Vendée Globe: Around the world in 99 days - Oliver Heer crosses the finish line

"I have the feeling that this is the start of something bigger." Oliver Heer said this sentence shortly after crossing the finish line in Les Sables-d'Olonne. He had just spent 99 days, 5 hours, 27 minutes and 34 seconds fighting for his great childhood dream - and achieved his goal. With his Imoca "Tut gut.", a Farr design from 2007, the man from Rapperswil successfully fought his way around the world.

Oliver Heer fulfils his childhood dream

When he crossed the finish line off Les Sables-d'Olonne in twenty-ninth place on Monday, the Swiss-German's XL dream, which he had harboured since his youth on Lake Zurich, came true. But although he already had his idols plastered on his bedroom walls in poster form back then, the go-ahead for his own project was only given four years ago. At his first press conference on Monday, the 36-year-old described the result as "extremely positive".

According to Oliver Heer, he had thought that his finale in this race marked the end of a long project. Instead, his perspective has changed significantly. Olli Heer said after completing the circumnavigation: "Now I would be happy to be at the start in 2028." Those were strong words from the "Tut gut." skipper after 2381 hours at sea. In his race, Oliver Heer stood out with his disciplined seamanship, determination and perseverance.

He kept his boat in good shape with technical skill. He had bad luck several times with doldrums, which sometimes slowed him down for days. Heer lost touch with his group once in the western Pacific and again in the South Atlantic. On the approach to Rio, he let Antoine Cornic and other boats escape due to a strategic error. Click here for the tracker, the results and interim results, as four skippers were still at sea after almost 100 days.

Keel problem prevents comeback chance

A possible comeback was prevented by a hydraulic problem with the keel cylinder. As a result, he was unable to tilt his keel to port and therefore could no longer sail at top speed to starboard. However, the first great Cape moment off the southern tip of South Africa, which Oliver Heer honoured and celebrated with a cigar and a sip of whisky, will also be remembered.

He was one of the skippers who sighted an iceberg near Point Nemo. However, loneliness was not a concern for Oliver Heer, even in the most remote areas. His explanation: "It was never a problem for me. The word loneliness has a negative connotation in French, but in German it tends to have a positive connotation and there is actually no such word. I was happy at sea, I felt good. I had also worked with a mental coach before the race, which helped me a lot to understand this aspect."

And so, on 17 February, Oliver Heer completed a great personal achievement in the spirit of his father, who died at an early age, and whose passion for sailing he followed up very intensively with the Vendée Globe and maximum willpower. Oliver Heer was strongly supported by his British wife and project manager Theresa Heer, his family, his friends and a small, dedicated team.

On the Vendée Globe course into the future

His journey has come full circle, from a Swiss Opti child, a university degree in international management and a short business career to a job as boat captain for Alex Thomson and finally his own Vendée Globe campaign. The fact that Olli Heer managed his solo around the world with probably the smallest budget in the fleet and one of the oldest boats is to be highly valued.

He has clearly not had enough of the highs and lows of the Vendée Globe. The new goal has already been set: Oliver Heer wants to compete in the eleventh Vendée Globe on as competitive a basis as possible - and attack again.

Replay! Oliver Heer's finish on 17 February: