We have already reported about the commitment of MARX and YANMAR.

Shortly before the Hanseboot the time to meet came. The crew of sailing4handicaps have been invited from MARX to go and visit them in Hamburg where they picked important spare parts for the two on-board 3JH4 YANMAR engines. This ensures the crew to be able next year to leave for their mission.

Before the long travel will strat, the engines will be treated for the last time for the winter.

The contribute of MARX is decisive for the implementation of the project and the safety of the crew on board. We are really pleased to have MARX and YANMAR as reliable partner at our side who will round-the-clock advice and assist us.

There are people who don’t make a big „Tamtam“. Hans Schmidt, chef of the company Werkzeug Schmidt, is one of them!

When we have met Hans Schmidt to introduce him sailing4handicaps, he listened to us patiently and gave us directly his support. He didn’t need any budgetplan, he simply took the project  sailing4handicaps on his heart and started to help.

The same day, togheter with our Orthopädiemechaniker Christoph Ganter , we put down a list of material and tools that we would need on board (togheter with our tools from Wiha) to build up the prothesis.

Only few days later we got all the tools.

Another step in this project is done and we thank a lot Hans Schmidt for his support.

The company

The company has been grounded form Hans und Regina Schmidt on the 01.01.1955 . In the year 1960they moved to Friedrichstrasse 55, Kaiserslautern, Germany. Hans Schmidt junior took the place of the dead fater in the year 1980 and in 1985 he changed the name of the company in Hans Schmidt GmbH. Hans Schmidt is the chef and manager of the company. The target of the company is the Industry sector and the private use trougth the selling of tools, of maschine for the wood and the metal.

Contacts

Hans Schmidt Handels- GmbH Werkzeug, Maschinen- Industriebedarf

Friedrichstrasse 55 
67655 Kaiserslautern

Fon: 0631 36496 – 0 
Fax: 0631 66675
Email: info@nullwerkzeug-schmidt.de
Web:   www.werkzeug-schmidt.de

Geschäftführer: Hans Schmidt

New colour, new logo.

After talking with Jens Langer, Marketing director of Fischer Panda, we have changed the Fischer Panda Logo so that it could fit our new colour.  Marcus Ortloff from the agency Printerduo, has helped us and used his creativity.

Here is the result. Do you like it?

Yours s4h-Crew

MARX and Yanmar are very happy to support „sailing4handicaps“during its circumnavigation with Yanmar spare parts and technical support. Often we are looking for arguments why we should support a certain project. With “sailing4handicaps” it was vice versa.  We had to ask ourselves if we could find only one reason why we should not support „sailing4handicaps“. We found none!

Mr. Czyz and the story of his life have deeply touched us. Despite being handicapped Mr. Czyz found back into life; participates actively in normal life and has achieved gigantic sporting successes. Without his positive attitude towards life and without perfectly fitting prostheses this would not have been possible. Now he and his girl friend Mrs. Brambilla – she is the current Italian champion in high jump – want to share this knowledge with other amputated persons. Therefore during their circumnavigation they are going to construct perfectly fitting prostheses for other amputated in their in-vehicle orthopedic workshop. To achieve this, precise work and a perfect technique are absolutely essential.

MARX and YANMAR wish all the best to Mr. Czyz, Mrs. Bramilla and to their common project.

About MARX

Founded more than 100 years ago, in 1905, MARX reliably meets the technical requirements of our business units: time recording and security systems, automotive technology, industrial engines and marine requirements. 1905 MARX and Co. was founded by Carl Gustav Marx in Hamburg. While in the twenties MARX mainly concentrated on the production, leasing, repair and the installation of taximeters and in general on automotive products, from 1955 MARX began also with the distribution of marine engines. Today with two more business fields, the distribution of industrial engines and time recording and security systems MARX has a wide spread. More than 100 years after MARX still is a family owned company and since 1996 is managed successfully by Robert Marx.

MARX has a total of around 70 employees based at two locations in Hamburg. In the location “City Süd” are located the shop, the marine department and department for the time recording and security systems, in Allermöhe there are the industrial and automotive departments, the logistics center with more than 10.000 spare parts as well as the workshop for marine engines with it’s ultra modern maintenance and diagnostic technology. We offer more than just a product. From planning to installation we assist with qualified consulting and technical support. The competence and quality of our work aims to exceed your expectations with regard to consulting, solution and service. Put our premium products to the test: Yanmar and Neander engines, Mase generators, Kobelt control and steering systems, RCS push and pull cables, Hefko HVAC and refrigeration technology and many more.

