99 days alone on the ocean – nothing but wind, waves and one’s own inner voice. With his first Vendée Globe, Oliver Heer has written sailing history. Now the next chapter begins on his journey back to the «Everest of the Seas». JENEWEIN is supporting him as his mental performance partner – with a clear focus on resilience, self-leadership and mental strength under extreme conditions.
St. Gallen, 17 February 2026 – Oliver Heer is no ordinary athlete. He is an extreme sportsman, the entrepreneur behind his own project – and a person who consciously chooses to face some of the toughest challenges of our time. In February 2025, he made history: as the first Swiss sailor of German-Swiss heritage, he completed the Vendée Globe – a non-stop solo circumnavigation of the globe, without stopovers and without outside assistance.
The Vendée Globe is regarded as one of the most extreme sporting challenges in the world. Participants sail more than 40,000 kilometres solo around the globe. Around three months entirely on their own. No team on board. No repair crew. No physical contact with the outside world. Anyone who sets out knows: technology and talent are not enough. What proves decisive is the ability to cope with loneliness, exhaustion, setbacks and constant risk. The Vendée Globe is the «Everest of the Seas».
Oliver Heer Ocean Racing and JENEWEIN already made history in 2024 – now the next chapter follows
What makes Oliver Heer exceptional is not only his physical capability or his technical skill. It is his mindset. His clear decision to take responsibility for himself. His unwavering determination to find orientation in uncertainty. And his ability to remain calm, reflective and capable of action, even in extreme moments.
One year after his historic achievement, the next chapter now begins: the focused preparation for the Vendée Globe 2028 – with the clear ambition not merely to finish again, but to compete at the very front of the fleet.
For us at JENEWEIN, it is a great pleasure and honour to accompany Oliver Heer once again on this journey as his mental performance partner. Prof. Dr Wolfgang Jenewein has been coaching him personally for several years. What began as selective support has evolved into a relationship of trust and partnership on equal footing – grounded in scientific evidence, experience from elite sport and business, and a shared understanding of high performance.
The demands on the team are increasing
With the move to a modern foiling IMOCA – a next-generation high-performance racing machine – the demands increase significantly once again. These boats virtually «fly» over the water. They are faster, more complex, more uncompromising. Every decision counts. Every mistake comes at a cost. The mental pressure intensifies.
«The second campaign feels different. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Jenewein significantly shaped how I handle challenges, both on and off the water. Embrace The Challenge was born from the shared belief that success is built through mindset and preparation and now sits at the heart of our 2028 Vendée Globe campaign. We all face challenges in our lives. I’m proud that we can use elite offshore racing as a platform to show that mental performance can be learned and is a crucial ingredient for success in sports as well as business.»
Oliver Heer, Extremsegler
Mental strength is not a matter of chance. This is precisely where our work begins. It can be trained. Research from positive psychology, performance psychology and resilience studies clearly shows: those who learn to regulate their emotions consciously, to deal constructively with uncertainty and to direct their focus deliberately enhance their performance in a sustainable way.
«Elite performance begins in the mind – and that is also where it is decided who can grow in difficult moments,» says Prof. Dr Wolfgang Jenewein. «Our task is to create mental clarity. Because under extreme conditions, it is not only revealed what someone can do – but who they are.»
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Jenewein, Gründer der JENEWEIN AG
For JENEWEIN, the partnership with Oliver Heer Ocean Racing is far more than sponsorship. It is a real-world laboratory for mental excellence. What works on the ocean – focus, resilience, self-leadership, a constructive approach to pressure – is equally crucial in organisations, leadership teams and transformation processes.
«Embrace The Challenge» – more than just a slogan
Oliver Heer embodies what we at JENEWEIN have been researching and teaching for around 20 years: success begins with mindset. With the willingness not to avoid challenges, but to embrace them. Or, as his campaign aptly puts it: «Embrace The Challenge.»
With less than three years to go until the start of the Vendée Globe 2028, the phase of consistent preparation now begins. We look forward to continuing to support Oliver Heer on this journey – with scientific depth, human closeness and the firm conviction that those who learn to activate their inner resources can make even the seemingly impossible possible.
If you have any questions about this project, please do not hesitate to contact us. Write to us at presse@jenewein.ch.