Dear readers,

​What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘volunteering’? I must admit, the first things that come to my mind are things like board elections, tedious club meetings and baking cakes for a good cause. Of course, all of that is necessary to keep things running. No question about it. But it doesn’t exactly sound like adventure, enthusiasm or a new beginning.

But I recently realised just how distorted and clichéd this image is whilst on board the ‘Thor Heyerdahl’.

The topsail schooner, just under 50 metres long, is a training ship. Young people come on board, sail, stand watch and take on responsibility. All this is only made possible by people who voluntarily contribute their skills and their free time. The permanent crew operate on a ‘hand for a berth’ basis. They are not paid, but lend a hand so that others on board can learn and enjoy the experience.

At first glance, that sounds like a good deal. In fact, it’s much more than that. For on board, you encounter traditional seamanship – a wealth of knowledge that is becoming increasingly rare in our digital, urbanised world. There, you climb metres high into the rigging, tinker with old engines that bang, hiss and rattle, or direct manoeuvres.

On board, for example, I met Hanna Stender, the engineer. When she spoke about the old engine, she radiated such enthusiasm that there was no doubt as to why she was there. And then there was Lukas Reinmund, a young teacher from Bavaria. He’s already involved in youth education through his day job. In his spare time, he simply carries on this work aboard the ‘Thor Heyerdahl’ – under different circumstances, but with the same conviction.

The enthusiasm that reigned on board was contagious. The longer I was there, the clearer it became to me: this ship is powered not only by wind and diesel, but above all by the enthusiasm of its many volunteers.

Rigging specialist Laura Lühnenschloss has even turned her passion for rigging into a career – and a successful one at that. Today, she works on the rigging of legendary tall ships such as the ‘Rickmer Rickmers’, Hamburg’s green landmark, and the ‘Peking’. One thing she said has particularly stuck in my mind:

“Nothing is stronger than a voluntary community working towards the same goal.”

It is precisely this sense of community that is needed to preserve a traditional ship like the ‘Thor Heyerdahl’. After all, this is no mere hobby. The hull must be maintained, the engine serviced and the rigging inspected. Sails, ropes and fittings wear out. Repairs are labour-intensive, materials are expensive, and at every turn we need people who know what they’re doing.

Volunteering doesn’t do all this for free. Even voluntary work cannot sew new sails or pay shipyard bills. But it creates something that money alone can hardly achieve: a community that doesn’t pass on responsibility, but takes it on. That is precisely where its strength lies – and, no doubt, the realisation of the vision that the project’s founder, Detlef Soitzek, had more than 40 years ago.

On the ‘Thor Heyerdahl’, it is not just an old ship that is being preserved. Knowledge is being safeguarded. People are introduced to traditional craftsmanship, complex manoeuvres and old techniques. They learn, gain confidence, take on responsibility – and later pass on their skills themselves. This creates a cycle from which, ultimately, everyone benefits.

The ‘Thor Heyerdahl’ is a prime example of just how much voluntary work can achieve – and how it underpins the entire sport of sailing. After all, without volunteers, many youth sections, regattas, training groups, clubhouses and traditional vessels would simply not exist. Their efforts often go largely unnoticed. But it is only when there is no one left to organise the crane booking, man the regatta office or take the young people out onto the water that everyone realises what is missing.

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Fabian Boerger

YACHT editor

See also:

• ​A classroom under sail: the “Thor Heyerdahl” has returned to Kiel with 34 pupils on board

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• Click here to view all previous “YACHT Week” columns