T/S "PRÄSIDENT FREIHERR VON MALTZAHN"

Impressions of a day sailing in July 2014

 

The "PRÄSIDENT FREIHERR VON MALTZAHN" is a German traditional sailing ship. She is based in Hamburg's museum port Öevelgönne and regularly undertakes day sailings on the river Elbe. However, she is a rare sight in the open sea and seldom comes to the Baltic. I met het during a call to Warnemünde and took the chance to join her for a day sailing from here. She is a well maintained wooden vessel. Built 1928 she was originally used a high-sea fishing cutter in the North Sea. Nowadays a volunteer crew is keeping her as close to her original condition as regulations allow. One of her most interesting assets is the tiller steering. I tried it out and found it to be quite cumbersome if there is any wind pressure or in following seas.