A MAN who spent £1million in 27 years building a giant 72ft ship in his front garden is finally about to set sail.
Holger Bührle, 58, from Au, a municipality southwest of Freiburg, Germany, came up with the crazy idea in 1997 and hasn’t looked back since.
With dreams of circumnavigating the world, Bührle has done almost everything himself across the last two-and-a-half decades.
From welding the hull from aluminum plates, casting a keel from twelve tons of lead and panelling the interior with wood, the former nightclub operator is now closing in on completion.
The “Hulg”, named after Bührle’s former nickname, will be transported to Breisch, a nearby town, with a heavy truck before being lifted into the Rhine.
From there, the Hulg will travel along the major European river to Amsterdam, Netherlands, before setting sail on to the North Sea.
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Bührle will then fulfil his lifelong plan of sailing around the world for six years.
“I was always curious and wanted to understand everything around me,” he told German outlet BILD.
Prior to building the boat, Bührle had been studying theology but gave eventually gave up to devote himself to his passion, sailing.
After failing to find the perfect boat, however, he decided to take it upon himself to build his own.
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And after buying a blueprint from a designer in Bremen, it was full steam ahead.
One truck after another rolled into his village, supplying the mini shipyard with aluminium, wood, copper cables and fittings.
For up to 14 hours a day, Monday to Saturday, Bührle welded, hammered, nailed, laid, wired and screwed.
But Bührle was always thinking ahead and soon enough he brought several shareholders on board to help ease the financial demands of the project.
With regards to the boat itself, Bührle describes the Hulg as “an ocean-going yacht that can travel the world’s oceans independently for several months”.
“There is space for up to six sailing fans,” he said.
Bührle has also ensured the vessel is well prepared for half a year at sea.
The Hulg boasts two diesel engines capable of holding up to 7,000 litres of fuel, meaning you won’t be stranded when there is no wind to blow the sails.
As for those on board, a desalination plant has been installed to provide fresh drinking water.
But after almost three decades of building the boat, Bührle project is nearing completion – although he insists everything must be perfect before setting sail.
“I’ve been tinkering with the yacht for so long,” he explained. “When she sets sail, everything has to be right.”
Bührle, who also ran the “Crash” nightclub in Freiburg for 30 years, has started a crowdfunding campaign on “Go Fund Me” to help him finish building the boat.
So far, he has raised €1,185 (£1,022) from his €4,800 (£4,142) target.
“You have to be a bit crazy to build your own boat,” he told Freiburger Wochenbericht.
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“Most people know it that way, for some people I’m the crazy one with the boat.”
He added: “It has to be fun and of course it’s great when it ends up the way you imagined it. I am confident that the boat will be ready for water this year.”
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Tom Malley
