regular parades in which smaller vessels take part alongside the larger ships. We were the official escort vessel for the ‘Gorch Fock’ and, along with it, the only German ships in the Sail4th parade.

By whom?

There is a local organising committee which is responsible for the entire Sail event. This committee decides which tall ships will sail and in what order, and which ships will be used as escorts.

And was it then that people realised you were the only yacht from Germany and would therefore be a good match for the German Navy’s training ship?

No, we’d applied to the Sail4th organisation. We explained that we were coming to New York on a mission for Berlin and would like to work together with the Gorch Fock who would like to be placed under their organisational supervision.

Did the Navy know about it?

Of course, that had been agreed. I have been in regular contact with the commander, Captain Elmar Bornkessel, since the start of the project – via email, WhatsApp and by telephone.

And what did you discuss?

We discussed a few sailing-related matters: When are you setting off? How are you travelling? When shall we meet up? Could we perhaps organise a crew swap?

Was politics a topic of discussion during your visit to the US?

Of course, we also discussed the political situation. Even before the project began, there had been a crucial debate within our association: given the difficult diplomatic situation between the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States, can we – and do we want to – continue to maintain a visible presence for our association in New York at all? Of course, once the Governing Governor had assumed patronage, we were no longer free to make a decision on this matter on our own. But, more fundamentally, many association members take the view that a friendship spanning decades must not be sacrificed for the sake of a single administration. Berlin, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Western democracies owe their freedom to the long-standing bonds between the former Allies. Many people in the US have given us very positive feedback at our various meetings. They said they greatly appreciated the fact that, even in such a politically difficult situation, we still stand by them.

And the ‘Gorch Fock’ set sail too…

… Elmar Bornkessel told me: ‘When diplomatic relations between two countries are strained, the “Gorch Fock” is the last ship to be taken out of service. It has a diplomatic mission. That was another reason for me to stick to our plan.’

Just discussing and preparing all of this in a meeting with the Governing Mayor of Berlin is exciting enough in itself. So what was it like on the ground?

It was clear that our stay in New York would be a special part of the trip. We arrived there a week before the event. Naturally, we hoisted our large Berlin spinnaker as soon as the Statue of Liberty came into view. And as we sailed past it, several crew members had tears in their eyes, moved by the uniqueness of the situation. That was one of many deeply emotional moments.

Was it just as emotional at the parade?

Yes. When, on 3 July as part of the Class B Parade – and particularly on 4 July – we sailed past the enthusiastic crowds on shore alongside the ‘Gorch Fock’, and were cheered on as a German ship – with some of the cheers clearly audible – this also gave the crew the feeling that they were experiencing something truly special.

What have been your most emotional sailing experiences? Share them with us in the comments!