The Germania VI is the last sailing yacht of Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach. In accordance with his wishes, the yacht was designed in 1963 as a crew ship for worldwide voyages to provide young yachtspeople with the opportunity to train in ocean and regatta sailing. The Krupp Foundation has been maintaining the Germania VI since 1972. Since then, more than 11.000 young sailing enthusiasts have been given the opportunity to sail on the high seas.
The history of the Germania yachts began in 1908 with the Germania I, which Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach had built according to designs by Max Oertz at the Krupp Germania shipyard in Kiel (Germany). Over the next few years, the ship won many international regattas and made a significant contribution in building the good reputation of German racing yacht building. In the 1930s and 1950s, four more yachts from the Germania family achieved notable sporting successes, in which Alfried Krupp himself was actively involved as a passionate yachtsman. In 1962, he commissioned the Germania VI, which continues the Krupp family’s sailing tradition to this day. The Germania VI was built in 1963 as the world’s first all-welded aluminium yacht according to plans by Sparkman & Stevens, New York, at the Abeking & Rasmussen shipyard in Lemwerder near Bremen (Germany). It features a sailing range of up to 15,000 nautical miles per year. Every year, 120 to 150 young amateur yachtspeople take the opportunity to learn how to sail the high seas on board. The yacht is moored in Kiel (Germany) and sails mainly in the Baltic and North Sea. It has participated in the regattas Newport (Rohde Island) – Bermuda as well as Buenos Aires – Rio de Janeiro several times. Three times it sailed in transatlantic regattas; on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the USA, the Germania VI took part in the round trip Kiel – Bahamas – New York – Boston – Plymouth – Kiel. Other voyages took it to the Mediterranean, the west coast of Africa, the east and north coasts of South America, as well as the Caribbean islands. It even took part in the Olympic sailing competitions: 1972 in Kiel (Germany), 1980 in Tallinn/Reval (Estonia), 1992 in Barcelona (Spain), 1996 off the east coast of the USA, and 2012 off Weymouth (England).
Every year, the training yacht Germania provides young sailing enthusiasts with the opportunity to gain experience in ocean sailing on a traditional, robust and well-equipped ship. They are part of an experienced team and can experience and expand their sailing and personal limits on board. They learn to take responsibility for themselves, others and the ship under supervision. Passing on the acquired knowledge is part of the ship’s tradition. Enquiries about joining the crew can be made informally. The age of crew members is usually between 18 and 30.
Following an agreement between Arndt von Bohlen und Halbach, son of the founder of the Foundation Alfried Krupp, who died in 1986, and Berthold Beitz, then Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Krupp Foundation, the yacht became the property of the Foundation in 1972. Since then, the Foundation has operated the ship and promoted its maintenance as well as the training of young yachtspeople within the scope of the sports section of the Foundation’s charter.
During the 2021 Kieler Woche (Kiel Week), the Germania VI was presented with the Berthold Beitz Cup, which has been awarded since 2019, as the fastest large cruiser yacht.
In 2019, the crew of the Germania VI was presented with the Silver Globe for their trip to Iceland that year. The journey of 1,120 nautical miles took the young crew from Bergen via the Faroe Islands to the south coast of Iceland and finally to Reykjavik.
In 2019, the Germania VI won the group victory in the category “Skipper in Ausbildung unter 28 Jahren, Mitsegler auch über 28 Jahre” (“Skipper in training under 28 years, co-sailors also over 28 years of age”) at the sailing regatta from Kiel to Travemünde organised by the clubs in Germany that provide training in offshore sailing and was awarded the Burmester Schale (Burmester Cup).
