A Very Different Birthday

Last year, on the 10th May 2024, Oliver Heer celebrated his birthday alone, cold and drifting in freezing fog in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The Transat CIC Race had turned into a nightmare - his boat had taken a significant knockdown a few days earlier, the batteries had flooded, he’d experienced a total systems blackout, and after days of hand-steering and navigating without instruments, Ollie was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. He had never felt so low.

Fast forward 12 months, and Ollie is preparing to celebrate his birthday in very different company, parading down the channel among the world’s top offshore sailors at the official Vendée Globe prize-giving in Les Sables d’Olonne.

Ollie is now part of an exclusive group of just over 100 skippers to have successfully completed this epic race in its 40 year history, and one of only 200 people to have sailed a solo, non-stop, circumnavigation ever.

It’s a moment that tastes even sweeter because of how bitter things felt just one year ago.

Perseverance Pays Off

The capsize during The Transat CIC race was tough both physically and mentally. Ollie was fighting to qualify for the Vendée Globe a dream he’d already invested several years of energy, time, and personal sacrifice into.

To find himself half-submerged in the Atlantic with no power, damaged sails and no weather data, was not just a technical challenge—it was emotionally devastating.

“I remember lying in my bunk, trying to stay warm, just crying with frustration. My situation seemed hopeless. It was overwhelming to have so many things fail on the boat at once, and I couldn’t sleep as I had to hand steer the boat. I felt broken,” Ollie says. “That birthday was the worst of my life. It didn’t feel like it at the time, but I decided that one day I would look back on this disaster and be grateful for it.”

That fighting spirit kept Ollie going. He tidied up the boat, worked relentlessly to jury rig back-up electrical systems from his solar panels, kept himself safe and warm during the freezing fog and gradually he got on top of the situation and resumed racing.

Through sheer perseverance and self-determination, Ollie finished the race within the deadline.

The Wildcard

After a short turnaround, Ollie then completed another 2000-mile solo race back across the Atlantic, to cross the finish line and keep his Vendée Globe dream alive.

It was a few weeks later on July 4th, that Ollie's ambition to be at the start line of the 10th edition of the Vendée Globe was confirmed, when the Vendée Globe Race committee announced that Heer would benefit from the much-coveted wildcard and secure the 40th place.

Lessons in Resilience

A year later and Ollie didn’t just qualify but went on to complete the world’s toughest offshore sailing race on his first attempt. He also made history as the first Swiss-German sailor ever to finish this iconic race.

Ollie’s story is a powerful reminder that dreams are often achieved not by the most talented or well-resourced, but by those who refuse to quit when the going gets tough.

As he looks ahead to the Vendée Globe prize-giving on 10th May 2025, which ironically falls on his birthday, Heer beams with happiness and pride:

“This year, on my birthday I’ll be surrounded by my family and fellow sailors, celebrating! What an unbelievable contrast to last year!”

Oliver is now working towards putting a new 4-year campaign together to race The Ocean Race in 2027 and Vendée Globe in 2028.

#HeerWeGo!