Vendée Globe - Boris Herrmann launches charm campaign

by Vendée Globe on 5 Feb 2015 No German has ever taken part in the Vendée Globe, but Boris Herrmann would like to see that change. The 33-year old sailor has already completed two double-handed round the world voyages: one ending with a win in Class 40 and the other raced aboard a 60-foot IMOCA. So it is with a detailed CV that he is now attempting to win over potential sponsors in a country where the Vendée Globe is not as well known as in France.

Boris, few people know that you were ever so close to taking part in the 2012-2013 Vendée Globe…

Boris Herrmann: 'That’s true. In 2010, my Class40 sponsor was ready to support me in an IMOCA campaign leading up to competing in the Vendée Globe aboard a brand new boat. It was a dream to be able to become involved in these conditions in a race, which had fascinated me since my childhood. I came to Brittany to talk things through with some designers and yards. But the firm that was backing me suddenly collapsed and I found myself without a partner. So I looked for the funding to compete in the Figaro circuit for a season, but in vain.'

Then, you had the chance to take part in the Barcelona World Race...

'Yes, I was offered the opportunity to line up with an existing project. That offer came at just the right time, particularly as I was lucky enough to set off aboard the boat on which Roland Jourdain took part in the Vendée Globe twice in 2004/2005 and 2008/2009, before she became Sam Davies’s Savéol in the last edition. She wasn’t exactly a recent IMOCA, as launched back in 2004, but I was able to prepare her well with Roland Jourdain in Concarneau. After 12,000 miles of training, we lined up at the start of the 2010-2011 Barcelona World Race with my fellow crewman, the American, Ryan Breymaier. We finished fifth after 100 days at sea, or in other words a week longer than the winners, Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron.'

What sort of experience did you have during this double-handed round the world voyage?

'I started out with dinghy sailing, and then 420s and 470s. But very early on, I knew that it was ocean racing that really excited me. At the age of 18, I set sail in the 2001 Mini Transat, which seemed to me to be the ideal way in to discover ocean racing. I finished eleventh in the series boats. I then went back to studying economics for six years. At the same time, I sailed a dinghy and made it to the top ten in the world 5O5 circuit. I met up with professional skippers, which confirmed my desire to make a living out of sailing. I moved to Class40. I finished second in the transatlantic race from England in 2008 behind Giovanni Soldini. Still in Class40, I took part in the Quebec-Saint Malo Race and more importantly in the Global Ocean Race, the double-handed round the world race with stopovers. There were only six boats there at the start and we were pioneers, as no Class40 had ever raced in the Southern Ocean. I discovered real offshore sailing. With my crewman, Felix Oehme, we won the race after a total of 150 days of sailing.'

'It has to be a real race for me.'

How is your search going for the next Vendée Globe?

'I have only just launched my campaign. The fact that I was not able to take part in the last edition of the Vendée was hard to deal with, and I hesitated before beginning my search for 2016. I am not setting off from zero and I have all the experience of my past searches and already have some contacts that I established before. Surprisingly, the Barcelona didn’t open any doors for me. That’s why I’m not taking part in it this time. But I remain optimistic and the initial reactions have been positive. Sailing is attractive, and the German economy is doing well enough. I am continuing to sail on a TP52, on Esimit Europa 2 (a 100-foot maxi based in the Mediterranean) and above all on Maserati, Giovanni Soldini’s VOR70. It’s not always easy to reconcile the quest for sponsors with gaining sailing experience. But I really want to work with other teams to improve my skills and open new horizons.'

The fact that no German skipper has ever taken part in the Vendée Globe must make it that much harder for you…

'That’s true. The race isn’t yet known in Germany and my first challenge is to get firms to understand what the Vendée Globe represents, how it fascinates and guarantees a good return on investment for the sponsors. This event is still seen as a French adventure. But I am convinced that this vision will change, once a German sailor lines up at the start. The Volvo Ocean Race isn’t being followed this year, as no German sailors are involved. But back in 2001/2002, when the German crew on Illbruck Challenge won it, there was extensive media coverage in the country. There are two of us looking for the next Vendée Globe, me and Jörg Riechers (currently competing in the Barcelona World Race, editor’s note). The possibility of becoming the first German to set sail from les Sables d’Olonne is a good communications tool for us that we stress when talking to any possible partners.'

What will be your goal and on what type of boat do you intend to compete in your first Vendée Globe in 2016/2017?

'I shan’t be setting off just for the adventure, as for me, it has to be a real race. I already know the Southern Ocean. I have already completed two round the world voyages and rounded the Horn three times. That’s why I’m looking at a boat from the 2008-2009 Vendée Globe generation. There are still some bargains out there, like Jean-Pierre Dick’s former Virbac-Paprec 3, which became Hugo Boss before dismasting in the Barcelona. If I can’t find a boat from that generation, I shan’t compete, as the older IMOCAs are not competitive enough. I shall wait until 2020 in that case.'