Seaexplorer - YC de Monaco still going strong through the highs and lows of the Vendee Globe
by Team Malizia 13 Nov 2020 03:12 AEDT
12 November 2020
Seaexplorer - YC de Monaco © Team Malizia
We are only four days into the Vendee Globe race, a 70+ day race around the world, and we have already experienced many of the extremes.
From a gentle start with light winds and sea state, the race quickly developed on day two when the weather changed on the approach to Cap Finisterre. The conditions forced competitors to make a choice, like many of the foiling boats, Boris Herrmann headed West and encountered a rough night with no sleep in 40-knot winds.
He commented, "I didn't sleep a wink, thinking about what to do, whether to slow the pace or do the opposite and accelerate." The conditions were clearly nerve-racking for all the competitors, scared to sustain damage so early in this long race. Luckily Boris significantly slowed the boat and only had a minor incident with a rope breaking, an issue he quickly fixed.
These feelings were well-founded, as race favourite Jeremie Beyou on Charal sustained damage during the storm, hitting a UFO and was forced to turn back. Other strong competitors such as Kevin Escoffier and Armel Tripon also sustained damage during the race, but both continue South.
During Wednesday evening Seaexplorer was almost becalmed when Boris was trapped in a low wind area for many hours. This delayed his transition into stronger winds and he lost some of his competitors. Boris commented, "It's difficult to explain but sometimes a little wind is worse than too much."
As Thursday morning arrived the Seaexplorer had picked up speed hitting 21 knots during the night. Now will be the second big test, passing over another low wind area and then riding over the top of tropical storm Theta in the next days.
To follow the race live with onboard updates, trackers and videos see borisherrmannracing.com
Note: Boris is able to do live interviews from the ocean in French, German or English.