Maurice Anker the Boatbuilder

Maurice was one of the three sons of Albert Anker and Anna Anker. He was the only one who grew up to be an adult, while the other two died as small children. As a boy he dreamt of travelling the world, then he studied to be a naval carpenter at the technological school in Winterthur. After he graduated he signed up as a sailor and naval carpenter on large sailboats and trading ships.

He travelled every continent of the world and experienced numerous adventures which he described in his novel „On a volcano“.

He spent some time in the Zambezi region in Mocambique, Africa. A british train company had cut down almost all the tall trees in the area, the resident people couldn’t find any wood to build their traditional boats. Maurice remembered a blueprint of a simple swiss rowing boat by heart. He collected the necessary material and together with the native people he sawed planks out of wood by hand and merged them to simple boats. Still to this day, similar boats are built in the region and are called „swiss pontoons“, in rememberance of the swiss man who taught them the helpfull technique many decades ago.

Maurice and his mother Anna in Ankers garden.