He is back at work: ‘Big Willi’ ship crane starts the new boot season

Invitation to boat lift with ‘Big Willi’ on 18 December from 8:30 a.m. on the banks of the river Rhine. Ship’s crane lifts three princesses out of the water with its strong arms

boot Düsseldorf 2025, the world’s largest trade fair for boats, yachts, boards and diving, is just around the corner from 18 to 26 January. So, it’s time for its strongest employee to flex its muscles: the ship’s crane ‘Big Willi’. The colossus, which weighs almost 80 tonnes, has been standing on the bank at river Rhine kilometre 748.2 for a week now. It has successfully completed its first test training with weights and is now waiting for its precious cargo.

On 18 December, three Princesses will arrive from the English yacht shipyard of the same name in Plymouth. From 8:30 a.m., the Princess S65 (weighing 40 tonnes, 20.61 metres long and 5.10 metres wide), the Princess Y85 (weighing 67 tonnes and, at 26.20 metres long and 6. 30 metres, the largest luxury yacht that ‘Big Willi’ will be bringing ashore this time) and the Princess Y72 (weighing 63 tonnes, 21.77 metres long and 6.06 metres wide) were lifted out of the Rhine in ‘Big Willi’s’ strong arms. Low-loaders then transported the sleek beauties to their temporary home at boot 2025 in Hall 6.

These yachts will be making their own way to Düsseldorf on 18 December:

• Princess S65: This yacht from the British Princess shipyard weighs in at 40 tonnes and is 20.61 metres long. It can carry up to eight passengers. Depending on the fittings, it costs between €1.5 million and over €2 million. It will be lifted out of the water at 8:30 am.
• Princess Y85: This is the largest yacht that Big Willi will retrieve from the Rhine. It is 26.20 metres long and weighs 67 tonnes. Up to eight passengers can be comfortably accommodated in the four cabins. Prices can exceed 7 million euros depending on the fittings. Lifting out at 10:00 am.
• Princess Y72: At 21.77 metres long and weighing 63 tonnes, it is no lightweight either. It has four cabins with en suite bathrooms. Prices start at over €4 million, depending on the fittings.

All about ‘Big Willi’:

• Where can ‘Big Willi’ be found? Seen from the water, it is located exactly at Rhine kilometre 748.2.
• How many tonnes can ‘Big Willi’ lift? It can lift up to 100 tonnes.
• How much does ‘Big Willi’ weigh? It can even lift more than its own total weight, because ‘Big Willi’ weighs ‘only’ 79 tonnes.
• How does ‘Big Willi’ move around? The crane moves on a total of eight wheels and has a climbing ability of 5%. This means that it can easily drive into the Rhine, lift the boat waiting there and drive up the ramp with its precious cargo to the low-loaders waiting on the road.
• What does ‘Big Willi’ do at high tide? High water does not prevent ‘Big Willi’ from being deployed. In fact, it makes his work a little easier, as he does not have to enter the Rhine water as deeply.
• How long will ‘Big Willi’ be in operation for boot 2025? He will be in operation daily from 18 December 2024 to 9 January 2025 to bring the boats and yachts ashore. He will then have a holiday until 26 January and from 27 January he will have to gradually carry the boats back down into the Rhine.
• Who operates ‘Big Willi’? The ship’s crane has an experienced crane operator. Norbert Pilarski from the company Schuhmann krant has been using ‘Big Willi’ to lift boats and yachts for boot Düsseldorf for more than 30 years.
• Why is it called ‘Big Willi’? The crane is named after a prominent figure. Willi Weyer, former interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia and president of the German Sports Confederation, had close ties to boot Düsseldorf and in 1980 sponsored the ship’s crane, which was named after him.