This is the legendary
APACHE STAR
The fashion & lifestyle label Apache Star is based on the two-time World Champion powerboat Apache Star, with which extreme athlete Roger Klüh set a World Record from the USA to Cuba.
MISSION & VALUES
You are not like the others. Your dreams are wild, your goals are lofty, and you live your life without compromise.
Just like Roger Klüh, who set a world record from the USA to Cuba in 2015 with the two-time World Champion Powerboat named Apache Star. The Apache Star fashion & lifestyle label is a tribute to the rebellious spirit of this extreme athlete.
Our adventure kits are for those who can't be pigeonholed. Apache Star gives you the confidence in yourself to achieve even the highest goals. Because in the Apache Star community, nothing is impossible, and man can achieve anything if he just fights hard enough!
Join the rebellion, wear Apache Star and break all boundaries!
ONE DREAM CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
This is the story of a vision, one could also say: a dream. And it is told how to make it come true. It was my dream and I experienced and lived it, literally. An idea that had been floating around in my head for a long time turned into an experience and a unique experience - both in the truest sense of the word. Implemented and enforced against resistance, against supposedly good advice and - sometimes - even against one's own inner doubts, which at times were not exactly small.
The founder of Israel, David Ben-Gurion, once said: "Anyone who does not believe in miracles is not a realist." This statement has always fascinated me. And I've always been convinced that everyone can achieve what they really want - if they have the courage to pursue their goal, because they believe in themselves, because they are convinced of themselves. Because then he can make the seemingly impossible possible, move mountains - or conquer the sea and the waves, just like I did on this fabulous trip from Key West to Havana.
Roger Klüh is the son of the German service entrepreneur Josef Klüh and his wife Ingrid. He is a former professional ice hockey player for the Düsseldorf EC. Klüh has made an international name fo...
I always give 110% because I want to be the fastest, but I subtract 20% so that I don't have a deadly accident, like Stefano Casiraghi. Not only when I'm in a speedboat and laughing in the face of death, but also in all other areas of my life. It seems like my math is working out, because I'm still alive. And tomorrow, too, I will fight. And I will survive!
The boat that changed the history of powerboats and broke all records in the United States in 1992 and 1993. It was the world's first seated Deep-V. No one had ever thought it possible. After two years and 7000 man hours to build it the way Roger Klüh wanted it, it is without a doubt the most valuable Deep-V in the United States. The boat is a complete success and ready for action.
Roger Klüh has the goal to set a world record between the USA and Cuba. For this purpose, he bought a boat that was a world champion and equipped it with the greatest technology in order to set a world record. The record between Key West and Havana also stands for a bridge that connects people - between two worlds that are so close on the one hand and so painfully far away on the other - the USA and Cuba.
I have also known Mr. Klüh for years. He is a loyal patient and an exceptional person. He has achieved what many dream of.
Roger Klüh is a very ambitious person and sensitive. And that's exactly what an athlete needs. A sportsman must not only have toughness, but also sensitivity to be able to assess the risk. And it is indeed the case that racing, racing boats alone, is the most dangerous sport and also the one that is most prone to wear and tear.
THE WORLD RECORD THAT WEND DOWN IN HISTORY AND CHANGED THE FUTURE
This was the struggle of Roger Klüh, who is doing the most dangerous motor racing in the world at the limit. He resurrected the most notorious speedboat in the U.S. - Apache Star - and drove it on a route that had never been driven by a private individual since the embargo between the U.S. and Cuba went into effect. He became a pawn of the two nations and thus got caught between the fronts, almost ending up in American prison. It was a struggle of freedom. He dedicates his success to the international understanding between the USA and Cuba.
Roger Klüh drove his speedboat "Apache Star" in record time (90 minutes) from Key West, USA to Havana, Cuba. His speedboat world record went down in the history of international understanding for t...
1968
HOW IT ALL STARTED
I could hardly walk when I was already allowed to call a motorboat my own. Admittedly - it was not the fastest - but for me at that time a world opened up, which I would not leave again for the rest of my life. This was the first milestone in my boating history, which culminated in a world record.
