The beginning of a houseboat passion
When I was 14 years old, I discovered my passion for sailing in the Kiel Firth. Later experiences with ferrying yachts on rivers such as the Meuse and Rhine, as well as in canals and a season as a skipper in the Aegean, led me to the decision to build my own yacht – a sailing catamaran. After completing the catamaran, I sailed it around Europe into the Mediterranean Sea.
The sale of blueprints for Trimarans and Catamarans resulted in the first order for a 12 m catamaran. It was built by a customer with my help and under my guidance. The 40 ft catamaran Matangi is still being sailed by the owner after more than 30 years, mostly one-handed, between the Northern and Southern Oceans.
From the very beginning, since 1980, I have relied on the most advanced processes, especially vacuum technology for sandwich laminates. From experimental beginnings, I have developed a company that has produced a total of 44 catamarans and released them into the world’s oceans. Several of the catamarans built by my team have sailed around the world and continue to sail around it.
Low draught as the key to the nature experience
After the sale of the company, I explored the waterways east of the Elbe to East Prussia with the prototype of a river catamaran, Kronland I. I sailed on the Vistula to Gdansk and reached the Russian border near Kaliningrad. Two trips took me over the Elbe and Moldova to Prague. The boat also proved to be reliable in the Hamburg port region, downstream and along the bottom coast of the Baltic Sea. My experience on these trips in shallow waters confirms that a small depth is essential for the nature experience and a sense of freedom.