The adventurer and writer Wilfried Erdmann, who was the first German to sail around the world alone, has died. He died late Monday afternoon, his wife announced to the German press agency on Tuesday. Erdmann was 83 years old.
From 1966 to 1968 he was the first German sailor to travel alone around the world with his wooden boat “Kathena”. Later he even traveled around the world non-stop on his own with the “Kathenai Nui”, first in 1984/85, then again in 2000/2001 – this time westward, i.e. against the prevailing wind. He was only the fifth sailor in the world to do so.
“A journey to your own limits”
The arduous route was almost 60,000 kilometers long and took 343 days. “A journey to your own limits”, he called the adventure afterwards. In several books he described the long journeys, with polar storms, loneliness, but also high feelings on the seven seas.
He also inspired many people with his photos and video recordings and inspired many to take up sailing themselves. Erdmann was at home in the small town of Goltoft on the Schlei in Schleswig-Holstein. The certainty of being welcomed by his wife Astrid, whom he once “found in the harbor”, helped him through many a difficult day at sea, he recalled in 2015 before his 75th birthday in a conversation with the German news agency.
Source: Krone
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