About YANMAR

The Yanmar company began its life in 1912 in Osaka, Japan, as Yamaoka Hatsudoki Kosakusho. By 1921, the company adopted the name Yanmar. Yanmar began its long relationship with diesel engines when it developed the world’s first practical small diesel engine in 1933
During his studies in Munich before world war two the founder Magokichi Yamaoka developed a special relationship with Germany and with Rudolf Diesel, whose researches he considered to be very interesting and whom he often came to see at Augsburg. After world war two Magokichi Yamaoka as proprietor of the Yanmar Diesel factory got the MAN license for the production of small diesel engines. Till today Augsburg has a partnership with the Japanese cities of Amagasaki and Nagahama – both Yanmar head offices. Nowadays Yanmar is one of the most renowned und reliable manufacturers of ultra modern and efficient diesel engines plus spare and ware parts and a worldwide after sales service. Yanmar engines are used in a wide range of applications, including seagoing vessels, construction equipment, agricultural equipment and generator sets. For more than 30 years MARX has been exclusive importer for Yanmar engines, spare and ware parts in Germany, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In these countries MARX works with more than 80 authorized Yanmar dealers to ensure that you always get the best service.

Build up prothetics is not a small thing. To do it on board of a catamaran, in the middle of the sea, is even more difficult.

But sailing4handicaps doesn’t stop in front of any obstacle and has decided to face also this adventure to help the people in need.

The work of the club members alone would not be enough without the help of excellent partners.

We are proud to present our collaboration with Rupes, an italian brand world leader in the professional tool market. Francesco Ginocchio, owner of the company, has offered a great, heartfull and direct help to the club.

Rupes has been foundamental in the building up phases of the prothetics on board and in the renovating works on the boat  itself, thank’s to the supply of professional tools of amazing quality, light and practical, features which perfectly marry the needs of the work on board of the catamaran.

A look on the company:

Being international leaders means being intuitive, quick, creative and innovative.
RUPES has been following these principles since 1947 and today, thanks to its R&D department and to the exceptionally high quality of its products, it is considered one of the leading players of the international professional tool market.

RUPES is a solid manufacturing group with 4 production sites and a capillary sales network serving the key markets: 55 agents supervise the national territory, while 3 direct branches and 60 importers guarantee the distribution of RUPES products worldwide, from Europe to Japan, South Africa and Australia.

RUPES is the ideal Made in Italy partner for professional tooling and related applications.

The world seems to become smaller. Distances are playing a diminishing role in the networked 21st century and yet we lack to take a daily look at the bigger picture. Anyone who has ever made ​​a circumnavigation has become ​​aware of how quickly climate, people, mentalities but also life conditions are changing along the longitude and latitude of the planet.

For us it isn’t understandable what is going on in many places and which hurdles people should face everyday. Through the inspiring example of Wojtek Czyz and Elena Brambilla, it is becoming more and more clear how important it is to give always to ourselves a new perspective to fight and to take the hurdles of life with a full run-up. Prostheses allow amputation affected people these new perspectives and offer hope.

Pantaenius is pleased to support this unique project and applied for financial commitment. As a global company, and as water sports enthusiasts, we are thrilled behind the idea of sailing4handicaps to allow less privileged people in the world to get a better and equal life through the help of the prosthesis.

With over 40 years experience and more than 80,000 customers around the world, Pantaenius has far become the leading specialist for yacht insurance over the borders of Europe. Boats and yachts which are insured with Pantaenius have always been with a slab tax, which has set a new standard in the industry.

The team form Pantaenius wishes the best of the luck to the catamaran IMAGINE and to its crew.

It took long but finally we have put online the pics from the photographer Christophe Sorenti. We are so happy that Christophe is supporting us!

The quality of the pics talks by itself!

You can find the pics under the “Gallery” of sailing4handicaps

Afetr two and a half years of work, on the 21.07.2014, during the Travemünder Woche, the first prosthesis has been build up on board of the catamaran „Imagine“.

The team of sailing4handicaps had to invent a lot to be able to get to this point.

To make this project to become true, we had to build up a special working table, a big oven and find uncommon solutions.

It was really important to have, one year before the leaving, everything on board, in order to get familiar with the new characteristics of the boat.

Therefor it is important to pay attention to the weight of the boat. Only the additional equipment for the prostheses, infact, increases the weight by at least 300kg.

Finally we have been ready. In front of the media, of our partnerns and sponsors, it has been described step by step the procedure necessary to build up in the future prothesis using only the tolls that you can find on board. The team componentes, Elena Brambilla and Wojtek Czyz (Crew), Christoph Ganter (Orthopedic) and Dr.Kopy (Doctor of the club), have meet in order to realize the project. The focus has been the construction of the shaft. A plastic plate was heated at 200 ° in a convection oven and then placed over the gyps and shaped under vacuum.

The audience was amazed when they saw how the prothesis was formed. This one has then been wear by Wojtek Czyz himself.  For him it is important that the prosthesis has also an quality standars.

In addition, we could proudly announce that the total cost of a prosthesis will be of  200 €  and can be financed through donations.

Following pics from the day.

The night before  Christoph Ganter made the general test. Nothing should have been wrong on the monday. We have to thank his acrobatik work if everything worked during the presentation.

The next morning the tools have been hanged.

Imagine and the crew are ready for the event.

We have been really impressed about the interest rised from the project!

Wojtek Czyz himself weared the first prothese and showed the quality standards of it.

Suddenly after wearing it, he could walk around on the boat without any problem.

While Elena was presenting the new tools on board to the interested pubblic, Wojtek was introducing the new working table for the orthopedic.

Without all these new tools and c0nstructions, it would have never been possible to build up the prothese on board.