Boris Herrmann to benefit from downwind sailing in Northern Route of New York Vendée
by Team Malizia 6 Jun 2024 06:19 AEST
Boris Herrmann is expected to soon benefit from the downwind conditions he has been looking for by going north © Boris Herrmann / Team Malizia
Following a strategic move in the New York Vendée race, Team Malizia's skipper Boris Herrmann is expected to soon gain advantages from his decision. Eight days into the race, the German solo sailor is getting closer to the stronger winds and downwind conditions he's been chasing by going north, promising an exciting race until the finish.
It has certainly been a decision that got the IMOCA racing scene talking: Team Malizia's skipper Boris Herrmann surprised many by opting for a very northern route in the New York Vendée race. He and Charlie Dalin had managed to escape and leave the rest of the fleet behind, and, as the two were at about equal distance from the finish in Les Sables d'Olonne, Boris Herrmann headed straight north, while Charlie Dalin continued east.
"For me, it is not gambling", said the Malizia - Seaexplorer skipper, racing 3,200 nautical miles solo against 27 competitors. "I made the most informed decision I could with the tools I have. I spent a lot of time on Adrena looking at options, and at some stage, you have to make the call. There were a couple of risks attached to this route, namely crossing the high pressure and later near the Irish coast. But at the same time, my instinct was to go this way because, with the uncertainty we have seen on the weather models, I was not feeling ready to invest straight into the east the way Charlie did."
After an entire day of sailing in light winds, slowly working around and through the top of a dominant high-pressure system, Boris Herrmann should soon get into the faster downwind conditions he's been looking for by going north. Team Malizia co-skipper Will Harris explained: "The question is how the high pressure will develop. It seems to be moving slightly towards the east, potentially making the route for Boris up in the north even longer. Once he does get to the eastern side of the high pressure, he will get really nice northwesterly winds, which will take him to the finish and he'll probably be the fastest in the fleet. So we hope to see him get through that light wind area in the next 12 hours."
Meanwhile, current race leader Charlie Dalin on MACIF Santé Prévoyance has covered many nautical miles, benefiting from good weather on his more direct path. He is in a good position, but he likely has some challenges lying ahead. "Charlie has got to find a balance between strong wind accelerating off the coast of Portugal, which has a less favourable direction, and nice northerly wind however further north", comments the British sailor. "Down in the south, an occluded front is giving him good wind at the moment, but later on, the extension behind the front has quite light winds. He will have to tack upwind in modest or even light winds, which will be challenging for him to get to the finish."
Onboard his Malizia - Seaexplorer, Boris Herrmann had a difficult time in the light winds yesterday, but nothing that couldn't be erased with a good night's sleep: "I feel much better than yesterday. I slept very well last night, and I think I was just really exhausted and mentally a bit drained. I was contemplating my choice, not being sure what to think about it. But today, I feel happy. Life is beautiful here. It's so calm, so quiet, I haven't seen anyone or anything - no boat, no vessel, no fishing boats, and unfortunately, very little sea life. No birds since yesterday evening. The very high latitude atmosphere here is very impressive. I like it, it's very special. And sailing on flat water as I am currently doing is magnificent."
Today, the Team Malizia skipper is more than ready to sail full throttle again towards Les Sables d'Olonne: "My speed should accelerate by tonight and then grow to 20 knots for the rest of the race. I have also never really fully stopped in the light winds, so I'm very thankful that the high-pressure system let me sail through nicely. In this flat sea, I was always a bit quicker than the models, also quicker than my own polar. I think the cold air here is very dense and gives me more propulsion than our average assumption."
Even though Boris Herrmann didn't get fully stuck in the light winds, a group of boats gradually managed to catch up in the rankings. Led by Jérémie Beyou on Charal, both Vulnerable boats, and Sébastien Simon on Groupe Dubreuil, the group didn't manage to stay east of the front in the early days of the race, allowing Boris Herrmann and Charlie Dalin to escape. Therefore, the group was forced to sail south of the high pressure and then later chose to stay south of the Azores. "The 'Southern group' is currently sailing in a very small low pressure which is helping them to sail quickly towards the east", noted Will Harris. "But later on, they will get some light wind and will have to work out how to get north to the finish. That's going to be directly upwind and challenging for them."
"Someone told me that I'm sixth on the tracker", said Boris Herrmann earlier this afternoon. "I think it doesn't mean that much to the end result yet. We'll see. I haven't calculated the outcome of the race with the morning model today... I find it has become very much a computer game. Also, the main weather models run every 12 hours, and with every new model run, we get big differences of 12 hours at the finish. If the 'South group' made a big jump, I could be tenth, but there's a good probability that I can finish second. At least that's what yesterday evening's European and American weather models were hinting at. I'll have a look with the evening models, but until I look at the computer again, I stay in good spirits! I hope we make this race interesting and keep some suspense until the very end."
"It looks like Boris and Charlie are both going to be finishing at fairly similar times", estimated Will Harris. "It's pretty hard to say exactly when because the weather is so changeable. But they are looking at 3 to 4 days. Whereas the South group and also the other group, led by James Harayda on Gentoo Sailing further north, still have five or six days ahead of them. So it's all to play for. The different strategies are looking very interesting, and we'll have to wait and see which one pays off."
Team Malizia's A Race We Must Win - Climate Action Now! mission is only possible due to the strong and long-lasting commitment from its seven main partners: EFG International, Zurich Group Germany, Kuehne+Nagel, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz, and the Yacht Club de Monaco. These partners band behind Team Malizia to support its campaign, each of them working towards projects in their own field to innovate around climate solutions.