New sailing podcast: Rosalin Kuiper in search of the people behind the deep-sea pros
Jochen Rieker
· 11.12.2024
She can be winched fearlessly into the mast, can change the alternator on the diesel blindfolded if necessary, never loses her good humour even in rough seas, and is also an excellent sailor.
With her intrepid and hands-on manner, Dutchwoman Rosalin Kuiper impressed the international ocean racing scene a year ago as a regular crew member of Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia and also won the hearts of German fans. Next summer, she will skipper her own crew for "Holcim - PRB" in the Ocean Race Europe.
In the meantime, however, the qualified sports psychologist is taking a break as she is expecting her first baby in a few weeks' time. And because sitting still doesn't suit her, she has taken a break between house renovations and Vendée Globe-In the run-up to the launch, we quickly started a podcast worth listening to - a continuation of the Freiwache talk with Boris, only this time on land and with changing, highly prominent dialogue partners.
"The Human Behind the Sailor": Three episodes already online
The first three episodes are already online, available at Spotify and Apple Podcasts. In it, 29-year-old Yoann Richomme, one of the top favourites to win the current Vendée Globe, interviews Clarisse Crémer, who set the record as the fastest woman four years ago and is now taking part in the race around the world again, and her former boss, Boris Herrmann.
Unlike in "End of Watch" or in a personal conversation, Rosie still seems a little awkward in her new role - for example, when she reads out the teaser for the next episode or recites her announcer. She also loses herself too often in self-references, mirroring what she says with her own experiences and feelings - even though it's not about her, but about other skippers. This is sometimes irritating because she interrupts her guests and audibly takes them off course. A shortcoming that she shares with many podcast hosts.
That's what the new podcast from Rosalin Kuiper
It is also possible that the format wears out over time because Rosie has developed a fixed canon of questions. These standards are certainly interesting, such as the question about the greatest fear of sailing around the world or the greatest anticipation. In repetition, however, the podcast can become predictable, which would be a shame.
Despite its minor shortcomings, "The Human Behind the Sailor" is well worth adding to your playlist. It is probably the familiarity among like-minded people that enables Rosie to open up her dialogue partners - leading them to open and sometimes surprisingly unfiltered answers in a relaxed atmosphere.
Special insights: Boris Herrmann has also been a guest on the podcast
Yoann Richomme confesses how emotional and vulnerable he is at times and how difficult it used to be for him to set himself goals. Boris, already an introspective skipper, confesses that he needed help shortly before the start of the Vendée to find the right attitude and confidence for the race. And Clarisse, who, like her husband Tanguy Le Turquais, is currently sailing in the Southern Ocean, chats cheerfully about the difficulties of balancing the double burden of being a parent and a skipper.
This latest episode in particular, released just yesterday, is so authentic and lively that by the end you wished it had lasted longer than half an hour. But even so, the dialogue with Clarisse Crémer fulfilled the promise in the podcast's title: to reveal the human side of the almost superhuman solo skipper.
