In the summer of 2006, German student Johannes Erdmann became the youngest German, at age nineteen, to sail from Europe to America alone in a small sailboat. He returned to Germany that fall as a youthful national hero. A book and a film were made in Germany to tell his story. He was a guest on TV TOTAL, a Germany late night talk show similar to Jay Leno in the United States. His adventure was retold in countless German and European magazines, newspapers, radio and television programs.
Middle School Library Book Inspired Young Sailor
It was reading a book in a middle school library that inspired Johannes Erdmann. The book he pulled off the shelf was, DOVE, by young autobiographical author Robin Lee Graham. In the mid-1960s, when Graham was only 16 years old, he set sail from California to sail around the world alone in a 24 foot sailboat. His journey was captured in three National Geographic magazines and was made into a film, DOVE, directed by Gregory Peck. Graham kept a precise, day-to-day ships log (journal) and Harper Collins published his autobiography, DOVE in 1972. A photographic children’s version, The Boy Who Sailed Around the World, was published in 1973.
These stories inspired Johannes Erdmann and planted the seeds for his own single-handed sailing journey in 2006. Through a friend in Habersham County, he had the good fortune to speak with Robin Lee Graham just after his Atlantic solo crossing. Robin Lee Graham is now 67 and lives in Flathead Lake, Montana. Johannes Erdmann just turned 29 and was recently in Habersham and visited with local Habersham high school students Jesus and Christian Queriapa.
Since his 2006 adventure, Erdmann has twice again sailed from Europe to the United States, inspiring those who learn of his story. His own book, Alone and Single-handed Across the Atlantic, was published in 2007 (in German language), and a documentary was made of his solo journey, as well.
Local Teenagers Hear About Young Sailor’s Adventure
Habersham Central 9th grade student Jesus Queriapa asked Erdmann, “Were you scared, out there alone?” The young German replied, “At times, very afraid. The waves in a storm can climb to 20 feet. It makes a single-handed sailor anxious to see those waves ahead of you…much taller than your own small sailboat. And things break, there are mechanical problems everyday.”
Graduating Habersham Central senior Christian Queriapa, had a burning question for Johannes Erdmann, “Why did you sail across the Atlantic…alone?” Johannes answered, “Because it’s a challenge. It requires math, science, psychology, wit and good luck. I know a lot more about my ability to reach a goal by completing a solo voyage. It also teaches you how to handle emergencies. On my sailing adventure last month, from Europe to America, I was on a collision course with a cargo ship in the middle of the night. Even with an excellent radar system on board, danger is often present when you are on a tiny sail boat in the middle of a vast ocean like the Atlantic.”
When asked about how young people can relate his sailing with their own lives, Johannes replied, “You can do anything you set your mind to. Just have a goal, plan your path, prepare for the journey, and do it. That includes going to college, seeking a career, meeting a personal challenge, any of those things.”
Today, Johannes Erdmann is a featured writer and editor for Yacht Magazine, based in Germany. He is currently in the middle of a two year sailing journey with his friend, Cati, who is new to sailing and who is a former law school student. A thrilling professional documentary has been produced about the first leg of their exciting journey together, and though in German, it is exciting to see the young couple as they sail around the world in a small sailboat. Click below to see the adventure video.
Johannes Erdmann’s Thrilling Sailing Video
