25 years ago: A psychologist on Wilfried Erdmann – What made him so strong
Original text from YACHT 01/16.
YACHT: Mr Stadler, as an experienced cruising sailor with ocean-going experience – would you be mad enough to plan and undertake a voyage like Wilfried Erdmann’s?
Stadler: A non-stop circumnavigation of the globe? Never! To do that, you have to devote your life to sailing and know exactly what you’re getting yourself into – it requires a very specific background. That’s why not many people will even consider the idea. What’s more, it requires a particular state of mind that enables you to plan something like this and then see it through to the end.
Do you recognise this kind of mental strength in Erdmann?
Wilfried Erdmann is a rare gem. On the one hand, he is the ‘lonesome sailor’, the solitary protagonist; on the other, he is not the typical heroic figure. He is able to talk about himself and sincerely share with others the mental health issues and mood swings that arise during such an extreme voyage. He speaks very honestly about himself and what is happening to him.
More on the coverage of the single-handed non-stop round-the-world yacht race:
Is an honest admission of weakness an expression of inner strength?
Absolutely. Yet in 1984/85, he was denied the Schlimbach Prize for the first non-stop circumnavigation of the globe by a German sailor – possibly because of his openly acknowledged mental health struggles. Back then, people still had different expectations of a circumnavigator. Such a person had to be ‘tough’, as befits the image of a hardened sea dog.
Does it make sense to distance oneself from the expected image?
Absolutely. By laying bare his very personal feelings in this way, Wilfried Erdmann gives a great deal to the people who follow his travels. They can put themselves in his shoes and empathise with his struggles. They understand him and think: ‘I’m sure I would have felt the same way.’
What other essential qualities does a non-stop round-the-world sailor need?
The fire of motivation must keep burning constantly. Even when you’re very close to giving up. Wilfried Erdmann writes very poignantly in his letters that he didn’t dare sail close to land because he feared the ‘attractor effect’. This phenomenon is also known from behavioural research on animals: as they get closer to their stable, they speed up. In exactly the same way, the shore literally draws a lone sailor towards it. Every sailor knows that one of the reasons for setting sail is the hope of arriving safely. That is actually the beauty of it, but the extreme sailor must constantly resist this urge. In Erdmann’s case, for a whole year – and that requires an incredible amount of strength and the will to see it through to the end. Despite all the lows and fluctuations in his mood, his fire of motivation has always burned brightly.
What else is needed to successfully complete such an extreme sailing voyage?
Above all, high intelligence in the sense of imagination and the ability to anticipate. One of the secrets lies in proper preparation, and Wilfried Erdmann has, in many respects, described time and again just how meticulously he went about it. Even if he did run into a few problems with the amount of provisions this time. I’m certain that Erdmann can run through the entire voyage in his head. And that involves a great deal. Furthermore, you need the strength to start something and see it through to the end – which also means overcoming mood swings. This is technically known as ‘positive self-talk’. You have to constantly remind yourself of the benefits and goals and mustn’t let potential drawbacks get you down. That’s the only way to cope with the pressure.
How important is self-discipline in this context?
It is one of the essential personality traits one must possess in order to cope with this sailing trip. After all, there are no external factors to enforce discipline. Erdmann has certainly internalised some of them – certain social conventions. For example, he dresses up in something special on certain occasions, such as when making a phone call. Even though nobody can see him doing so and he is only accountable to himself. There’s no one to tell him what to do. So he needs self-discipline. He does, after all, openly say that his day follows a very structured rhythm. This ability to set oneself fixed points is hugely important for staying on track.
Erdmann’s first non-stop circumnavigation of the globe took 270 days. He compares this period to a pregnancy and says he believes a person can probably cope with being alone for that long, but that is the limit of what is bearable. This time, he was away for much longer.
It may be that this period of time has taken on a certain significance for women in the course of evolution, but certainly not for men. Nor do I believe that 270 days represents such a limit. People have shown that they can survive alone for much longer under extreme conditions. Even the just under a year that Erdmann has now spent is, from a scientific point of view, not yet a limit.
In his last letter from on board, Wilfried Erdmann wrote that he had “strived all his life not to produce anything mediocre” – in your view, is that a sufficient motive for such a gruelling journey?
Many people have this goal, but only a few achieve it. There are people who harbour completely unrealistic ambitions to rise above mediocrity, but do not know how. And there are people who know how it can be done and who, at some point, commit themselves to this goal. But that is not Erdmann’s central theme.
What else? All he said on the matter was: “I’m doing this for myself.”
