Company portrait
About Faber & Münker
Ulrich Münker & Christian Tinnemeyer
More than 30 years ago, 33-year-old Bernd Faber and 31-year-old Uli Münker dared to take the leap into self-employment and broke away from the main sailmakers of the time
After only half a year, the team consisted of 6 employees and they had to work overtime
A situation that could be described as nice and positive, as they had hoped to get through the winter to some extent.
At the beginning the two sailmaker masters also profited from their old employer, the company Reckmann & Schuldt.
Some of their customers changed right away, but soon they were able to build up their own customer base in Kiel
The Kielers wanted to enter the standard classes and so dragon sailor Thomas Müller came just in time, who had not yet found a sailmaker willing to build his sails for him according to his own ideas.
Right at the first big appearance on the water, the Pfingstbusch in Kiel, the Faber + Münker boat won with Müller and an impressive speed
In addition, there was the sword draught bird and the folk boat.
According to the motto, "cobbler stick to your last", they concentrated on the classes in which they had already gained a lot of experience.
Both had a lot to show already at a young age
So Bernd Faber sailed since 1973 on the Admirals Cuppers "Windliese", "Duva", "Magica" and "Jan Pott", while Uli Münker was active on the racing yachts "Magica" "Magica Elizia", "Vineta" and "Espada".
In addition, Uli sailed on Tommi Müller's kite at the start of Kiel Week 1984
The great sailing experience quickly brought Faber + Münker a good name in the scene and they very quickly equipped several interesting projects in the regatta scene with sails from Kiel
Even though regatta sailing was very important, touring sails made up 2/3 of the production. But the experience and important knowledge gained in the regatta area was and is still passed on to the important customers from the touring area.
The tasks in the sailmaking department were well distributed, so Uli took care of the sail construction and Bernd more of the production.
Besides the Commodores Cup and the first Kieler Woche victory in the Dragon in 1984, winning the German Championship in beach sailing, the Whitbread Around the World in 1986 on the Shadow of Switzerland (a SWAN 57), the great international successes in the Sprinta Sport class and the 12er SPHINX were among the projects most remembered.
Today, a good 30 years after the opening of the sailmaker's Faber + Münker, a lot has changed. Due to the sudden death of Faber, Uli had to look at how to continue, how he would like to go into the future with the sailmaker's shop.
So the logical consequence was that his former model apprentice Christian Tinnemeyer - known in the scene only as Tinne - rose to the management after a few journeyman years. Today, Tinne is, among other things, responsible for cutting on the laser plotter and is, of course, also an experienced and thoroughbred sailor. In the meantime, a new hall was built and occupied in 2011.
Bigger, brighter and equipped with improved workstations for the tough profession of sailmaking. In 2014, the sailmaker's shop in Kiel stands for competence, friendliness and continuity.