Obituary: Fair Winds, Gerd Engel!

At the age of 92, the captain, Elbe pilot, extreme sailor and author Gerd Engel passed away last Friday, 10 April, in his adopted home of Kiel.

Born on 2 June 1934 in Osterode in the Harz Mountains, Engel was a passionate sailor and published extremely entertaining travel reports about his ambitious single-handed voyages with his Hanseatic sailboat in YACHT and in books during his active time as an Elbe pilot (1967-1997).

In the early 1990s, Engel had his first of two catamarans built, which he named "Sposmoker" (Low German for clown) and with which he set off into increasingly difficult to navigate waters. One of his first voyages took him behind the Iron Curtain at a time when this was not yet officially permitted - on Russian inland waterways, he steered his catamaran, which had been renamed with a Russian name, from St. Petersburg to Yalta. Engel subsequently described this journey in his book "White Nights, Black Sea" (published in 1995).

After just a few years, Engel built the 18 x 9 metre catamaran "Sposmoker II" in a project that attracted a great deal of public attention. The self-build project caused a stir because Engel was supported by numerous volunteers, whom he offered sailing time in exchange for labour time. Despite financial difficulties, the catamaran was completed and Engel set sail with it.

The former professional sailor has been honoured several times with prestigious ocean sailing awards for his sometimes extreme voyages on "Sposmoker I" and "Sposmoker II". In 1992, Engel sailed single-handed into the pack ice north of Spitsbergen, and in 1998 he sailed to both Tierra del Fuego and Spitsbergen.

The end of the "Sposmoker" era began in 1999 with the attempt to circumnavigate the world single-handed and non-stop. The endeavour did not go well. In Engel's own words, it was a disaster right from the start. Nevertheless, the then mid-sixty-year-old went on to perform at his best and built a new mast en route after the rig came from above and, after the autopilot failed, Engel steered the large cat by hand continuously for the last few days.

In 2003, Engel sailed with a TV camera crew to the Kerguelen Islands. But he was unable to keep the ship. It was eventually auctioned off, much to the chagrin of the owner. Engel took advantage of his new freedom and fulfilled a lifelong dream - he obtained his pilot's licence. For many years, he now watched the local sailing areas from the air.

Throughout his life, Gerd Engel got up early and started his day at his desk when he wasn't at sea. Here he wrote books and texts, and prepared readings and lectures. His bibliography is long. More than twenty books were published in the course of his life. Entertaining travelogues ("Törn ins ewige Eis"), imaginative sailing stories ("Münchhausen im Ölzeug") and several specialist books ("Die ungleichen Partner. What commercial and pleasure craft don't know about each other").

Engel described himself as a "workaholic" until the end, because he couldn't do without work. When he had to part with his catamaran "Sposmoker II", the then 80-year-old began a career as captain of the Kiel paddle steamer "Freya" more than 60 years after starting his career in Christian seafaring, on which he sailed until an accident on board just a few years ago affected his health to such an extent that he was no longer able to pursue this profession.

However, the man with the legs to stand on (Engel über Engel) got back on his sea legs and made new plans. Three years ago, Engel set off to explore the waters of the Baltic Sea close to home on a GfK classic eight metres long. He wanted to "bum sail" without any ambitious goals, as he had planned to do during his extreme voyages in old age. But the trip was short-lived. Health problems forced the old sailor to go ashore for good - at the age of 90.

Engel last lived in the Olympic Centre in Kiel-Schilksee, a stone's throw from the jetties, which remained his daily destination when he went for long walks and told old acquaintances he met about his experiences - and his ever-present plans for the future.

Fair winds, dear Gerd!