© The Ocean Race
Anyone who has learnt to sail as a child, who has successfully sailed in an Opti or another dinghy, sometimes cannot let go of their enthusiasm for sailing - for "wind and waves". We report on sailors, their teams and the boats, for example about
Boris Herrmann was the first German to take part in the prestigious regatta with his yacht in 2020/2021, which started on 8 November 2020 off Les Sables-d'Olonne in the Vendée department in France. During the Vendée Globe 2020, Herrmann was involved in the search and rescue operation in the Southern Ocean for the shipwrecked French participant Kevin Escoffier, who was eventually taken on board by Jean Le Cam.
Abby Ehler: Tactical manoeuvres are also of great importance in offshore sailing, for example Abby Ehler, one of the greatest offshore sailors of our time, has declared the PC program "Tactical Sailing" to be a "great tool", see below.
Sanni Beuke fulfils her dream of sailing the world's oceans and experiencing the elemental forces of the ocean. She wants to become the first German woman to win the "Solitaire du Figaro" - the toughest sailing regatta in the world. And then? She will set sail for her next dream: the Vendée Globe in 2028.
Boris Herrmann began his professional offshore sailing career in 2001 as the youngest participant in the Mini-Transat regatta. Since then, he has circumnavigated the world 6 times. After a Barcelona World Race, an attempt at the Jules Verne Trophy and a circumnavigation in the Class 40, the Southern Ocean holds few secrets for him. He celebrated his premiere 2020 in the single-handed classic Vendée Globe, which is one of the four most important sailing races in the world alongside the America's Cup, the Ocean Race and the Olympic regatta. This means that the multiple circumnavigator has fulfilled his dream. The priority for the German is arriving at the destination port.
In 2020, he was the first German ever to take part in the Vendée Globe, finishing 5th on the Seaexplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco - IMOCA 60. The highs and lows, the storms and the emotions can be seen in a video on You Tube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPg15TE7GJs
Boris Herrmann has been leading the "A Race We Must Win" campaign, which combines sailing, science and education, since 2018. Since then, he has had a laboratory on board that measures valuable marine data in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, GEOMAR and Ifremer. As part of the My Ocean Challenge programme, his team Malizia also educates children around the world about the ocean and climate change. Boris and Pierre Casiraghi - team founders - have produced an interesting brochure on this subject, "Ocean Challenge - Explore the world with Team Malizian", see here (approx. 20 MB .pdf file).
The Ocean Race is the toughest team challenge in sport - sailing around the world for six months is unrivalled. You keep fighting, dig deep and go full throttle! This is just the beginning - we are nowhere near the end - the fight for climate solutions continues, and so does the mission in Malizia. As a team, we never give up, and we want you to do the same. Let's win this fight together.
This is a race we must win.
Team Malizia was joined at the fly-by of The Ocean Race in Kiel by an incredible number of spectator boats and tens of thousands of people cheering from the shore. © Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race. You Tube: www.youtube.com/@teammalizia
Professional sailor Susann (Sanni) Beucke, Olympic silver medallist in the 49erFX, was the first German woman to take part in the Ocean Race in January 2023 with the "Holcim" team under the leadership of skipper Benjamin Schwartz. The regatta covers over 60,000 kilometres around the world in seven stages. Alongside the Vendée Globe, it is considered the toughest test in sailing and takes place every four years. On 15 January 2023, one of the eleven teams started in Alicante, Spain. From there, the route led via South Africa to South America, to the east coast of the USA, on to northern Europe and finally to the final in Genoa, Italy. Source: https://www.theoceanrace.com/en/teams/holcim-prb
Abby Ehler had the opportunity to trial and test the TacticalSailing software at the boot Düsseldorf. "What a great tool for teaching youngsters, professionals and oldies alike, to visualise what happens out on our 'playground' the shifts, gain & loss, and pressure." Paul Gerbecks who has masterminded this software is extremely passionate about the benefits this can offer to up and coming sailors in addition to their on water training. See more info from Abby Ehler on facebook. For example, Abby also sailed in the SCA - Volvo Ocean Race team.
Constantly assess your goal, opportunities and risks
Sanni Beuke sailed 49erFX at the Olympics and reached the podium with a silver medal. Just as in inland sailing in a 49erFX, you also set yourself the mental goal of arriving at your destination in the shortest possible time on the ocean. The other yachts are pursuing the same goal, so it's like a "Olympic Race" on a grand scale. You then experience the "elemental forces of the ocean", ocean sailing requires the crew to make a whole host of tactical decisions, always weighing up:
"Wind and waves" require constant observation in order to optimise the course to be sailed by "tacking or jibing". The tactician on board must constantly evaluate opportunity and risk, e.g. adjust the boat speed by setting or recovering the sail area, "before the wind knocks you over with a roll backwards". The aim is always to avoid the emotional, mental and physical risk for the team on board and any damage to the yacht.
A book by Sanni Beuke, published in March 2024 (German language), encourages women to assert themselves and empowers them to achieve their individual goals. Her book is a story about fear and loneliness, but above all it is about pure happiness and a deep infatuation with the ocean. A tribute to adventure and independence and an encouragement to dream bigger. One exciting chapter is entitled "Backflip, when the wind knocks you down". She was very successful in the team with Tina Lutz in the 49erFX, they won the silver medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, see a report here.
Dreams: Sanni is fulfilling her wish to sail the world's oceans and experience the elemental forces of the ocean. She wants to be the first German woman to win the "Solitaire du Figaro" - the toughest sailing regatta in the world. And then? She sets sail for her next dream: the "Vendée Globe" in 2028, a race around the world, 45,000 kilometres across the oceans, through different winds and climate zones, alone in around 80 days and without help, non-stop! www.vendeeglobe.org/en. Source: www.sannibeuckesailing.org.
Several types of boats are available in the Tactical Sailing program, including 49ersin several colors. Operating the 49er is easy: with 1 click you can tack, jibe, luff or bear away. The computer program simulates the process of a regatta from start to finish. You can play and learn with tactical sailing boats - including a Model 49er. You will receive tactical tips from experienced sailors and trainers. The 49er is a two-man Olympic sailboat. The 49erFx is the smaller version of its big brother 49er, but tactically it sails exactly the same.
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