I believe this because I cannot think of any other extrinsic – that is, external – motivations that might explain it. Of course, Wilfried Erdmann wants to write and sell his books, and to maintain his image as an extreme sportsman and extreme sailor. But that alone would not be enough. It’s about a challenge he sets himself, and he was only able to see it through because he believes in himself. Not because he believes in others or thinks about how he might be able to market this voyage.
How important is the experience he gained during his first round-the-world sailing voyage?
I simply cannot imagine anyone being able to make this journey against the wind without having first circumnavigated the globe with the wind behind them. It doesn’t have to be done non-stop, but you should be familiar with the sea areas involved. Knowing what to expect is a crucial part of your preparation.
They said that when setting sail, everyone is driven by the desire to arrive at their destination again. For Erdmann, however, arriving also means the fulfilment of his greatest sailing dream. His arrival marks the end of a chapter in his life; it is likely to be the last great voyage for a man who says: “My greatest fear is no longer having anything to do with the sea.” Do you expect any problems?
It’s easy to say something like that once you’re back on dry land. But that statement obscures the true scale of the fear involved. I’m sure Erdmann is well aware that, given his age, this expedition will have been his last major sailing trip. He’s now 61 and won’t be able to do anything like this again. If only because of the incredible physical strain: constant wetness, movement and cramped conditions. Coupled with the associated mental strain, as physical and mental states are, of course, closely linked. That’s why mooring in Cuxhaven held a very special significance for him.
You say that mental and physical stress are intertwined. Can you quantify their relative proportions as a percentage?
Not in absolute terms. Every physical process is, at the same time, a psychological one. Conversely, when Erdmann is subjected to extreme mental strain, this always has physical effects as well. Here is an example that cannot be clearly attributed to either side: he repeatedly describes his problems with a lack of sleep. He doesn’t simply resign himself to the situation like other ocean sailors do when they consider a collision highly unlikely and, if necessary, get some sleep first. He always stays awake when necessary; that is good seamanship. But as a result, he suffers from an enormous sleep deficit. And that can put people in completely different states of mind, leading to emotional fluctuations and triggering depression or euphoria. In this respect, the physical strain of not sleeping is a cause of subsequent psychological problems.
Erdmann described his first non-stop voyage – which was also extremely gruelling – as “a journey to the limits of the self”. Other ocean sailors, too, have been driven to the brink of madness by the unimaginable strain. Do you see any signs of this in Wilfried Erdmann, or do you think he’s keeping the voyage under control at all times?
He’s certainly not always in control. We cannot, of course, observe him in that specific situation, but accounts of extreme experiences – such as the five storms in the South Pacific, when he smashed the cooking pot and wept – suggest that he found himself in an exceptional psychological situation. This wasn’t accompanied by any venting of aggression, as he had no one to take it out on. So it simply had a cathartic, self-purifying effect. That sort of thing is bound to happen, but to then describe it and admit to it – that’s what I find remarkable and brilliant about Wilfried Erdmann.
Do you think Erdmann could have performed even better on this run if he’d done some psychological preparation?
He has said before that he should have practised positive thinking more. But from what he describes, he has already found suitable coping strategies for these mood swings. He visualises something positive, has set himself interim goals and works towards them – such as meeting his son Kym off the coast of New Zealand. That sort of thing naturally keeps him going. Meeting the British Telecom yachts, which were sailing along his route with various port stops as part of their round-the-world race, was another important goal, even if he didn’t ultimately manage to do so. But it certainly had an effect in terms of motivation and direction. The thought of making contact surely played an important role in this, just like the hope of seeing land again. Getting close enough to see it, but not too close either. Because he knows there’s a ‘point of no return’ beyond which he can no longer slow down and will end up heading for land. Despite his longing, Erdmann was very cautious with himself in this regard.
What do you think is more serious about Erdmann’s non-stop journey: the immediate threat posed by extreme weather conditions, or the mountain of time he has been putting off for months – the finish line barely getting any closer despite his unceasing efforts?
It’s always difficult to assess this on a case-by-case basis. However, the concept of the ‘time mountain’ is very interesting from a psychological point of view. After all, it’s only relevant as long as you haven’t already passed the summit. But once you’re halfway there – after the halfway point – the psychological dimension of time changes completely. You’re sailing downhill, so to speak, focusing on the destination rather than the starting point. It is certainly the specific external circumstances that tend to alter one’s mood, rather than the phenomenon of the ‘time mountain’ itself. What has particularly stuck in my mind are Erdmann’s vivid descriptions of the drop in barometric pressure.
