Swiss Skipper Oliver Heer reflects on business side of sailing one year after making sailing history
by Oliver Heer Ocean Racing 1 Nov 06:22 PDT
Oliver Heer © Oliver Heer Ocean Racing
One year ago, Swiss sailor Oliver Heer made history as the first ever Swiss-German skipper to start the legendary Vendée Globe - the world's toughest solo, non-stop, round-the-world yacht race.
On 10 November 2024, Heer joined 39 of the world's best sailors for an unforgettable departure from Les Sables d'Olonne, France. Each skipper paraded their boat down the infamous hannel, cheered on by almost 300,000 spectators lining the channel walls. For Heer, the moment remains deeply personal.
"That morning was very emotional, it is one of the most memorable days of my entire life," he recalls. "Reaching the start line represented the culmination of years' of hard work and the reward for overcoming so many challenges and obstacles to get there. It was a very special moment I will never forget."
What followed was a sometimes gruelling 99-day solo and unassisted circumnavigation of the globe, in which Heer not only completed his first Vendée Globe but also joined an elite group of just over 100 sailors in history to do so. For the sailor from Rapperswil-Jona, who achieved this on a modest budget and with one of the oldest boats in the fleet, it was a remarkable display of skill, perseverance, and mental endurance.
"People see the waves, the wind, and the adventure," says Heer. "But what they don't see is the years of hard work and commitment it takes to even get to the start line. It is a much bigger challenge than the actual race itself."
Now, twelve months later, Heer and his team are working tirelessly to build a new campaign for The Ocean Race 2027 and the Vendée Globe 2028. The team goal is a bigger, better, faster and stronger campaign. That will mean competing on a modern foiling-design IMOCA - a much faster, complex and more competitive boat capable of challenging the race leaders. Heer has already identified a suitable vessel, earmarked a new campaign base in UK, and assembled a team of business, sailing and technical experts to help reach his objective.
"We're committed to racing with purpose, flying the flag for Swiss values, supporting climate science and extending our sustainability initiatives to new audiences"
So, what does a campaign look like:
A typical campaign is a selection of carefully chosen races over a 3-year period, culminating in the world's toughest ocean race; the Vendée Globe which is also known as the 'Everest of the Seas' in recognition of the physical and mental hardship required to take part.
The qualifying races are a mix of solo, double-handed and team-racing events, including The Ocean Race, a multi-leg, round-the-world race sailed as a team. This combination is designed to challenge the skipper, encourage sailors to share experiences and provide opportunities for a new generation of offshore racers to gain exposure to the competitive IMOCA circuit.
Sailors will accrue points for each race they compete in, which will count towards the gruelling qualification criteria for the Vendée Globe 2028, ensuring only the best skippers in the world will be able to take part in the formidable solo, non-stop, circumnavigation.
The new four-year cycle which marks the countdown to Oliver Heer's next Vendée Globe campaign has begun with the first sailing races planned for early 2026. But as Heer admits, it's not all plain sailing.
Despite the team's relentless efforts behind the scenes, the minimum funding target has not yet been reached. The positive news: two new Swiss sponsors are now being onboarded, joining a group of long-standing partners who have renewed their commitment after supporting Heer through his first solo circumnavigation.
To officially launch the boat in spring 2026, the team still needs to welcome additional commercial partners, and for this next campaign, Heer is adopting a new, more flexible sponsorship model. Unlike many ocean racing projects that rely on a single title sponsor, his approach offers several partnership tiers, designed to make collaboration accessible to a wider range of Swiss and Global companies while maintaining strong commercial value and visibility.
"We're building a professional, commercially viable project," Heer explains. "Our goal is to create genuine value for our partners and deliver a real return on their investment."
Heer is candid about the challenges that come with transitioning from athlete to entrepreneur. "After finishing the Vendée Globe, I expected things to get easier," he admits. "But in reality, no one is waiting for you. You have to prove yourself all over again - this time off the water.
Despite the challenges, Heer's determination remains unshaken. The new campaign is live, with a clear ambition for a more competitive entry in the Vendée Globe 2028 and to take part in The Ocean Race 2027.
"I believe in progress," Heer adds. "Doing the same thing twice, even at a high-level, would-be stagnation. I want to go further, faster, bigger and stronger - and to represent Swiss German excellence on the global stage."
For Heer, the drive to push boundaries is as strong as ever, and so is his pride in representing the German speaking part of Switzerland in one of the world's most demanding sports.
With the lessons of the last Vendée Globe behind him and a clear plan for the future, Heer is charting a smarter, more collaborative course toward 2026.