Bernd J. Braatz, is a world-class artist and master model builder. Born in Berlin in 1954, he always showed an interest in boats and water. As a child, he was given his own kayak and became interested in many water sports from paddling and rowing to windsurfing and sailing. So this fascination of boats and water carried through to learning the skill of ship-building. For many years he built kayaks and rowboats in a ship-yard in Germany. Then in 1980 he built his first ship-model and the passion took hold. Since then he has built many models in bottles as well as in showcases, in 1:150 or 1:200 scale. He’s participated in many competitions and exhibitions, and became the German champion and vice world champion in ships-in-bottle-building. He is a member of the Ships in Bottles Association of America (SIBAA) and the Dutch Ships in Bottles Association (EASIB).