What is the YACHT Classic?
YACHT Classic is a separate magazine that was created in 2006 and is now 20 years old. It is a special edition of YACHT, dedicated exclusively to classic yachts. Not just the yachts themselves, but the entire scene: boat building, the people who characterise the scene and the way in which these boats are handled - both in terms of maintenance and sailing.
And then there are all the peripheral topics that arise when you delve into the period in which the ships were built and actively sailed. Some of them date back over 100 years. It has now become a colourful potpourri.
When is a boat a classic?
The term "classic yacht" comes from the scene itself and refers to yachts that were built for sport sailing - as opposed to traditional work boats. It is about yachting as such. The boats must be traditionally built, i.e. made of wood, classically planned on keel and frames. In a broader sense, there are also classic steel yachts and more modern wooden constructions.
Whether it is a classic, however, is not determined by the number of years, as is the case with cars. If someone sits down today and builds a ship traditionally according to old plans, it can also become a classic.
You report on Arndt Georg Nissen in the current issue of YACHT Classic. What is it all about?
Arndt Georg Nissen's story is a subject that has been on my mind for years. The man was a sailor and artist and started very early on to record everything in pictures and drawings on the ships he sailed on. At a time when it was not common to have cameras on board. Especially before the Second World War, when the ocean-going sailing scene was tiny.
Age Nissen brought home incredible drawings and watercolours that are still important testimonies to this time. If you are interested in the early days of German blue water sailing and want to see it visually, Age Nissen is a must.
After the war, when YACHT was relaunched with very primitive means, Age Nissen was the man who illustrated the magazine as a result of his friendship with the editor-in-chief at the time. He was the face of YACHT.
Nissen's story is told by his daughter. How did it come about?
Marianne Nissen is a valued colleague who has spent almost her entire professional life here at Delius Klasing. She is the founder of the magazine BOOTE EXCLUSIV and was also very active in sailing. She has written a very personal story in which she describes from the inside how her father's work came about. It's a lot of fun to read.
Another topic in the anniversary issue of YACHT Classic is "Daimler's steamers". What can we look forward to?
This is a story that amazed me myself and was brought to us from outside. Anyone visiting the Mercedes-Benz Museum will come across it because the "Marie", one of Daimler's ships, is there.
The background to this is that Daimler's petrol engine initially met with little interest and was eventually popularised as a ship's engine. I found that extremely interesting. The "Marie" was a gift to Otto von Bismarck. One of these so-called "grandfather clocks" was installed, a high-cylinder vertical combustion engine from Daimler. Later, this engine was also installed in other vehicles when people could see for themselves that it worked.
If it works at sea, then even more so on land. Exactly. That's probably what people will have thought.
What is so exciting about the "Örn" first rule six?
The exciting thing about the Örn is that the current owner had the ship restored three or four years ago and came up with the idea of replacing the rig, which had been replaced by a 7/8 rig over the years, with a gaff rig - just like the original from 1911.
He turned to designer Juliane Hampel, who had indeed constructed a state-of-the-art rig: glued together from individual rods, hollow, with variable profiles. From the outside, it looks exactly as it did when it was built, and is also made of wood, but of course it has completely different properties. Much lighter, more torsion-resistant - it's really high-tech, but looks like it's ancient and original.
Of course, this is irrational to a certain extent. But the owner is now incredibly happy with this decision, sails the boat and is happy. He also runs it with the aim of being fast. It was exactly the same in 1911: back then it was a six that was built for an Olympic competition.
How has the classic car scene developed recently? Is the economic crisis making itself felt?
What we are noticing much more than the economic crisis is the demographic factor. Many people put a lot of love, money and their own labour into repairing ships in the 1980s and noughties. These owners now want to slowly retire because they are getting to an age where they simply can't or don't want to do it anymore. And there are not as many new people coming on board.
The fascinating thing, however, is that a classic wooden boat can always be repaired without having to tear down and rebuild if you have the expertise and the materials. The passion for this has not only been retained by the owners, but also by the boat builders. There really are many companies that have mastered this craft to this day and pass it on to the next generation.
If I'm curious now: How and where can I get the YACHT Classic?
YACHT Classic is published once or twice a year and costs 11.90 euros. It is included in the subscription for all YACHT subscribers. You can also buy it at newsagents or order it from booksellers. The new issue has been on sale since 20 May.
We keep getting feedback from readers who tell us that they put our magazine on their bedside table and read one story after another in the evening. We're very pleased about that, of course. It really is a colourful collection of very different topics and stories.
You can listen to the full interview in our Podcast.
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