Obituary: Hans-Otto Schümann deceased

One of the most outstanding personalities in German sailing has died. Hans-Otto Schümann from Hamburg died at the weekend at the age of 97.

With his yachts named "Rubin", he was one of the most successful German sailors. But at first it didn't look like it. After the sixth "Rubin", sailing should have been over. In 1982, his retirement from the regatta circuit was a done deal, with his record of success including the historic first German victory in the Admiral's Cup, the unofficial sailing world championship. That was in 1973, but nine years later, at the age of 68, Schümann no longer wanted to design and build a new "Rubin" year after year or fundamentally change the current one. He wanted to stop.

The reason it didn't come to that was that, in addition to sailing, he was always fascinated by the technical side of things. And there was something he absolutely had to try out. Ships were now being built in plastic honeycomb construction, the flexible 7/8 rig was emerging and the material aramid (Kevlar/Twaron) was beginning its triumphal march. Modern racing yachts became even lighter, stronger and faster - a development that completely put Schümann off the idea of retiring.

So the "Rubin" number seven was born, and Hans-Otto Schümann was back in business: in 1984 he won the prestigious Sardinia Cup, and the following year, with the number eight, he won the Admiral's Cup again - after twelve years as Vice President of the DSV. A magnificent success that he even repeated in 1993, the last year of his presidency, with the "Rubin" number twelve.

During these years, the grand seigneur of sailing was only on board his yachts when the weather was good; he preferred to let young, committed people sail and concentrated on developing new design ideas and technical solutions to problems.

He never liked working with professional crews, who have long since become indispensable in the Grand Prix circus. He was forced to have one or two on board, such as the Irishman Harold Cudmore, the American Dee Smith or, after the reunification, Jochen Schümann.

Hans-Otto Schümann preferred to give young sailors a chance, and something like a "Rubin" family developed over the decades. Victory celebrations, christenings and crew evenings always turned into meetings between the generations. Perhaps this was the reason why, looking back, he said that he only made friends when sailing and always had fun.

Even his competitors became friends - after Kaiser Wilhelm II, Hans-Otto Schümann was the only German member of the world's most exclusive yacht club, the Royal Yacht Squadron. A special honour.
Since then, the club abbreviation RYC has been emblazoned on the stern of his "Rubine" alongside that of his home club, the Hamburger Segel-Club (HSC), which he presided over for 42 years.

His last boat was no longer a racer, but a Najad 400, painted in classic red and white and fitted with a carbon rig. It was the "Rubin" number 16.

(With excerpts from a portrait by Jörn Bock on the occasion of Schümann's 90th birthday)

Reactions from former crew members and long-time companions of Schümann

Bouwe Bekking - sailing professional, Holland, skipper of Team Brunel in the Volvo Ocean Race 2014/2015, worked as a boat captain and sailor for Hans-Otto Schümann in the mid-1980s:

Hans-Otto was not only a great sailor. He knew like no other how to turn the rules of ocean sailing into fast ships. He was always very ambitious in developing his yachts. If a boat wasn't fast enough, it was simply given a new keel. His hobby was not cheap. But when we looked at shipyard bills together, Hans-Otto was never concerned with the big sums. However, he questioned why, for example, ten pencils were on the bill. Hans-Otto helped put Germany on the world sailing map with his yachts called "Rubin".

Jochen Schümann - former "Rubin" helmsman, three-time Olympic champion, two-time America's Cup winner:

Hans-Otto Schümann was one of a kind. He shaped German ocean sailing history for an entire generation with his yachts called "Rubin", took part in the Admira's Cup countless times and won it three times himself. In my opinion, he was particularly characterised by the fact that, with a few exceptions, it was always German sailors who were trained and supported on his boats. German yacht design and German yacht building also owe a great deal to "Sir Sail". He was a detail-obsessed and diligent improver of the performance data of his boats. Hans-Otto Schümann was a generous supporter of sailing and his home town of Hamburg. I also experienced his support personally: He donated 10,000 marks to me immediately after reunification. That was an enormous help in that situation. With Hans-Otto Schümann, a very special person has passed away.ise. It would be nice if German sailing had more people of his calibre again.

