Dear readers,

"Sickened by the sailing virus" is a very overused metaphor that describes our existence perfectly, but if outsiders were to ask me what "sailing" is all about, I would speak more kindly of a "way of life". Admittedly, one that often reduces existence on land to a kind of necessary organisation of the next outing.

Anyone who not only enjoys sailing, but is also the owner of the floating vessel that they regularly take out on the water, will confirm the relative correlation between this effort and the age of the vessel. In autumn, to-do lists start to appear that have to be completed by spring at the latest (and become longer and longer as the beloved boat gets older), and in summer too, maintenance and care characterise the life of the boat owner.

And that's just the "normal case". If you would like to experience the increase, you should visit a shed full of classic cars during the winter months. You will be able to observe a species of owner who seems to be completely above these things. They don't know the seasons or public holidays, and as the slip date approaches, they sometimes don't even know the difference between day and night.

Last week, we in the editorial team finalised our Special edition YACHT classic ready for printing. This brought with it the observation of various restoration projects. And as so often in the past, I got the impression that a classic yacht - and this confirms my "theory of relativity" above - is a major or minor restoration project every winter.

This is not meant to sound derogatory, on the contrary, it commands my great respect to observe how naturally these efforts are accepted as part of a whole. And sometimes there is no other way: those who juggle with painting intervals and sanding times often end up subordinating even basic needs such as food intake and the like to the purpose, which in these times can only be associated with happy hours on the water with the help of a certain amount of mental acrobatics.

If it is already difficult for outsiders to imagine the world of a "normal" boat owner who knows neither friends nor family in the summer and scratches together all the time and money he can to fill as many logbook pages as possible, he turns pale when he comes across people who dedicate part of their lives to maintaining a traditionally built (and usually ageing) yacht.

Anyone who discovers such a remnant of the time when boats and yachts were painstakingly assembled from wooden parts planed into shape and fitted with hand-forged fittings in a harbour can hardly resist the feeling of admiration that arises. However, due to the fact that in the age of GRP, the required maintenance effort is usually only vaguely imaginable, this is usually directed towards the forms of the object under consideration, which were also once created in analogue form on the drawing table. And last but not least, the aesthetics of its overall impression, which seems to be free of "artificial" fabrication and actually "real art".

However, only the members of this confessional community themselves can really understand what it means to make a boat built from weather-susceptible material - and which has been sailing for decades - look almost like new again in spring.

The fact that it is not in danger of dying out is demonstrated by well-attended classic boat meetings everywhere. And impressive projects such as that of the "Tally Ho", which was launched a second time these days after a seven-year resurrection story. The Englishman Leo Sampson Goolden saved the gaff cutter, built in 1910, from being scrapped and thus saved a yachting jewel from destruction.

• Refit project: Launch of the restored Fastnet winner "Tally Ho"

The crack bears the signature of the British designer Albert Strange, whose main job was as director of an art college, which was not considered exotic at the time. Two hearts beat in the chest of his client. The cruising sailor Charles Hellyer felt just as connected to the fishing industry, which was still predominantly sailing at the time, as he did to the emerging sport of cruising sailing. "Tally Ho" bears witness to this to this day with her sturdy appearance.

She benefited from this character in the legendary Fastnet race of 1927, which was so stormy that the crews of almost all the participating yachts had to abandon the race. Except for two. The schooner "La Goleta" was big enough to defy the elements, while the 14-metre-long "Tally Ho" was considerably smaller, but strong enough.

However, the ravages of time eventually took their toll on her, and after she continued to be used both as a cruising yacht and for fishing in her later years, she was laid up at a shipyard in the north-west of the USA shortly after her 100th birthday. The cutter had not only made yachting history, but had also served various owners faithfully for a century. Now it was to be scrapped. Boat builder Goolden did not want this to happen and bought the "Tally Ho" for a symbolic pound sterling.

• More about Leo Sampson Goolden

At the time, the maritime bon vivant had just completed a crossing of the Atlantic in a wooden folk boat and was looking for a new challenge. His highly professional YouTube videos, in which Goolden brought the restoration to life around the world, are proof of just how big this became. He hit a nerve. An ever-growing fan base of half a million followers learnt to love wooden boats and traditional craftsmanship from him and his team.

What Goolden was doing didn't have much to do with making a traditional living, but rather with the virus infestation in potency described at the beginning. However, the "Tally Ho" was given a second life through his efforts - including the attention generated - because the project could be financed in this way.

Like the feeling of admiration that suddenly creeps up on viewers of classic yachts when they come across a lovingly preserved wooden boat, it is an emotional experience to follow such a process. It triggers appreciation for the courage and commitment of the initiators and respect for the performance and craftsmanship of the boat builders involved. And for the history of the boats that have sailed for so many years.

It is in the nature of things that the classics that are still in good condition today have usually survived several owners who looked after and sailed them, often appreciating very different qualities of the same yacht. And that they used and equipped their ships accordingly. Even the classics that have been restored to their original condition as part of extensive restorations usually still bear traces of these different periods of their lives and thus tell their own story.

Even those who don't have the confidence to preserve such cultural assets themselves are welcome to get closer to them. Numerous classic events are on the programme in our sailing areas this summer. And the participants are open to interested visitors, often even looking for fellow sailors.

The community in Germany has been held together for 30 years by the Freundeskreis Klassische Yachten (Circle of Friends of Classic Yachts), whose exclusively volunteer members work with great enthusiasm and commitment to preserve our yachting heritage.

• Friends of Classic Yachts

This year, for example, the Classic Friends are organising a multi-day regatta series that will not only be a feast for the eyes of the participants. During Classic Week, from 15 to 23 June, the event will take place in Apenrade, Dyvig, Høruphav, Kappeln and Kiel, where the fleet can and should be admired by onlookers in the harbour and at sea. After 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2019, the spectacle is being held for the fifth time. It will be a festival for everyone who loves ships like this. Fans will also get their money's worth - just a few days after the entry list opened, more than 200 classic boats have already been registered by their crews.

• Classic Week 2024 - 15 to 23 June 2024

We have once again ensured that our readers can also enjoy traditional yachts and boats with YACHT. And I would like to take this opportunity to promote this in the truest sense of the word. Not least because any attention ultimately benefits the classic fleet, as the example of "Tally Ho" shows, and because the origins of our sport should be close to our hearts as sailing DNA.

Our special issue of YACHT classic will be published on 29 May. We completed it last week and by the time you read this, the magazine will already be freshly printed. Subscribers to YACHT will receive the magazine free of charge for the first time as special issue 11a. You can order it here:

• Order Yacht Classic special issue

In addition to the classics, we also cover topics relating to boatbuilding and maritime culture. We introduce people from the scene and provide insights into them. And last but not least, the elaborately produced print product itself is a true classic - a magazine lovingly designed page by page and printed on high-quality paper with opulent photography and artistic illustrations. I would be delighted to welcome you as a reader and take you on a journey into the beautiful parallel world of classic sailing.

Lasse Johannsen,

Editor-in-Chief YACHT classic and Deputy Editor-in-Chief YACHT

Click on it to see through:

The week in pictures

Recommended reading from the editorial team

• Click here for all previous "YACHT Week" columns