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and the internet chat program Skype for a few weeks and in January of 2009, Mahler made the journey to Kentucky to visit Terry and her husband Tom and toured as many houseboats as he could. "It was very cold, so I knitted a hat for him to wear," Miller says. Winter in northern Germany hovers around 32 de- grees Fahrenheit, but during this trip the temperature plummeted to around -10 degrees. The Millers also let him stay on the family houseboat while he was there, as Mahler had never had the experience before. Miller and Mahler shopped around for several days and the houseboat broker says he was amazed at how many boats there were and the quality available. "In short, I listened to what he wanted and found the boat that suited his needs," Miller says. After another visit in late February, Mahler found the boat that suited his needs. That boat turned out to be a 68-foot Lakeview, which Mahler named Vil- lenschiff. "Villenschiff" means "floating villa" in English, as Mahler views the boat as a true house on water, unlike the boats available to him back home. The Lakeview can comfortably sleep six and has two tiled bathrooms, perfect for a family outing. Mahler's children, Alexander (age 11) and Verena (age 9) are sure to have an enjoyable time on the large swim platform on the stern, and the spacious kitchen and living areas both above and below are just what Mahler was looking for. The Lakeview came standard with custom hardwood cabinets, cedar-lined closets, two 80-gallon water tanks and a choice of oak paneling. The 18-cubic foot refrigerator is more than enough for entertaining, and a built-in entertain- ment center is standard these days. While Mahler was happy with his purchase, his work wasn't done yet. The houseboat still had to be transported from Kentucky back home to Germany, a distance of over 5,000 miles, as previ- ously mentioned. Mahler looked to Houseboats Buy Terry for an answer to this situation, as well, and Miller came through again. The Villenschiff made the part-land, part-sea journey in several legs. The first step was transporting the boat by truck from Lake Cumberland, Ky., to Norfolk, Va., a distance of 680 miles that takes around 11 hours. In Norfolk, the houseboat was loaded by Atlantic Container Line, Inc. into a shipping container and began the month-long journey to Hamburg, Germany, a distance of 4,101 miles. The last leg of the journey was across the Baltic Sea to the coastal town of Lassan, a 192-mile trip. And just like that, the Villenschiff was home in April, just in time for the weather to start warming up. Today, Mahler takes his boat off the northeastern coast of Germany, where the amount of water is around 10 times greater than Lake Cumberland. He feels no need to take it to other countries, as there is plenty of space to explore and enjoy at home. Mahler also rents the Villenschiff out to interested parties through his website at www.villenschiff.de. In this way, he hopes to introduce the wonders of the American houseboat to the people of Germany. The website contains photos of the interior and exterior of the boat, as well as information about amenities available and safety measures. For more information on how to pur- chase a boat through Houseboats Buy Terry, visit www.houseboatsbuyterry.com or call at 877-846-9843. To learn more about Lakeview Yachts visit www.lakeviewyachts.com feature 27 October 2009