Cornel & Michael

 

Cornel
After growing up in southern Switzerland and spending his childhood sailing small boats on Lake Constance, Cornel soon branched out into sailing yachts at sea. Once amongst bigger boats, Cornel became fascinated with old squareriggers, and when he finished school he took his first paid position as a sailor on board a three-masted ship that sailed the Mediterranean. After a few years, Cornel moved to Enkhuizen in the Netherlands and qualified for his Master’s/Captain’s license, allowing him to sail on many different ships across the world.
He joined the Eye of the Wind in September 2009, after being a long-time admirer of this breathtaking boat. His pride in captaining the Eye is always apparent to guests, and the enthusiasm with which Cornel engages with the boat’s history means that he has a lot to teach his guests about the Eye. He is passionate about ensuring the Eye’s working history is not forgotten, and encourages the crew to keep the older sailing traditions associated with such a ship alive on board.

Michael
Michael’s love affair with the sea and sailing was passed down to him by his father. He was told tales of Joshua Slocum, first hand accounts of Count Felix of Luckner’s adventurous voyages under sail and his dad’s own experiences on the Pacific – so it’s not really a surprise that Michael too developed a love for all things nautical. With several other relations being experienced seafarers too, it is clear that seamanship runs throughout Michael’s family.

Michael has sailed an number of impressive tall ships during his sailing career, taking a small detour via the German Merchant Marine in order to obtain his captain’s license – but he quickly returned to square sail ships.
To be able to speak from experience when he says that the Eye is an incredible ship to sail is one of the highlights of Michael’s sailing career.