The Hanse story

Handsome boats, handsome profits: Peter K Poland celebrates the rapid rise, far-sighted business expansion and ongoing success of Hanse Yachts

Michael Schmidt is one of the most remarkable boatbuilders to have hit the European scene. His career has been varied and successful – and he’s still going strong. When asked how he got under way, Michael replies: ‘I started boatbuilding with C&C yachts in the mid-1970s, where we began production for Europe. In the early ’80s I bought my own boatyard and started building the first prepreg carbon-fibre Admiral’s Cuppers. Our race boats like Düsselboot, Rubin, Pinta, Outsider and Tina-I-Punkt were successful offshore racers and won the Admiral’s Cup and Sardinia Cup. I sailed several times for Germany in the Admiral’s Cup.’ Thereafter, Michael was a successful Westerly dealer for several years. When the Berlin Wall crumbled at the turn of the 1990s, Michael was quick off the mark and set…

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Practical Boat Owner (Digital) - 1 Issue, June 2015

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