Aged 85
Circumnavigator Wilfried Erdmann is dead
05/10/2023, 02:15 am
Wilfried Erdmann is the first German to sail around the world alone in a wooden boat. It shouldn’t be the only time. He records his adventures in his books – and inspires many to sail themselves. At the age of 85 he is now embarking on his final journey.
The adventurer and author Wilfried Erdmann, who was the first German to sail around the world alone, has died. He died late Monday afternoon, his wife said. Erdman was 85 years old. From 1966 to 1968 he was the first German sailor to circumnavigate the world alone in his wooden boat “Kathena”.
Later he even circumnavigated the world non-stop alone with the “Kathena Nui”, first in 1984/85, then again in 2000/2001 – this time westwards, i.e. against the prevailing winds. He was only the fifth sailor in the world to do this. 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 sail 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 harbour”, helped him through many a difficult day at sea, he recalled in 2015 before his 75th birthday.