Note:
I don’t want to convince you to get a tattoo, but rather encourage you to think about it very carefully before you go to the tattoo studio since this little piece of art will become a part of your whole entire life.

In this blog post I explain the meaning of my tattoos, which stories they tell, how long it usually takes me from the first idea to the finished template and which projects I am currently planning.

Tattoos mean much more to me than just color pigments stabbed under the skin. Every single one stands for something I have experienced, they remind me where I am coming from, what I’ve been through and what I stand up for. I couldn’t get a tattoo just because it would look good.

I directly jump to my first tattoo I got when I was 19: the anchor on the inside of my biceps.

As a symbol of love, the anchor symbolizes on the one hand deepest emotions and on the other hand the bond with my loved ones. It symbolizes my friends and family who are always there for me when things get difficult – A home port that provides me protection and security.

In addition to these meanings, my anchor traditionally stands for crossing the Atlantic Ocean with the GORCH FOCK – the sailing vessel of the German Navy. The number ’11’ stands for the duty department I belonged to on board and throughout the years it became my lucky number, too. Besides from cleaning the deck my main duties were to maintain the ship (paint and repair work), climbing the masts to set sails and be on watch while at sea. From the very beginning I enjoyed the craft as a seaman – working with ropes, metal and paint became a part of my life and still is. 

In a previous blog post I told you that that time had a quite positive impact on me and my future development. Already knowing this was a big chapter of my life I started to think about getting a tattoo which stands for that period of life and tadaaa one year later I got it done. Like most of my tattoos, I drew it on myself. When choosing my tattoo artist, I made sure that he is familiar with seaman symbolism and black/grey style. The entire session took about 6 hours.

My largest project is my back tattoo so far, which took two sessions, a total of 21 hours to complete it and has various meanings to me:

Worldmap
Based on maps from the 17century it separately shows the western and eastern world as well as the polar caps. It represents my passion for traveling and the freedom you feel while doing it. At first I wanted to mark every place I’ve been to, but decided against it, because it would be too confusing. By the way: the brown spot on the right is a birthmark. I asked my dermatologist before and made sure that I can get a tattoo over it.

Neptune
According to the roman mythology, Neptune is the god of all seas. Water is his element and as the ruler of all living in it, tides, waves and weather obey his trident.  He represents my passion for seafaring and crossing the equator the first time in 2015.

Mermaid
The mermaid has been a mythical figure for thousands of years. Most of these stories tell how mermaids seduced seamen with their beautiful songs and appearances, sometimes to trick them so that e.g. the ship runs aground. It is said that a mermaid’s kiss will bind a sailor to the sea forever. As an equivalent to Neptune she stands for the connection I feel when I’m at sea in a spiritual way.

The full-rigged ship 
The ship on my right neck symbolizes the circumnavigation of the legendary Cape Horn that I did on board GORCH FOCK and is another traditional sailor tattoo. Due to the prevailing currents and weather conditions, Cape Horn is still one of the most dangerous sea areas in the world and is located at the southernmost point of South America, where the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean meet. In this area the sea knows no mercy and can be so unpredictable that no other sea route has claimed so many victims as this one. For a successful circumnavigation of the cape you have to prove your craft and navigational skills as a seaman, which is why my comrades and I  received the title “Cape Hornier” afterwards.

The whale
I admire whales because of their great ability to navigate and communicate. For me whales stand for safety, sensitivity, consciousness and harmony with the nature. The whale’s fin on my left neck stands for creativity and emotional profundity. 

This tattoo probably means the most to me because it represents the love to my father who passed away in April 2019. I had a very close bond to him and he taught me so much. My decision to join the Navy was mostly made with him. He was the one who shared the passion for seafaring with me and always followed along my trips online. Whenever I ran into a new port, he called me to ask if I’m ok and how it is to be there. I miss that a lot, but whenever I’m at sea I feel most connected to him especially in addition to his bedtime stories he used to tell me when I was a kid. Besides the Flying Dutchman and Nessie from Loch Ness, he kept telling me about the Man in the Moon, which is why I often see the moon when I need his advice the most. Therefore I’m considering adding a moon to the tattoo. As a teenager he wanted to join the navy himself, but because of his injuries as a competitive gymnast and fencer, he got retired. However, he was able to make this experience with me.  

The seaman skull stands for the transience of everything we know. 
In my opinion, the sooner we accept that everything will come to an end, the more we can enjoy the moment itself. 

The rose stands for love, loyalty and passion and if you look very closely you can also see some numbers below the skull, these are the coordinates of Cape Horn (55°  58.44′ S  067° 16.18′ W)

This tattoo was the first project brought to life by Inklabs, a tattoo studio that regularly hosts artists from all over the world, where you can always find the right style for your tattoo and even stay overnight if you come from further away like me.

This tattoo project is my newest and probably the most complicated one so far. The basis of this tattoo shows a nautical map of the sea area Cape Horn. On request to the Federal Maritime Shipping Agency I received explicit access to a sea chart from 1918. To date, there is no map that shows this area more accurately in terms of navigation like this one, as it is just too dangerous to measure it.

Lighthouse
It provides light in the dark, guides ships safely through the water and is an important guide. It stands for being ready to take new paths / challenges  in life that may be uncomfortable. 

Albatross
The Albatros is the figurehead of the GORCH FOCK. If you ever seen an albatross in its natural habitat you know about the elegance of this bird. As a symbol of lightness and loyalty it stands for my attitude to life. 

Compass
Even if compasses are becoming less and less important in the age of Google Maps, they are still irreplaceable as a means of navigation in seafaring. It should remind me where I come from and help me to always find my way back home.

North Star
In addition to the compass, it stands for always chasing my dreams and to keep me from losing my path in life. Both  – compass and north star – show the correct north direction on the nautical chart and point to the skull.

Turk’s Head Knot
The knot around my wrist indicates my former rank as a deckhand. Placed at the end of my sleeve and with its meaning of infinity, it stands in direct contrast to the skull at the top.

The whole project took me 25 hours, 3 sessions, 2 artists and years of thinking about it.

As you can see, all of my tattoos have a very special meaning to me and I don’t want to miss any. On average, I think about the tattoo for about 1-2 years until I really get it. Just like now. I am currently planning my left sleeve, which will show something completely different compared to the right one. It will represent many aspects of my adventures and travels, but I’ll definitely create a separate blog post for you when the time comes.

If you have any questions about my tattoos, your (first) planned tattoo, how to care a fresh tattoo,…  let me know in the comment section below