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  2. First Swiss German sailor – Oliver Heer completes the 2024 Vendée Globe

First Swiss German sailor – Oliver Heer completes the 2024 Vendée Globe

Oliver Heer crossed the finish line in Les Sables d’Olonne at 6.29 pm on Monday 17 February 2025, after 99 days. He thus became the first Swiss German to complete the world’s toughest sailing race, finishing in 29th place. With this successful finish, Oliver Heer not only achieved his ambitious personal goal, but also became only the third Swiss sailor to complete this challenge from start to finish.

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Oliver Heer makes history

Known as the ‘Everest of the Seas’, this regatta is the most extreme solo round-the-world yacht race, testing the limits of endurance, courage and technical skill. The former boat captain and co-skipper of ‘Hugo Boss’ hopes that by completing the Vendée Globe, he has laid the foundations for a new attempt with a faster boat.

During his time on the high seas, Oliver had to overcome a number of difficult technical challenges: a failure of the autopilot, a flooded engine room, a hydraulic failure in the keel system and the loss of his largest headsail. This loss forced him to devise an alternative sailing strategy all by himself at sea!

But he didn’t let that stop him and sailed his “Tut gut.” -boat all the way to the finish line, where he was warmly welcomed by his family, friends and fans.

 

A dream come true

Looking back on his long and adventurous journey, Ollie couldn’t hide his emotions:

“Wow – taking part in this race was a childhood dream – I can’t believe I’ve done it! Setting off 99 days ago was one of the most unforgettable moments of my life, but crossing the finish line today was unbelievable! I’m so happy and so proud of everything we’ve achieved.”

Key race performance data

  • Finish position 29th
  • Finish time 17/02/2025 18:29:34 FR
  • Elapsed time 99d 05h 27min 34s
  • Theoretical distance 23,905.63 nm / 10.04 kts theoretical average
  • Actual distance 27,724.35 nm / 11.64 kts actual average spee