Foto: Susanne Gwilt
I lived and sailed on the Tres Hombres as a trainee for over a year: during the 2019/20 (blog in German) and 2022/23 winter voyages, I completed the entire round trip from Den Helder across the Atlantic and back to Amsterdam. In addition, I took part in parts of the summer voyages along Europe's coasts in 2024 and 2025. In total, I covered over 24,000 nautical miles. On top of that, I worked on the annual refit of the ship. This was originally financed by 350 share certificates. I now own one of these, so I am one of hundreds of owners of the ship, which, however, belongs ideally to everyone who is committed to it. Like all crowd-funded sailing cargo boats, the Tres Hombres is the focal point of a movement. I am also a member of the Ecoclipper cooperative.
In addition, I am involved in Denknetz, a trade union-ecological-feminist think tank in Switzerland. It develops basic positions, but does not interfere in day-to-day politics by making voting or election recommendations. In the Denknetz expert group on World Trade and the Environment, I contributed as an author and co-editor to the Denknetz Yearbook 2019 and the collection of texts ‘Switzerland and the Oceans’. I also wrote articles such as ‘Swiss shipping industry: the blind spot’ and ‘Ocean rescue requires post-growth politics’. All Denknetz yearbooks and other publications can be read online free of charge. My book "Klar zur Wende! Mit Segelfrachtern gegen die Klimakrise" (Ready for the Turnaround! With sailing cargo boats against the climate crisis) is available in bookshops.
Born in 1955, I grew up in Switzerland. After graduating from high school, I founded Hamburg's first Third World Shop and later worked in Bolivia for four years. After studying in Hamburg, I worked in Switzerland as a daily newspaper editor before rediscovering my old love of sailing and my interest in fair transport as a pensioner.
As I am convinced that we on land – even in landlocked countries – are existentially dependent on the largely unexplored ecosystems of the oceans, I combine sailing on board with publications such as this website and lectures. Enquiries are welcome at any time: sailship2021@gmail.com.