Felca was designed by Max Oertz, a
famous Classic Yacht Designer and
early aviation expert. He lived from
1871 to 1929 and was the designer of
the Kaiser's yachts.
Born 20th April 1871, Max Oertz was
a naval architect, a builder,
engineer, and later a pioneer of
aviation, with experience in Finland
and St. Petersburg before developing
his yard near Hamburg.
Around the time Oertz was working in
Hamburg the Kaiser developed a keen
interest in yacht racing – and not
just as a participant. He wanted to
develop a yachting culture in
Germany that could rival that of the
British and Americans. Max Oertz
played a leading part in that
development and his name became
inseparable with the emergence and
rapid development of the German
yacht industry at the end of the
19th and beginning of the 20th
Century.
He designed many class racing yachts
and later he was given the
prestigious job of designing the
Kaiser’s schooner, ‘Meteor IV’, to
race against ‘Britannia’. His output
was both prodigious and successful.
Other well-known Oertz designs are ‘Felca’,
‘Lims’ and ‘Samoa’.