Grethe Witting, the true story part 1
Hi Markus,
thank you for your details, I don't like to be in error.
What is obvious is that the boat was neglected, so pity, because from my shoes doe's not matter so much who is the owner, as I am not involved, as matter to be proper operated to enjoy my eyes, and let me the opportunity to learn from the others, but not from the other's mistakes.
By the way, I am not denying your seamanships knowledge, all though I have some problems understanding where you or anybody else can find enough Romanian seaman experienced in Wooden Tall Ships, able and willing to be hired as GW crew.
Praiseworthy your objective, but regarding your business skills and your connections with Romanian realities, I presume that the facts are talking by themselves. We always have to be carefully in whom to trust and to entrust our money, no matter what.
However would be great to hear also the other part' opinion, and why after all the boat was sequestrated.
Tip: among us is also a judge. Write to him, maybe he can help you at least with some advices.
Best regards and best wishes,
Nike
Dear Nike,
Thank you for writing that you would be interested to there the other side’s opinion, and smart thinking should deserves to be rewarded, so here we are. Obvious here is something smelly about markus’ story, but the main reason I write this because I am sick and tired of being insulted by someone who had not even a penny in his pocket, who I saved from being forced to do a non-refundable down payment of 10% and lose it, and whom I gave a present being 30% of a business on the Grethe Witting. For readers getting bored quickly there is a summary on the end.
I have to excuse myself like markus for not writing in Romanian. As he said in a forum: I do not write Romanian good enough , but I do understand it. Which is interesting because he asked the Romanian court to abrogate verdicts because he could not understand Romanian.
But let’s get to some more serious matters. Our agreement was recorded in a contract regarding the business and also, because of circumstances that I will explain later, in a mortgage contract regarding the “loan” with the ship as collateral. In this contract the sum was of course mentioned and the only way for me to end the loan was to ask markus the money back. No more. So his accusation that I asked like euro 400.000 is not only not true, but also impossible. If I wanted to break the contract, I had to ask my money back which is very significantly less. That would have given him the opportunity to pay me back and get rid of me, which is fine with me. If I would have asked more, I could not have broken the contract and he would stay owner of the ship, which is not fine with me. Simple.
But back to where it all begun. markus came to me with his business plan regarding the Grethe Witting. He said he already signed a selling-buying contract but no money. The plan had some questionable assumptions but it used to be my profession to evaluate plans like this and I could see through the parts where he was too optimistic. I judged that it would be difficult to lose money with it. How wrong I was. So I told him I could be interested in participating for 40%, because I have this unstoppable urge for adventure. Because the first installment already was overdue I immediately transferred the first 10%, which was non refundable
Here it is time to refute another of markus’ allegations, i.e. that I every time paid late. Well, first payment I just explained. Second payment was late because the notary did not send me a bill so I could not pay, and third time the Nationality Declaration could not be obtained but after long delays, so the final sales was delayed too. All what I am telling you I can prove by way of emails, contracts,, sms-es, witnesses and his famous business plan.
According the agreement we put into writing we would make a business structure and markus would have been responsible for all the activities and I would finance until other investors were found. The ship would be brought into this structure (a present of 30% of the value) as an asset. However, the offers for setting up this structure, budgeted by markus (hereafter to be referred to as m. )for 1500 euro were extremely high, 10.000 per year for something that did not bring any tax benefits in my opinion, thus waiting for an better offer and stressed by time m. came with the solution to put the ship on his name for the time being giving me a mortgage with the ship as collateral. Since this mortgage had to pass while m. was at sea, m. left a power of attorney with the notary and told me I could change everything I wanted. Reading the contract m. had composed I noticed that the loan was mentioned as redeemable in one sum after5 years including accrued interest, which by the way was smaller then the interest I could get with any respectable bank. I left the interest for what it was but added only that I could end the loan any time I wanted, a back door in case of problems I did not want him to sit on my money. Please note that the first agreement and the first payment were done end of 2007, so his allegations that I revoked our agreement two months after the signing of the mortgage agreement is incorrect. Although the final agreement was signed somewhere in may, there was a preliminary agreement which was also legally binding.
In this agreement was also stated that m. was responsible for both maintenance and insurance, so another allegation down the drain. We agreed however to do full maintenance as soon as possible, which is in my view latest after the season, taking into account that the ship was declared sailing worthy for one year by the authorities end of 2007 and was, according to m., in good condition. Also take into account that he prediction from m.’s business plan (bp) that half of the revenues would be paid like half a year in advance was only wishful thinking.
So the contract was signed and m. was going to sail to Romania.
There were some problems: the engine (m.: the engine is ok, but in one or two years we better change it for a more economical one) broke down in the Kieler channel and had to be replaced.
The Odyssey, according to the bp a fantastic adventure that should bring paying passengers for the trip to Romania and spare us a complete crew, was not possible because the papers were not okay for ocean travel with passengers. Guess who paid for the engine and the crew, I even had to pay m.’s bus ticket to the airport because he did not have a nail to scratch his ass.
On arrival in Mangalia he had arranged nothing. I first had the unpleasant surprise that the Dutch captain said that the ship had overdue maintenance of 10000-20000 euro’s, I do not recall exactly, but of that magnitude. In later correspondence with the former owner m. was reproached that m. did not use the opportunity to come and inspect the ship, I was told by m. that he knew the ship and that it was in fair condition.
I bring to mind that the agreement that m.’s job was to do all the work, only I proposed that my son would also try to do some sales against normal commission. m.’s later reproach that my son was supposed to do all the selling is therefore incorrect and showing his own incompetence, i.e. he should by then have sold half the season, but he did not sell nothing. But in fact my son did some very successful prospecting. We established a Romanian company, which I put completely on my sons name for the time being, because m. did not take care of that and he was at see. We also took care of arranging a Romanian crew and of the contacts with the ANR.
After that we had e some nice trips and some more unpleasant surprises in finding out that the Germans did not want to continue to be responsible for the ship because m. had not fulfilled the formalities, so the ship was without a flag state.
One other reproach by m. was that I drunk too much and I won’t deny that a certain temperance was recommendable. But besides m. nobody seemed to be bothered by this, let’s say I was no exception. And notwithstanding the fact that it was not his f!@#$%g business at all I decided to abstain and focus on the business. And so I did. A few days later he sent me from the ship, probably afraid that I would come to my senses. Thank you for a cheap loan and @#$% off was the message.
to be continued...