He has inspired people with his books and made sailing an attractive sport for many. "Alone against the wind", in which he tells the story of his non-stop circumnavigation of the world in 343 days, spent 32 weeks on the SPIEGEL bestseller list. A total of 18 of his titles have been published by Delius Klasing Verlag. Some are also available as audio books or film documentaries.
He is the first German to sail around the world alone and writes about his experiences in the book "Mein Schicksal heißt 'Kathena'". This was followed by another circumnavigation with his wife Astrid:
Both journeys were recorded in books, which is how I discovered my second passion - writing."
With the help of his logbooks, Wilfried Erdmann reconstructs his voyages and uses them to create books that provide particularly private and authentic insights into his impressive experiences at sea and give readers the feeling of having been there themselves.
He dedicates many of his books to his son Kym - including the account of their family trip "Headwind in Paradise". His intention is for the then three-and-a-half-year-old to be able to relive the South Seas trip with his parents in this way when he reads it later.
May he and many others feel the same way - when reading - as Astrid and I do when writing: The journey was beautiful, and the longer we are on land, the more beautiful it becomes."
Reliving experiences, dreaming of faraway places and his love of sailing are what drives him to write books. But the author also wants to inspire and encourage others to realise their dreams with his stories. Many feel connected to him through his books.
"The best thing would be if you just let yourself be carried away. Because it's never too late to sail and read, that's all I wanted to say."
Birgit Radebold, Wilfried Erdmann's editor for many years, has many fond memories of him:
"The private encounters between us - which always meant: also with his wife Astrid. His curiosity and interest in everything that sailed. And his infinite patience towards readers - for example at trade fairs, when he signed with paintings of boats and water. I will miss him."
Erdmann was a valued guest at water sports and book fairs and was always surrounded by his fans, who listened to him spellbound or wanted to have one of his books signed. The author was not fazed by long queues at the signing stands and took his time until everyone who wanted to went home with a signed book. He not only financed his followers with his lectures and books, he also used them to fund his travels.
All Wilfried Erdmann titles at a glance
Ingeborg and the sea
A solo sailing trip is an adventure in which even experienced cruising sailors with modern boats can reach their limits. How much greater must the challenge have been in 1969 when Ingeborg von Heister became the first German woman to cross the Atlantic alone on her trimaran? Her son-in-law Wilfried Erdmann traces the sailing adventure using her log diaries and many personal conversations.
Erdmann writes in his foreword:
Sometimes, reading her lines, I want to sit on her bench in the cockpit and sail with her. We do it passionately. Perfection doesn't matter. She frowned upon doggedness on board. She abhorred rules. That always makes me happy when I think of her."
I grasp the wind
With his bestsellerI grasp the wind Erdmann presents his autobiography: Memories from more than 50 years of sailing life with storms and stubborn crews, extreme trips and comfortable family sailing. Four circumnavigations, three of them single-handed, two non-stop and one even against the prevailing wind (in an east-west direction), various Atlantic crossings, years of cruising: Wilfried Erdmann is undoubtedly the best-known and most experienced German sailor.
Alone against the wind
Sailing non-stop around the world - it takes more than a good dose of self-confidence and mental strength. Wilfried Erdmann, as modest as he is combative, took this risk: Alone against the wind.
With disarming honesty, the extreme sailor reports on his plan and its realisation, including all the problems, highs and lows of single-handed sailing. His unique journey was widely publicised in the German and international media.
My destiny is called >KATHENA<
Wilfried Erdmann: If you want to know how it all began, this book is a must-read. Erdmann's gripping account is enriched with numerous authentic photos, sketches and diary pages. A marvellous read for sailors and all those who dream of a great adventure.
I am at sea
A small but fine illustrated book, filled to the brim with 180 photos of his travels - some of which have never been published before. Plus reflections and thoughts about his life on the water. Sentences that pack a punch, carry a love of the sea and resonate for a long time.
Why we keep on sailing
They are travelling the Baltic Sea in their sailing boat Kathena nui, heading for Sweden. Together, Wilfried Erdmann and his wife Astrid sail to places with illustrious names such as Kalmarsund, Solberg and Bovicken, overcoming doldrums, heat and increasing age, which does not make sailing any easier.
Kathena and my logbook to the north(download only)
The KATHENA, which had completed two non-stop circumnavigations with flying colours, was to be returned to her element in summer 2016. A new journey. Salt air, wind air, sea air. A trip to one of the most beautiful, wildest and roughest areas in Europe. Made for this ship. Made for its owners. Whose name Erdmann has long stood for "sailor".
The Scandinavian eight
Wilfried Erdmann travelling with a new boat, an extremely sporty X79. Together with his "circumnavigator" Astrid, the wake drew a large "Scandinavian eight" in the Baltic Sea for a summer. The destinations were Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
Sailing time(download only)
These travel notes were mainly written between his long sea voyages. Because, even if they were sometimes only short voyages, there is no sailing time in which nothing happens. Self-disclosures, published and unpublished reports, reflections on the sea, memories and information: a narrative and documentary outline of his more than 40 years of sailing.
A German summer of sailing
Erdmann talks about sailing and the cramped life on a dinghy, but above all about his impressions of the changeable landscape and the people, his doubts and the moments of great happiness on a small boat - as always skilfully, quietly and honestly.
The magic route
Erdmann's "magical" route took him through the southern oceans, where it is at its stormiest, past the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn. Spontaneous, fresh, gripping - supplemented by photos, some of which were taken at great risk - this dense report documents the uniqueness of the adventure of circumnavigating the globe and the beauty of the great oceans.
Headwind in paradise(out of print (as of 5/2023))
Astrid and Wilfried Erdmann wanted to show their young son the world of blue water in the mid-1970s. So they "blindly" buy a ship in New Zealand and set sail for the South Seas! For three and a half years they enjoyed the magic, but also the dangers, before arriving back in the Mediterranean and then settling down again in Germany.
Sailing with Wilfried Erdmann
Wilfried Erdmann manages to describe the essential aspects of a long sailing trip like no other. However, he does not limit himself to the technical details of the yacht and its equipment, but also addresses important aspects such as feelings, reflections, mental preparation and inner stress.
A thousand days of Robinson(out of print (as of 5/2023))
Wilfried Erdmann reports on a round-the-world voyage for two: the honeymoon with his wife Astrid, which was as romantic as it was full of hardship. The Kathena II, almost nine metres long, was their home for 1011 days.
My boundless piece of lake
Erdmann sets off on a voyage in a 5.80 metre long daggerboard, with "cooker and sleeping bag" and without an engine. He travelled 1184 nautical miles from the Schlei to the island of Usedom, including the Bodden and Haffs and the circumnavigation of Rügen on the Baltic Sea. And then 104 kilometres up the Peene and to the Mecklenburg Lake District.
Baltic Sea views(out of print (as of 5/2023))
The circumnavigator discovers the charming area from Denmark via the Baltic countries to the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Bothnia. He and his wife Astrid have visited nine Baltic Sea countries, 144 harbours and bays.
North Sea views (out of print (as of 5/2023))
Once around the North Sea: The circumnavigators Astrid and Wilfried Erdmann are travelling five months and 3400 nautical miles in the sea area on our doorstep with their sporty series yacht Kathena Ina.
An impossible voyage(out of print (as of 5/2023))
The experienced single-handed sailor twice leads eight winners of a competition across the North Atlantic, who had little idea what they were letting themselves in for. This highly dramatic report tells how they overcame the sailing and psychological challenge.
