Joe Sails

So here I was as a future boat owner in February 1973. Our winters back than were long and cold and windy with Easterlies from the continent. And also the delivery time of my Falsterbrø Opti was a challenge to myself. I am an impatient chap when something is in front of me that catches my interest. I am dead bored with anything outside of that. I waited every day that the ice on the Trave river would melt, that the first mild winds from the Southwest would announce spring and that the shipyard would send me a letter with shipping information. Remember back than no internet, no smart phone, no tracking numbers. We really spoke to each other, phoned each other from public phones and met. Anyway my boat did not show up, let me waiting and drove me mental. In the meantime there was still important stuff to solve. What kind of life vest would I buy? What brand of foul weather gear would be best? So I took my bike, took my savings out of my Sparschwein and biked to Lübeck to the ship fitter Schefferling. Not sure how much time I spend in there. But I remember that the sales manager freaked out after I could not come up with a decision for my life vest after a 1.5 hour discussion about the pros and cons of 5 different models. I was 13 back than but had my own opinion. At the end I bought an Elvstrøm competition life vest, Helly Hansen yellow foul weather gear and French rubber boots.

April 25th 1973. D-Day. A yellow boat arrived in a cardboard box, Sail in a tube, spars separate as dagger board and rudder. Man it was my day. But god, the name, I had no name. Believe me, this was a very serious problem for me. I was dreaming about sailing in my own boat but no clue about a name. I even could and still cannot remember names very well back than and today. So how could I come up with a name? I mean a name for my dream? A name for the very most important thing in my life? A name that represents my true feelings, emotions and all my motivation to do well with this? But there was this inspiration and idea from my dad. He proposed “Spatz”. Ok and? First of all Spatz is my favorite bird. Second the nick name of my Mum from my father is Spatz. And third it translated into “my love”. So Spatz it was.

I have no clue today how the boat came to the club. I thought hard about it. Cannot remember. But it does not matter. On a Saturday end April we christened the boat. I was so nervous because I wanted to get out there. Never mind, I rigged the sail which meant to knot the sail to the mast and boom with thin tiny waxed rope. I was rushing it and for sure I would pay for it. After the ceremony I got dressed ready to sail. It was a clear day. The wind was cold coming from the Northeast wind force 4-5. All my guys from the Jugendgruppe stood on the pontoon when I headed out – Mr unstoppable and I can do everything. But the wind was gusty. I did not have the boat under control. The main sheet too loose, the sail flogging because I believed that is how to control the heeling over. I lost in the following gust half of my ties of the sail to mast and boom. And as this always is in sailing first anger and than fear creeped up my chest. I was only 50m away from the safe harbor of the pontoon but miles and miles away getting there. No I was drifting further away to the Island Teerhofinsel. I drifted right towards a huge rusty water piper that hung into the Trave river. And sure as hell I drifted against it, hit it and created the first nasty scar into my brand new race boat. I was terrified and in tears. I would never come back, I would die from starvation out there at this unfriendly island.

Everybody on the pontoon was laughing. This sailing greenhorn got what he deserved, a lesson that told him that sailing must be learned properly. It is not a natural gift but loads of work to gain experience something that came across me all my life in sailing. What to do in this vicious “storm”? SAR operation started when the guys on the pontoon realized that I would not make it. Bernd jumped into our Pram, a work boat, and wrigged over to me, took my bow line and pulled me the 50 meters across. When I arrived the crowd got outrageous. We all celebrated the successful rescue and my stupidity. And everybody agreed that we had a new landmark on the map, this rusty pipe. It was called “Spatzis Horn” and name was painted on it with white paint. For years I had to smile sailing past it. No, it was time to learn more about sailing and it was time to give my boat what it deserved – speed!

Spatz starts sailing almost 50 years ago

The starting point of my adventure participating in the Clipper Round the World Race 2019/20 dates back many years. It was actually 1972 in September. My school mate Helmut Wilkomm took me to the local sailing club in town. We went there straight from school. It was the Schwartauer Segelverein. At that time I did not know that this would become my family, home, playground, education center and the only thing that mattered for many years. He pushed me into the front of an Optimist Dinghy and we sailed away down the Trave River. My grand pa sat in the banks and did what he did every day – he fished. I called “hey grand pa! See not only my father can sail the sea – I can do too”. Bold statement because I had no clue about sailing. We docked after two hours. I jumped on my bike and drove to the riverbank to see grand pa. Paul saw me coming. He pointed in the narrow strip of water and looked at me. He said “grand son – I saw you happy – you should do this. Become a sailor and enjoy becoming your own captain. I will talk to your father once he comes back”. I rode home and asked my Mum whether I could join the club. The following Wednesday I pulled her to the youth training and insisted to become a member. I started training with a club boat. After two weeks I was allowed to sail on my own. Every day I was out there. And in winter 1972/73 I did my first license the A-Schein.

My father came from a 9 month trip back home. He was Chief on a merchant ship. At that time he sailed a lot to West Africa. Now being back he had 10 weeks vacation and I had a father for 10 weeks. Boy tough times. Chief Horst started to tell little Captain Jörg what he had to do.

On the first weekend in Feb 1973 on a Sunday he took me to a trip to Travemünde to the boat show, only me and him – yes! And we walked the tents and looked at boats. In the back corner of the second Hall was a small stand of “Falsterbrø Optimist”. There was this yellow speed machine, Green sail, spruce mast, multi laminated rudder and dagger board. The call was “World Champion 1972 – fastest Optimist”. I could not walk away. I did not stop talking telling my father why this was beautiful, efficient and outstanding. Yellow it was. My dad did not say anything other than “son, can you be responsible for it and treat it well, if we would own one?” I did not understand. But my father ordered one. It was 11am in the morning. I was speechless and almost unable to specify the color. 980 Deutsche Mark. It was a fortune for us and my dad gave it to me.

When we came home my Mum had lunch ready. Rouladen, red cabbage, Schlesische dumplings. My dad walked into the kitchen first and just nodded his head saying “I have done what we talked about”. That was all. Simple. Mum and dad had a plan. It was not X-mad and My birthday was far away. Later I found out from grand pa that he had spoken to his son about my new passion seeing me on the water every day. My family decided that I should become serious about sailing. I was the happiest person on the planet with my yellow speed machine – the only Falsterbrø Opti in Ostholstein,

Obviously this is what its all about. The video from the 17/18 Clipper round the World race inspired me to go for this adventure and especially this leg 6. It is full of challenges as obviously all the other legs are. But this comes very close to my dream to cross an Ocean. The thought is amazing that in the middle of it you are closer to Astronauts in the space station than to anybody on Earth. Sir Robert uses this picture to explain how remotely disengaged you can be on an Ocean from a normal everyday life. It is time to get out there and proof it for myself.