Stefan Matschuk - Managing Director North Sails, "Rubin" sailor:

I got to know Hans-Otto Schümann at the Flensburg Autumn Week in 1985, and many regattas and successes followed. His assignments were always characterised by performance. Thanks to his involvement in the IOR formula, he was more familiar with the complex subject matter than anyone else in the world! Together with renowned designers, he created pioneering and trend-setting innovations for regatta sport. This is how he came to design one of his Admiral's Cup winners in the 1970s with the famous design studio Sparkman & Stephens in the USA. The design was then called "S&S&S" (triple "S" design) for Sparkman & Stephens & Schümann. Hans-Otto Schümann was an excellent sailor with all these customs. So there was always a sip of sherry for Rasmus after sailing. But be careful: only from full bottles, i.e. the first sip, and always to windward! Like real sailors, he was also very superstitious: we broke the mast during an autumn week in Flensburg. He later realised that this was logical and unavoidable, as we had a crew of 13 on board.
Hans-Otto Schümann's focus was always on winning. There were no excuses for him. He never pursued a goal, but was always somehow ahead of it! There was no such thing as "chasing" in his regatta life and mindset. His motto was to lead the way with the best equipment and the best crew. And he knew his way around everything on board his boats. With very minor exceptions... During a long-distance regatta, he was once extremely annoyed by the fact that he could never find the sleeping bag labelled HOS at the start of his free watch. To restore the mood on board, we quickly and secretly signed every sleeping bag with HOS. From then on, every handle was a hit and Hans-Otto Schümann was happy.
I have a lot to thank Hans-Otto for. Not only did he enable me to take part in incredibly beautiful and successful regattas, but he also taught me that, in addition to excellent equipment and an experienced crew, a great deal of seamanship, humility and respect for nature and the sea are also necessary for success. I still benefit from this today at every regatta.

Jörg Heinritz - Former helmsman, working for Hans-Otto Schümann for over three decades:

In autumn 1975, as a 22-year-old, I came on board a Rubin for the first time. After a training day on what was then the Rubin V, the crew sat on the forecastle, the food was served and, as a newcomer, I respectfully wished them "bon appétit!""
We don't let anyone tell us what to do!" I was told by Hans-Otto. The sherry and slogan before the start have already been written about! It's true. "Rasmus, old beetroot pig, let Rubinchen be in front!" I'll never forget the evenings we spent as a crew with H-O in Sandhamn in Sweden! There were roaring victory celebrations when we did well,
and when Hans-Otto then sat down at the grand piano in the clubhouse, the party was perfect. He could entertain the whole party with his music. The DJ looked pretty old then. Of course, these traditions were only a small part of the story. Otherwise the success would certainly have failed to materialise. Which brings us to the successes that I was able to experience with Hans-Otto and the team: Rubies IX to XII B (the XIII was carefully avoided due to Hans-Otto's superstitions) sailed successfully in the Mediterranean, at Copa del Reys off Mallorca, Gotland Runts, Commodore's Cups and Admiral's Cups. Hans-Otto won three times with the German Admiral's Cup team. After Uli Tischendorf, who has been with Hans-Otto for more than 30 years, I am the second most loyal soul (21 years). In 2007, my wife Marion and I took over Hans-Otto's yacht Rubin XVI, a Najad. Only one change was his condition. At the stylish Hanseatic handover, he said - once again typical of him: "You have to take off the RYS on the transom! " This also shows his pride at being the second German in the Royal Yacht Squadron after Kaiser Wilhelm. And of course I am proud to carry on the name of his ships! There has even been a Rubin Street in Heiligenhafen for more than 15 years. Hans-Otto inaugurated it himself with us Heiligenhafen sailors. It was dedicated to us, the Rubin crew, in our honour after the second AC win. I particularly admired Hans-Otto's consistency. In many respects. He had an understanding of materials and technology like few others, and when he was convinced, he mercilessly went through with it to have the best material on board. He would say: "Let's see if Mrs Drews (editor: his secretary of many years) still has any money in the till!" Sails were rigorously replaced after 25 hours of service. On the other hand, he was extremely frugal when it came to details, saying things like: "Jörgi, don't buy Pril, use washing-up liquid, we'll save a bit!" He uttered sentences like these in his typical Hanseatic, slightly nasal pronunciation (the one with the pointed stone) after he had checked the receipt of the on-board cash register.
He also had the ability to take a step back and position young people in the key positions on board. "Yes, yes, you youngsters, you'll do it!" was his incentive for us. And last but not least, there was his sense of humour, which made him very human to us sailors. Every now and then we liked to give him a lift and he could laugh at himself. I'm not sure if he saw through me when we got a new set of super-light sleeping bags on board. He immediately labelled his with HOS.
He was a bit fussy, he just wanted his own. As it was a bit annoying on board with all the moving back and forth, we quickly labelled all the sleeping bags with HOS. That way he always had the right one. "Priiiiima, Jörgi, that works really well with my sleeping bag!" But I'm almost certain that he was just playing along with the game. For a long time, we had the best times imaginable on board and ashore with H-O and the crew. Through Hans-Otto and the Rubies, so many friendships were forged that have kept us crew members together over the years.
have had a very lasting impact across generational boundaries.
The Rubinieros still meet at the beginning of every year. We will keep up this tradition. For me, Hans-Otto Schümann was a father figure, teacher, patron and sailing friend all rolled into one! Thank you and always a hand's breadth of water under the keel on your last voyage, Hans-Otto!

