Prince Ludwig in February leafing through old sailing albums
Prince Ludwig has been an active regatta sailor in the Bavarian Yacht Club (BYC) since he was 16 and has been sailing with his kite "Tatzlwurm" on Lake Starnberg until the end. On August 23, he took part in the BYC's 120th anniversary celebration.
The oldest member of the Wittelsbach family, like his family, felt closely connected to the association. The BYC owes its beautiful club area on the north bay of Lake Starnberg to the support of the House of Wittelsbach.
Prince Ludwig was a big name in the scene, especially in the pioneering years of sailing. He celebrated numerous successes and was hired in 1951 by master sailor Manfred Curry as a crew for the 30er archipelago cruiser "Mechthild".
In this context, the YACHT visited the Prince in February of this year at his Leutstetten Castle. When researching a portrait of Manfred Curry (download see below), Ludwig had many anecdotes from the past to contribute.
"He brought me on board because I was doing the fastest spinning maneuvers," he recalled. "I was strong and he needed outhaulers that could operate his extra-large spinnaker."
The Asso 99 from son Prince Luitpold
Ludwig's only son, Prince Luitpold, head of the König Ludwig Dunkel brewery, is also a passionate sailor. Two weeks ago, with his "König Ludwig Dunkel" and Andreas Plettner at the wheel, he became vice European champion in the Asso 99 class.