The steel yawl "Peter von Seestermühe" has been at home on the high seas since 1936. Owner Christoph von Reibnitz is currently preparing the classic yacht for her 90th sailing season, in which he will sail to the Caribbean for the 15th time with the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers.
The "Peter" has already travelled almost 50,000 nautical miles under his aegis on this route alone - when owner Christoph von Reibnitz talks about figures, the average sailor can get dizzy just listening to him.
In charter operation for 35 years
But this is put into perspective by the fact that the skipper, who grew up on the Lower Elbe and learnt to sail from scratch, acquired his ship 35 years ago. Since then, he has been introducing charter guests on board the lovingly maintained classic to the charm of traditional seamanship in European coastal waters and on the high seas.
His cruise plan includes participation in the legendary Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) The "Peter von Seestermühe" only arrives every other season, because it only starts at the end of November and after its arrival in the Caribbean, it remains in the Caribbean during the winter months.
After a summer of sailing on the Baltic Sea with a traditional trip to the Norwegian fjords, a winter of dockyard laytime and intensive overhaul work awaits us when we return to our home waters transatlantically the following spring.
Rescue with heavy equipment
This regularly brings back memories of the time when the then 25-year-old set about the Herculean task of repairing the 18-metre-long steel ship with his own hands using heavy equipment - accompanied by the shaking heads of almost everyone watching him.
In the summer of 1991, he had signed the purchase for the prominent Yawl with an eventful history After her construction at the Gdansk shipyard in 1936, she was first assigned to the Academic Sailing Club of Gdansk and after the Second World War to the Academic Sailing Club in Kiel for training in ocean sailing.
Continuation of a task
Under the ASV banner, the yacht, then called "Peter von Danzig", crossed the Atlantic twenty times, rounded Cape Horn and sailed around the world. In the summer of 1991, she was retired from the ASV and passed into the hands of the enthusiast von Reibnitz, who repaired the badly battered steel ship with his own hands in order to be able to start the planned sailing operations that have dominated his life ever since.
Initially, this plan was still quite vague, von Reibnitz recalls today. "The only thing that was clear was that the ship should continue to sail, a lot of sailing.
Successful wake
Today, he can look back with pride not only on the countless hours of work he has spent over the years turning the classic designed by Henry Gruber into a piece of jewellery, but also on the fact that his plan has worked out. And that he has allowed the yacht to live on in the spirit of its purpose:
"High waves and calm lulls, roaring storms and gentle breezes are 'Peter's daily bread. Clammy fingers and sunbathing on deck, Nordic glaciers and palm-fringed beaches are all in a day's work for him. Busy shipyard times and top-class sailing events, harbour metropolises and quiet bays lie on his course. Countless sailors have signed on and off and friendships for life have been forged."
Everyone is welcome on board
With these words, the ship was bid farewell to the ASV. Looking back, von Reibnitz says he could say the same about the past 35 years of ownership. It is important to him that everyone feels welcome on board, from sailing beginners to experienced sailors. What he wants to teach his guests is good seamanship. This includes prudence, patience, caution, safety, order and respect for people and nature. "Being part of a crew on board this classic," says von Reibnitz, "means having experiences and adventures that go far beyond the time on board and enrich everyday life."
Lasse Johannsen
Deputy Editor in Chief YACHT
Born in Kiel, grew up on the water and on board, trained as a sailor in the club and sailing on the North and Baltic Seas. After school, navy and legal training, he worked as a trainee at YACHT from 2007-2009 in the Panorama department, which he now heads. He is also responsible for the special edition of YACHT classic, has published several books with Delius-Klasing and is deputy editor-in-chief of YACHT. Johannsen is an enthusiastic cruising sailor on his own keel and an active supporter of the German classic boat scene.
