After its widely acclaimed appearance at the BOOT Düsseldorf in 2000, a new chapter seemed to begin for ABORA I. The reed boat—symbol of a bold research vision—was exhibited at the Düsseldorf Boat Show, tangible and close to the public. But just two weeks after its return, the unimaginable happened.
On a night that would change everything, ABORA I fell victim to an arson attack.
The flames did not only destroy a vessel—they struck at a vision. Through former FDP leader Guido Westerwelle, we had just established our first contacts with major sponsors.
They were ready to support us. One sponsor even envisioned ABORA I being restored to open the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004…
Then came the devastating news: unknown perpetrators set fire to ABORA I – casting us back into the Stone Age. The damage reached into the millions. And in the wake of the negative headlines, no one was willing to collaborate with us anymore.
What began as a setback became a turning point.
From the ashes of ABORA I, something greater emerged:
an unbreakable determination to rediscover history—
and to continue the journey.
The ABORA I was built in Germany and Sardinia between 1997 and 1999. In 1999, she sailed in the western Mediterranean between the islands of Sardinia, Corsica, and Elba, reaching the Italian port city of Piombino. It was our first major expedition. Afterwards, our former sponsor, Turisardo Düsseldorf, gave us the opportunity to present the salvaged vessel at BOAT 2000.
The exhibition at BOAT 2000 was a resounding success. However, just two weeks after being transported back to its Saxon home in Auligk near Pegau (close to Leipzig), it fell victim to fire. The police were never able to identify the perpetrators. With this terrible act, however, they had catapulted us back to the Stone Age…
The exhibition in Düsseldorf was a great success. We received several offers to continue our expedition on a much larger scale. The Greek company MINOAN LINES even wanted to buy the ABORA I from us for 4 million DM to open the 2004 Olympic Games with it!!! With that sum, we could not only have completely reconstructed the ABORA I, but also opened the Olympic Games in style with a new ABORA II…
One of our newly acquired supporters was the up-and-coming FDP General Secretary Guido Westerwelle. As a Free Democrat, he was completely enthusiastic about the ship, the crew, and the project idea, and persuaded former Telekom CEO Ron Sommer to sponsor us in the future. Due to the negative media coverage, our "newcomers to sponsorship" withdrew as quickly as they had arrived! And we bore absolutely no responsibility for the arson attack.
What a magnificent impression our ABORA I would have made at the opening ceremony in Athens at the Olypmic Games 2004? Apart from a pile of ashes and shattered hopes, we were left with nothing but our confidence to try again with a new project – the ABORA II.