1992
MY FIRST APACHE
I was just 25 years young, but already very familiar with the reindeer boat scene. I had taken a liking to shooting along through the waves and over the water. I enjoyed feeling the wind and the spray in my face. That's why I had my first Apache built in the early 1990s.
1992 & 1993
APACHE HERITAGE BECOMES WORLD CHAMPION
I was just at the beginning of my racing career when I saw the Apache Heritage compete in the 1992 and 1993 World Championships in Key West. I have been fascinated with her ever since. Both years there were very strong swells on race day and that's exactly why the Apache Heritage with speedboat legend Richie Powers as throttleman was unbeatable and became a legend.
1999
APACHE FIVE-O-ONE
This was the second Apache I had built: 41 feet long, six tons, two engines with 900 hp each, top speed 100 knots. I lived in St. Tropez and raced my black beauty along the coast of southern France.
2011
THE IDEA OF RACING FROM KEY WEST TO HAVANA
One morning I was sitting at the southernmost point of the USA: Key West. A painted buoy, just under three meters tall, provides information about the distance between the U.S. and Cuba: 90 miles. I couldn't believe that neighbors who were so close geographically were nevertheless so far apart. This marked the beginning of my initially seemingly endless struggle.
31.01.2012
PURCHASE OF APACHE HERITAGE
I was determined to go to Cuba. Now all I needed was the right speedboat. I couldn't think of a better one for such a project than the greatest legend of all powerboats: the Apache Heritage. However, there was not much left of the former fighting monster. I acquired the old hull with a determination to resurrect the legend. My passage to Cuba was as worthy a final mission for the Apache Heritage as it was for me.
2013 - 2015
APACHE HERITAGE BECOMES APACHE STAR
It took three years to restore the old tailcoat and breathe new life into Apache Heritage. Now she's my star. Hence the new name: Apache Star. Above all, it's pure power. 2700 horsepower, 17 meters long, two and a half meters wide. Every detail should guarantee that I'm perfectly equipped for the long haul in high waves. In the end, it turns out that this is the strength of this boat. The indestructible hull is massive and correspondingly heavy - ten and a half tons empty weight to be exact.
2013 - 2015
AGAINST POLITICAL INTERESTS OF THE USA
I submitted an official request to conduct a world record attempt from the U.S. to Cuba, but it was rejected on the grounds that it was "against our political interests." I persisted and submitted another request. At my international press conference in Cuba, I simply claimed that I had been granted permission when asked. Shortly thereafter, it was indeed granted to me.
01.08.2015
WORLD RECORD: USA TO CUBA
With waves over three meters high and despite technical problems that caused me to interrupt the trip for 15 minutes, I reached Cuba in 90 minutes. There, my family, friends and tens of thousands of Cubans welcomed me. I gave a press conference in front of journalists from all over the world. I was the first to sail a route in a powerboat that generally no one had sailed before me in almost 60 years. And I set a new world record, which I dedicated to international understanding.
January 2017
APACHE STAR STUCK IN CUBA
Apache Star should have been returned to the U.S. immediately because it is an American manufactured item, but it was unroadworthy. The U.S. threatened me with 20 years in prison and fines in the millions. It took me exactly 17 months and 11 days to finally find a solution. She found room on an open container, which brought her back to Miami. There she is now enjoying her well-deserved retirement. And I am enjoying mine.
Roger Klüh is a gifted and fanatical speedboat racer. His passion eventually leads him to set a fabulous world record in 2015. What drove him to pursue one of the most dangerous motor racing sports in the world?
Read Apache Star's incredible success story now in paperback or e-book. Only available in German yet.
Roger Klüh is a gifted and fanatical speedboat racer. His passion eventually leads him to set a fabulous world record in 2015. What drove him to pursue one of the most dangerous motor racing sports in the world?
Read Apache Star's incredible success story now in paperback or e-book. Only available in German yet.