Although he is the oldest Skipper in ARC 2014, Manfred Kerstan from Berlin certainly doesn’t show it and is all set to enjoy his 20th ARC to its fullest. Over the years, Manfred has embraced the real spirit of the ARC, and is a stalwart presence at social functions and seminars, talking to participants old and new about all aspects of the rally.
Having started his sailing career as a regatta sailor, he bought his first Swan in 1975 and christened her "Albatros". He sailed the 48 ft yacht for four years in the Mediterranean and then went on a circumnavigation which lasted 6 years. In 1986 he bought a new Swan (61 ft) and sailed with her doublehanded in the very first ARC to Barbados. Albatros crossed the finishing line as third boat home and Manfred was very pleased to receive the Prime Minister Trophy. In the following years he crossed the Atlantic more than 60 times in both directions but he never could beat the record of his first ARC. He also took part in many other regattas, including the Cape Town to Rio Race and the Sydney-Hobart. In 2001 he received the Commodore prize of the German Sailing Federation (DSV). He decided to buy a new yacht and spent one year planning and supervising the building of his new Swan 62RS which he again called Albatros. All his ideas and the experiences gathered in nearly 50 years of sailing were taken into account in order to have a fast bluewater yacht.
And she has stood the test! Manfred crossed the Atlantic with her in ARC 2002 within 13 days, just missing his own record and sailed her back to Germany with the Daimler Chrysler North Atlantic Challenge (8th boat). Since then he has sailed many ARCs so that the 2014 rally will be his 20th. Manfred is looking forward to this year’s Atlantic crossing with his guests who will surely profit from his wealth of experience. Good seamanship is very important onboard Albatros and the crew has to steer by hand only running the autopilot is only running whilst they are all having dinner together, without alcohol while at sea.
When asked about the future Manfred says that he still wants to beat his personal record from 1986 so he just has to keep trying! He aims to get to 25 ARCs, a nice round figure, before thinking about retirement.