Heide Wilts is one of the greats among German sailors. Most people are familiar with Heide and Erich Wilts and their "Freydis" a concept - as a unit and can hardly be thought of separately. Heide herself rarely comes to the fore; little is known about the sailor, doctor and author.
She has collected plenty of sailing superlatives in her life. In her books, you can read about how she ventured "across the Arctic Circle on the racetrack of low-pressure areas chasing each other with their roaring, screaming, shrieking winds, with thunderous, roaring storms" and survived a long, hard winter in the Antarctic.
She describes herself as a "landlubber who sails". Even though Heide's achievements at sea alone go far beyond what cruising sailors usually achieve, she is much more than "just" a sailor. She has worked as a doctor for decades, has written 17 books to date and has always done research - into interesting people, animals and fossils.
When her thirst for exploration and her passion for the unspoilt, remote corners of the earth dictate a destination, she is not afraid to take a stormy diversions. Dream destinations such as the South Seas are more like stopovers along the way. The eternal ice at the North and South Poles has taken a liking to her.
YACHT spoke to her at her home in Heidelberg and learnt a lot about her: About how she got into sailing and how she was able to assert herself as a woman in the male-dominated sailing world of the seventies. About serious setbacks and great dangers, but also about courage, passion and the great fortune of discovering the world on her own keel.
You can read the full portrait of Heide Wilts in the new issue of YACHT (issue 5/2022); available from 23 February in newsagents and as a digital edition in the YACHT app or order directly here.
