Jörgen Heinritz died of cancer at the age of 73. The former teacher from the Heiligenhafen Sailing Club led a sailing life that was richer in nautical miles, experiences and international regattas than almost any other in Germany. It is likely that this member of the Heinritz clan has logged the most offshore racing miles in the whole of Germany in his personal logbook. His career began at the age of six in an Optimist dinghy; he then switched to the 420 class and initially sailed his parents’ double-ended boat, the ‘Birte’, including in regattas.
20 years on ‘Rubin’
In 1976, he joined the ‘Rubin’ crew led by offshore racing pioneer Hans-Otto Schümann and enjoyed great success in various roles – from boatswain to skipper – on eleven different boats bearing that name between 1976 and 1997. During this time, the crew, with ‘Jörgi’ at the helm, won the Admiral's Cup and the Sardinia Cup win. His bond with the owner, Hans-Otto Schümann, did not even end with the latter’s death; afterwards, Heinritz sailed his last boat, a Najad 400 cruising yacht (one of the first cruising boats with a carbon mast), together with his wife Marion.
International regattas and our own designs
Rubin wasn’t the only project. Heinritz sailed on the two-tonne ‘SiSiSi’, designed a Minimaxi of the same name (later renamed ‘Schlüssel von Bremen’), sailed with US crews in the SORC and Antigua Race Week, skippered the German 12-metre ‘Blaupunkt’, transferred boats across the South China Sea and took part in races such as Hong Kong–Manila. Other vessels he was involved with included some of the who’s who of the German offshore sailing scene, such as “Loftfari”, “BonBon”, “Topaz”, “Outsider”, “Drumfire”, “Elan” and, most recently, “Elida”. As well as serving as helmsman or tactician, Heinritz also enjoyed taking charge of crew management and overseeing new builds and refits.
Jörgen Heinritz was also active as a designer, working on his own IMS boat, the ‘Connection’, as well as other regatta and cruising projects. He taught himself the necessary skills and expanded his knowledge through a distance-learning course at the Westlawn School of Yacht Design. On top of that, Heinritz worked as a class measurer (IOR/IMS/ORC) for the DSV.
People and Sailors
Jörgen Heinritz was regarded as loyal to his fellow sailors and boat owners; he was known as a very good all-round sailor and seaman, and was held in high regard for his big heart and infectious sense of humour. New projects, record attempts (the Fehmarn Round) and the founding of the German Professional Sailors’ Association (IBNA) to “support sailors who have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own” all sprang from a night of drinking. The few parties organised by this unregistered association are legendary. But that’s another story.
Fridtjof Gunkel
Deputy Chief Editor YACHT
