When the young Federal Republic of Germany experienced its economic miracle in the 1960s, sailing also flourished. Whilst on land, having your own car, music from a loudspeaker, television and long-distance travel became affordable commonplace, the number of owners on the domestic sailing waters grew by leaps and bounds. The reasons for this were the proverbial economic boom of the time and the fact that the market finally offered affordable sailing boats. New materials and the start of industrial series production made it possible to escape the dreariness of everyday life not only on land but also on the water.
In the mid-sixties, newly retired engineer Kurt Penning from Kassel also decided to break out of the daily grind in this way. But he doesn't just want to buy a boat, he wants to build one himself - one that he can use to go travelling, explore the world and live on.
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The keel was laid in May 1964 and from then on, the headstrong inventor spent every spare minute in a rented shed working on his lifelong dream. The result is the 6.99 metre "Wildente" type sea cruiser, which can only be described as tiny in view of the planned project. Friends and relatives shake their heads at the time, but Penning is undeterred in realising his idea. Far from the coast, he painstakingly built his dream ship. And then this sea dwarf really did become the home of its builder for many years, carrying him across the entire Mediterranean.
"Wild duck" stays in the family and is restored
Today, the "Wildente" is at home in Berlin, lovingly maintained by Penning's grandson and sailed in every spare minute. Ulrich Burkhardt had the boat professionally overhauled last winter and also spent many hours working on it himself. Now his ship is ready to sail again and floats on the jetty of the Möwert yacht shipyard on Scharfe Lanke in Berlin. With its natural paintwork, it shines among the plastic boats on the jetty, an eye-catcher that visibly pleases the owner. "The boat was painted white in the Mediterranean at the time to protect the wood," explains Burkhardt and talks about last winter, when he stripped the "Wildente" himself and had it completely repainted at Alveus Bootsbau in Potsdam. "It was really worth it," says Burkhardt, visibly proud of his work. "When I'm on board, I'm regularly asked how good she looks."
The small articulated chandler is a striking appearance even without its large dimensions. The hull is strikingly high-sided, but its lines are nevertheless pleasing. The superstructure, which can be called a real deckhouse with a twinkle in the eye, fits in well with the proportions. At its end is the extremely spacious cockpit, very sheltered and with canopies on which an adult can stretch out. A detachable riding beam divides the realm of the helmsman, who steers the attached blade on a massive tiller. All surfaces are made of mahogany-veneered marine plywood with a first-class lacquer finish. A golden anodised aluminium rig is reminiscent of the early seventies.
None other than Ernst Lehfeld provided the plans at the time. The "most successful and best-known German yacht designer of the post-war years" (YACHT 24/1969) is known for his innovative spirit. The qualified engineer, born in 1900, was already designing sports boats as a teenager. After the war, he was one of the first in Germany to work with the new lightweight construction method and moulded hulls.
In 1958, when a modern alternative to the pirate was being sought, Lehfeld was able to pull the long since worked-out design for a two-man planing dinghy out of the drawer. The Korsar would make him internationally famous.
Lehfeld's plans were not precise enough for the builder
In 1963, Ernst Lehfeld's publication entitled "Sperrholzboote für den Selbstbau" (Plywood boats for self-builders) was published by Delius Klasing - the publishing house that also publishes YACHT. The five-volume work contains ten instructions for big dreams of small boats. The range covers almost everything that can be found at contemporary boat shows, from the 3.80 metre long sailing dinghy "Pinguin" to the highly motorised speedster "Husch-Husch".
The motorsailer "Wildente" is the flagship of the fleet. It is made from commercially available "boatbuilding plywood, boil-proof glued", as Lehfeld begins his explanation of "plywood gluing". "Choose a good, waterproof, joint-filling glue, such as WHK, Kauresin or Aerodux clamping glue", the latter even being tropicalised. For self-builders, Lehfeld recommends twist nails with a thread of a certain height and pitch. "By hitting it with a hammer, it turns into the wood and generates the same contact pressure as a wood screw." It sounds like child's play.
In fact, the designer's self-build plans hit the nerve of the times; they suggest limitless utilisation possibilities with little effort and low costs. In the case of the "Wildente", the focus is on maximising living space. "A boat for long journeys" is what the designer calls it on page 19 of the brochure, which forms the content of the printed work between two solid cardboard covers next to the plans. It is "designed for long voyages in its entire construction".
The life of the "wild duck" shows that these were not empty promises. But it was a long way to go before she could honour her name in the wet element. "He was also interested in building," says Ulrich Burkhardt, who is still fascinated by his grandfather's perfectionism today.
Penning brought the meticulousness with him from his professional life. He had worked on the development of binoculars at Carl Zeiss Jena in Oberkochen. "Lehfeld's plans were not precise enough for him," says the grandson and pulls out a thick folder in which Penning has traced every part of the boat on countless sheets of graph paper, both graphically and mathematically. "He was in contact with Lehfeld. After consultation, he then designed a higher rig."
Penning is at least as meticulous when it comes to construction; he does not compromise. If the grain of the veneer is not right, a plywood panel is discarded, as is the rare case when he saws himself. He carries out all the metalwork himself, develops entire tools for the construction of the small folding frame, in short, he is absorbed in his work and builds with total dedication. And so the estimated two years became no less than six years before the "Wild Duck" slipped out of the shed, above which a sign labelled "Bootsbau Penning" (Penning Boatbuilding) attests to the seriousness of the endeavour.