Wilfried Erdmann makes no secret of his fears. But they don’t seem to hold him back. How do you explain that?
There is an interesting study: people who are experienced and successful experience and overcome their fear before a dangerous situation arises. At the actual moment, however, they remain very composed. This kind of fear is therefore helpful, for example, in preparing oneself optimally for a critical manoeuvre. People with this disposition are able to act calmly and deliberately when the going gets tough. Fear that only manifests itself once a threat is present, on the other hand, is paralysing.
During a severe storm off the coast of South Africa, Wilfried Erdmann reached a point where he had ‘come to terms’ with life: ‘I was – for a while – very happy in my thoughts.’ Is this a well-known phenomenon?
I spent a long time thinking about what that might mean. It’s likely that, at that moment, he felt an incredible sense of relief at having given up on himself. If he’d been able to run into somewhere at that moment, it wouldn’t have mattered to him. All the pressure to keep the fire of motivation alive had vanished in that situation, which is why he felt happy. I don’t know of any other comparable examples. Things like this are rarely described.
When someone talks to themselves on land, people find it strange, to say the least. Wilfried Erdmann does this quite extensively, and more so than ever before. How do you interpret this?
It’s perfectly normal. He even recorded some of his soliloquies. It’s a phenomenon often seen in lonely elderly people. It serves an important psychological function in relieving stress. In this context, Erdmann’s communication situation is interesting. Compared with his first non-stop circumnavigation, where he only made contact with the outside world five or six times, it’s rather more difficult this time round with a telephone on board. The conversations always moved him for quite some time. They stayed with him, set his thoughts in motion, and transported him to another world – the one back home. Once you’ve come to terms with being alone, you shouldn’t have to relive that experience over and over again. From that perspective, the regular phone calls were certainly a strain.
However, he isn’t complaining about making phone calls as such, but about the technical hassle involved.
He expresses his reluctance to engage with the outside world through his description of the technical problems: the difficulty of having to drag the generator up the steep slope, and so on. On top of that, he had an inner resistance to the device right from the start.
He often has to force himself to take photos and film as well. Is that along the same lines?
Yes, certainly. When it comes to taking photos and filming, however, there’s the added factor that Erdmann often has other things to do during a heavy storm. Afterwards, once the situation has calmed down, he’ll ask himself: why bother taking photos now? By then, unfortunately, the really worthwhile shots will have passed. It’s a problem many ocean sailors are familiar with.
What is the bond between Wilfried Erdmann and his ship, the ‘Kathena nui’, which has now taken him round the world for the second time?
Wilfried Erdmann certainly has a very special relationship with ‘Kathena’. This is evident from the way he talks about her. He speaks of ‘we’. He personifies the ship. And he speaks in the plural, which makes it quite clear: she is his partner. He talks to her; ‘Kathena’ is his friend, someone he can rely on. For Erdmann, ‘Kathena’ possesses human qualities.
Can you imagine him ever bringing himself to sell his girlfriend ‘Kathena’?
No. He’d already had it propped up behind his house for over 15 years.
How do you view the situation when someone moors at their home port again after such a long absence?
The yachts that welcomed and escorted Erdmann well before he reached Cuxhaven, all the people on shore – far too much fuss. It’s going to be really difficult for him once again to get used to the media attention and the other people, without being allowed to dismiss them as a nuisance. And then it’ll all continue: radio, television, the press. That’ll be difficult too, because his first thoughts will probably be of his family and friends. That’s the only thing he’s looking forward to.
And after that comes the great void?
One thing is certain: the coming weeks are set to be just as gruelling for Wilfried Erdmann as a hurricane lasting several days in the Southern Ocean.
About the person
Prof. Dr Michael A. Stadler was awarded his doctorate at the age of 26; by the age of 30, he was already a professor of psychology. He has been lecturing at the University of Bremen since the age of 40. Stadler took up sailing at the age of 28, initially on dinghy trips through the Finnish archipelago. Since moving to Bremen, he has devoted himself to ocean sailing. The owner of the 14-metre steel ketch ‘Strange Attractor’ completed various North Sea voyages as far as the Faroe Islands, as well as two Atlantic crossings. This enthusiast of traditional tall ships is the author of various books, including *Psychologie an Bord* (Psychology on Board), volume 74 of the YACHT Library series, which are available second-hand. Stadler died in 2020.
Is Erdmann’s greatest strength his toughness – or, on the contrary, his openness to fear, weakness and doubt? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Jochen Rieker
Herausgeber YACHT