Rolf Vrolijk - yacht designer, owner of Judel/Vrolijk & Co., designed many "Rubin" yachts for Hans-Otto Schümann:

Hans-Otto was our mentor, confidant and friend. He has intensively shaped and advanced the German sailing scene. We owe him a great deal - the history of Judel/Vrolijk would be unthinkable without Hans-Otto Schümann and his Rubin.

Harald Baum - Partner of yacht insurer Pantaenius, companion of Hans-Otto Schümann

For me, Hans-Otto was always a very thoughtful and intelligent man who could often point you in the right direction with a wealth of knowledge. How cleverly he ran his business! He was usually one step ahead of everyone around him, including the authorities involved in sailing. He was also a great help to us, who pushed his issues through in various functions, and set the right direction. Hans-Otto was not the great shirt-sleeved assertive man, but a forward thinker who people were keen to follow. In terms of sailing, we both sailed against each other for many years - he as the "Rubin" skipper, I as the "Diana 3" skipper. It was a personal challenge. Unfortunately, he usually won. But one important regatta, Rund Skagen 1973, we were able to win in our favour. I'm still happy about that today. It was a stormy, great regatta in which I didn't get a shred of sleep. He congratulated us very fairly at the end - as always in a very gentlemanly way. Hans-Otto was always in control of the numbers. He also knew every number in our club, the Hamburg Sailing Club. He was a number cruncher. I learnt a lot from him. Including about the value and importance of the financial commitment of individuals to a club. I think that I can continue Hans-Otto's succession as 1st Chairman of the HSC in the right way today. Which, in turn, I owe to him.

Alan Green - Legendary race director of the RORC (1970 - 2000), admirer of Hans-Otto Schümann:

Hans-Otto has achieved outstanding results in ocean sailing. He has led German teams in no less than eleven Admiral's Cup races. For the first time in 1963 with his "Rubin" as well as "Dinana II" (H.S. Thomas) and "Inschallah" (W. Andreae). He won the Admiral's Cup with Germany in 1973, 1985 and 1993 against some of the largest and most professional fleets that had ever come together for sea sailing regattas. Hans-Otto was Rear Commodore of the Royal Ocean Racing Club between 1975 and 1976.
Hans-Otto was an exemplary competitor. Always cheerful, polite, attentive and generous - it was clear that the respect and affection he engendered within his teams played a significant part in his teams' successes. His sense of humour - and irony - always added a positive sparkle to his conversations. As guest of honour at the annual RORC dinner in the grand dining room of the Whitbreat Brewery in London, he drew great laughter from 600 sailing enthusiasts when he compared the cost of building and maintaining a modern ocean-going yacht to the pleasure of sitting cold and cramped on the edge of a fastnet race for hour after hour, eating wet sandwiches. It was a privilege to have known him.

Udo Schütz - Admiral's Cup winner, "Container" owner, entrepreneur:

In 1983 Hans-Otto turned up in Cowes and was very interested in the new honeycomb boats 'Pinta' and 'Container'. At my invitation, he came on board on a training day on the Solent. When he took over the helm and felt the manoeuvrability of the 'Container', I think he was hooked again... We were sailing there for the Admiral's Cup, which Hans-Otto had won many years before and had long since retired. That's what everyone thought until he ordered a honeycomb boat from us at the Selters factory for the 1984 season. What followed under the heading RUBIN has long been written in the history books. Perhaps the Admiral's Cup would still exist today if there were more people like Hans-Otto.