Mediterranean becomes home territory of the "wild duck"
A yellowed black and white photo still bears witness to the joyful anticipation on the day of the christening in July 1970, showing Kurt Penning, a small man in a suit and tie, standing on the foredeck, the boat still in the building shed, and addressing the christening guests. A mischievous smile dominates the 65-year-old's features; relaxed and full of anticipation, he presents his work. Ulrich Burkhardt was three and a half years old at the time and was overwhelmed by what his grandad had built. His great role model, he says today.
As soon as the building shed is tidied up, Penning sets sail. Together with his wife, the newly qualified leisure captain launched the "Wildente" for the first time at 10 a.m. on 11 August 1970 in Bordeaux, according to the logbook, and after a few days reached the Mediterranean via the Garonne and Canal du Midi. He records his experiences in the ship's logbook, with good humour in every line: "Successful night voyage, lunar eclipse, bathing in the open sea, atmospheric evenings after a successful mooring manoeuvre!"
The crew of the "Wildente" made the island of Cres, and later Mali Losinj in what was then Yugoslavia, their home in 1972. It was a time when the word water sports tourism was still completely unknown there. Locals might use boats for fishing - but sailing as a leisure activity was something completely exotic.
When Kurt Penning passed away in 1975, his daughter took over the boat. Together with her husband, she continues the legacy. Ulrich Burkhardt was eleven years old at the time. The family spent a lot of time on board every summer. "The five of us went on holiday on the boat for four weeks," recalls the owner, recalling that every bit of storage space was packed full. Nobody thought it was spartan. "Two adults sleep comfortably in the front, one in the dog bunks and one on the floor. And we have a cake stand, so you can also sleep outside."
Everything in original condition
At the time, travelling by car was just as exotic as having your own boat on the Adriatic. "We travelled over mountain passes, there were no tunnels yet. That alone was a total adventure," remembers Burkhardt, who discovered his love of sailing on the "Wildente" and took to the optimist at home. At 18, he obtained his BR licence on Lake Constance. He has been allowed to use the "Wildente" without his parents since 1984. From then on, he spent his summer holidays on board with friends.
Even when war broke out in Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, Burkhardt was still travelling. "There was a travel warning on the radio from the Foreign Office. We were in the middle of a Yugoslavian island and were wondering what we should do. At the time, we seriously considered sailing to Italy," he says looking back. However, they then decided to bring the boat back to the harbour where the car was parked and head home.
As the situation did not calm down, Burkhardt picked up the boat with the trailer in Mali Losinj in 1995 and brought it to Müritz. It remained at home in Cameroon Bay until 2013. Burkhardt's parents use it as intensively as his father Penning once did and spend the entire summer months on board.
Ulrich Burkhardt himself took over the boat in 2014 and brought it to Berlin. The engineer and construction expert cycles half an hour from the office to his "wild duck". He does this as often as he can. "It's perfect for me here, I'm totally flexible. When the weather is nice, I can spontaneously go on board."
He feels as comfortable there today as he did when he was a youngster. "Everything is still in its original condition, just as my grandfather built it," he says, demonstrating details that only a development engineer like Kurt Penning could have thought up. The high grating and two large bilge boxes, for example, a mimic that works without hoses and valves and where the cockpit is always clean and dry.
Penning also took obvious pleasure in the details of the interior design. "My grandfather bought the crockery in Denmark and built compartments for it. Every cup and every plate has its own place," says Burkhardt enthusiastically. And demonstrates that this love of detail is not limited to the galley equipment: Every little nook and cranny inside the "Wild Duck" has been converted into functional storage space by means of a small compartment door.
Just as clever as the interior are the numerous patents that make the "Wildente" a boat capable of travelling longer distances. For the propulsion, for example, which was by no means a matter of course in the early 1960s, a soundproofed aft peak is provided, in which a shaft accommodates the outboard motor and which offers plenty of space for fuel tanks.
Boat is part of a life story
Ulrich Burkhardt prefers to leave the engine off - he has converted to an electric drive. The small boat is manoeuvrable enough to be manoeuvred under sail. As soon as there is a little wind, it can even sail across the Havel quite swiftly with Penning's enlarged rig - the original only had twelve square metres of sail area. From Scharfe Lanke, the boat heads towards Schwanenwerder. The "Wildente" lies stable on the leeward bent frame, runs straight ahead unperturbed and parries the swell of the motorboats without losing speed. When you sit at the massive tiller, the cute pocket cruiser really does give you the feeling of being on something bigger.
And so owner Burkhardt visibly enjoys the day's sailing, even after many years on board his "Wildente" and despite the experience he has gained as an active regatta sailor in such fast planing dinghies as the 420 or the 505 or on the twin hulls of a Top Cat.
But there's more to it than that when the wind blows around his nose here on board. "For me, the boat is part of my life story," says Ulrich Burkhardt, looking thoughtfully into the sail and adding: "I grew up on it."
Technical data of the "wild duck"
- Design engineer: Ernst Lehfeld
- Year of construction: 1964-1970
- Length: 6,99 m
- Width: 2,48 m
- Depth: 0,85 m
- Displacement: 1,5 t
- sail area: 12,0 m
This article was published in 2019 and has been updated for this online version.
