“You’ve got to set yourself some goals for your retirement years, after all!” Til Kleinstäuber is sitting on his new boat and is happy. Whilst even younger neighbours on the jetty around him are just switching to their first motorboats, the 66-year-old has bought himself a new sailing yacht.
After 40 years on the family-owned Dehler 34, Kleinstäuber intends to use the freedom he has gained since retiring from his career to set sail on a Beneteau First 36, with the aim of competing in regattas and undertaking long voyages.
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The new one wasn’t meant to be a more comfortable one, but a proper hot one. “It’s important not to grow old as you get older,” says the new owner with a grin. The children have left home, his working life is over, and suddenly there’s room for new plans.
“Why not sail all the way to the far end of the Baltic Sea?” The man from Düsseldorf had long dreamt of it, but had also spent a long time wrestling with the idea. A few years ago, he had taken over “De Zeven Geuzen” from his parents – a Dehler 34 that was soon to be 40 years old. Would this beloved three-generation boat, with its limited headroom and lacking in comforts such as hot water, be the right choice for long cruises in retirement? Or should he switch to a more comfortable cruising yacht after all – one that’s sturdier and has more space in the foredeck?
Anyone who has ever sailed with the advertising manager knows that something like that would never suit him. Throughout his sailing career, Kleinstäuber may well have been cautious and patient, but he was always keen to squeeze out every last bit of speed.
Why the First 36 was chosen
Kleinstäuber had long had his eye on a Dehler 38 as his dream yacht. But its design is already 14 years old. And when he viewed the new Beneteau First 30 at boot Düsseldorf in January 2025, its design, potential and the promise of combining sailing performance with cruising capability at an attractive price piqued his curiosity. “After 20 minutes below deck, though, I realised it wasn’t quite right after all.” Headroom, space in the foredeck: objectively speaking, the boat was simply too small for a whole summer’s worth of senior citizens’ holidays. Even less so than on the Dehler.
Emotionally, he was already sold on it. Time and again, the little racer would circle round its bigger sister, the First 36, which was moored in his home port as a demonstration boat. He obtained a quote and compared it with the Dehler 38 and the Hanse 360. And gradually the decision took shape to start his retirement with this racer. “You’ll never get the chance to do it again otherwise.”
Life as a sailor with the ‘Zeven Geuzen’
Til Kleinstäuber’s passion for sailing was instilled in him from childhood. He spent his weekends on the water with his mother, father and four siblings. They were ‘the Seven Geuzen’, the extended family from the Lower Rhine, after whom the boats were also named.
The first was an open BM Kieljolle, which the Kleinstäubers used to explore the Meuse right on their doorstep from Wanssum. Til was eight years old. “Back then, that was the big, wide world.”
Shortly afterwards, the doctor’s family switched to an ‘Ulan’, a seven-metre cabin cruiser, which allowed them to explore further afield on the Meuse. Four years later, they made the leap to the eight-metre-long Van de Stadt ‘Bries’, a small seagoing vessel based in Warns, near the IJsselmeer. In the summer, they headed out onto the mudflats. A round-the-world trip.
The next boat was a Dehler Optima 92. That’s when the long voyages began. Seven of us set off for England; the youngest siblings slept on the floorboards in the saloon. Or a six-week trip from Lemmer to the eastern Swedish archipelago and back. Sometimes with the whole family, sometimes in stages, with the parents taking turns looking after the children. “I was 17, my brother Arne was 18. My father gave us the boat, and we were able to spend the summer in Sweden,” recalls Kleinstäuber, shaking his head, adding that the thorough training at the Hanseatic Yacht School had no doubt contributed to his parents’ confidence in us.
His regatta career began around the same time. The whole family took part in their first race, with virtually no idea what they were doing: “That’s when we realised – this boat really does fly! We won and got a taste for it – and quickly got the Optima up to a good standard.”
Dehler 34, regattas and family heritage
After ten years with the Optima, the Dehler 34 followed in 1987, which was to remain in the family for almost 40 years. The third ‘De Zeven Geuzen’: a light grey hull, with an interior combining the traditional Dehler timber fit-out with the light-coloured ‘Nova’ design line.
The boat was initially moored on the IJsselmeer; in the early 2000s, the Kleinstäubers moved to Bruinisse in Zeeland. “In some years, we’d start by sailing regattas on the IJsselmeer, then head to Kiel Week, back to the IJsselmeer, on to the Oosterschelde and back to Lelystad.” And all of that alongside work and studies. In the good years, there were around 30 Dehler 34s registered in Kiel, “and we’d come first, second and third,” says Kleinstäuber proudly. “We were a crew of kids from the inland regions.”
In the new millennium, the boat was used by both families: the parents enjoyed their retirement on board. Til also sailed there just as often with his family. As the elderly couple’s mobility declined, the question arose as to which of their children would take over the “De Zeven Geuzen”. The sisters were tied down by family commitments; one brother had little interest, whilst the other had just bought his own boat, so Til didn’t hesitate for long.
For Kleinstäuber, sailing weekends are sacred. The trips out to the Abschlussdeich, the nights on board and the walk along the beach to the restaurant offer a break from his stressful job in advertising. “Sailing keeps the cardiologist at bay,” he says. As well as sailing his own boat, Kleinstäuber has spent a great deal of time over the last 20 years at major regattas in the Mediterranean; he was a regular crew member on the 22-metre Jongert ‘Inspiration’ at the Maxi World Cup and competed on other yachts in the Voiles de Saint-Tropez, the Middle Sea Race and the Giraglia Race – achieving top placings and a string of victories.
Farewell to the Dehler, the start of a new chapter
Back on his own boat, his thoughts began to circle round and round. Yet the idea of selling his immaculately maintained Dehler seemed absurd to Kleinstäuber for a long time. Ever since the Düsseldorf man had taken the boat under his wing, he had invested heavily every year: he had the hull refurbished, fitted new upholstery, installed new electronics and repeatedly purchased new sails.
But then the First 36 caught his eye. Sleek, sporty, modern. And the more he talked about it with friends, the more his heart was set on it.
As the season drew to a close, things suddenly moved very quickly: the contract was drawn up, and within just three weeks, “De Zeven Geuzen” had been sold.
The end of an era and the beginning of a new one. Kleinstäuber had a lot to get through over the winter of 2025/26: regatta planning, finding a crew, measurement, and buying sails. At Easter, she set sail under full sail into the third phase of her life – the christening was attended by many friends, all her siblings and her mother, Ruth Kleinstäuber, who, at the age of 95, came on board with a glass of champagne for the christening ceremony.
A few days later came the first setback. Shortly before the first race, there were numerous tasks on the to-do list. And we wanted – and needed – to get to know the boat from the ground up and understand the new technology. The first trip across the Oosterschelde then gave us a taste of the long summer voyage we had planned. However, that journey isn’t yet set to take us as far as the Baltic Sea; rather, it will follow in the footsteps of previous family boats into the IJsselmeer and the Wadden Sea. At a leisurely pace.
For many people, retirement means a more comfortable life. What do you think about consciously choosing to focus once again on the enjoyment and challenge of sailing as you enter a new phase of life? Have your say in the comments.
Jörg Müller-Dünow
Freier Autor