Everything there is to know about Boris Herrmann's second Vendée Globe
by Team Malizia 16 Oct 2024 16:03 UTC
10 November 2024
Boris Herrmann after the arrival of the Vendée Globe 2020-2021 © Martin Keruzoré / Team Malizia
With less than a month to go until the start of the Vendée Globe on 10 November 2024, we compiled the details of Boris Herrmann's second participation in the iconic round-the-world challenge.
What is the Vendée Globe?
The Vendée Globe is a legendary solo, non-stop, and unassisted round-the-world sailing race, held every four years since 1989. This year's 10th edition features 40 IMOCA-class boats, including 34 men, 6 women, and 2 skippers with disabilities, all taking on this incredible challenge. Known as the "Everest of the Seas," only 114 sailors have ever completed the race out of 200 who started. The current record is held by Armel Le Cléac'h, who completed the course in 74 days and 3 hours in 2017, with finish times in the last edition ranging from 80 to 116 days at sea.
What about Team Malizia's skipper Boris Herrmann?
Boris Herrmann made history as the first German to ever compete in the Vendée Globe. He finished the 2020-2021 edition in an impressive fifth out of 33 competitors on January 28, 2021, after more than 80 days at sea. Following this achievement, our team sold the boat and built the new Malizia - Seaexplorer yacht, incorporating Boris Herrmann's insights from his time in the Southern Ocean. Since its launch in July 2022, the new boat has already raced nearly three times around the globe in solo, double-handed, and crewed modes. Boris Herrmann's greatest challenges during the Vendée Globe were battling loneliness and confronting his fear of heights when he had to climb the 29-metre mast in the middle of the Ocean—a true testament to his resilience. The upcoming Vendée Globe will be his sixth world circumnavigation and he will be rounding Cape Horn for the seventh time.
What is the route of the Vendée Globe?
The race course covers 45,000 kilometres (24,300 nautical miles), starting and finishing in Les Sables d'Olonne, France. The race begins in the European fall, heading down the Atlantic, around Antarctica, and passing three iconic landmarks: Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin, and Cape Horn during the austral summer. Afterward, sailors return north through the Atlantic, aiming to finish in France during the European winter. In reality, the distance is often longer as the solo sailors navigate winds, waves, swells, and ice, leading to a course filled with zigzags, detours, and constant course changes.
A very solitary race
The Vendée Globe is one of the most remote races on the planet. At times, the only humans near the solo sailors are their competitors. When they reach Point Nemo, the remotest location on Earth, the closest people to them are the astronauts aboard the International Space Station! Navigating through such isolation adds to the immense challenge, with sailors relying solely on themselves as they battle the elements and sail around the world, making it a true test of endurance and self-reliance.
What are the rules?
- Solo: no one else other than the skipper is allowed on board
- Non-stop: the only official stopover a competitor can consider is to return to Les Sables d'Olonne within the first 10 days of the race. After that, solo sailors are allowed to stop temporarily, for example, to anchor in a sheltered cove to climb up the mast, but they cannot step ashore
- Unassisted: Sailors must rely entirely on themselves throughout the race. Weather routing, strategy helping, and mental coaching are strictly forbidden. Competitors must plan their own navigation, repair any damage, and take care of themselves in case of illness or injury. Medical assistance is limited to remote guidance from the race doctor. Technical help is also restricted—sailors cannot moor to another boat or allow anyone on board. While they can consult their boat's architect or technical team for advice on repairs, it is up to the sailors alone to execute those repairs using only what they have on board, all while continuing the race under challenging conditions.
- Around the world: 45,000 kilometres around the globe, starting and finishing in Les Sables d'Olonne, leaving Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin, and Cape Horn to the portside and keeping Antarctica to starboard. Not allowed to enter the Antarctic Exclusion Zone, a no-sailing zone established by the Race Direction to limit the risk of encounters with icebergs.
What are Boris Herrmann's goals in this edition?
This will be Boris Herrmann's second Vendée Globe participation and he is regarded by many as one of the favourites in this year's race. Since his remarkable fifth-place finish in the last edition, his win of the Southern Ocean Leg in The Ocean Race last year, and his back-to-back second-place finishes in the two transats this spring, his potential to secure a podium spot or even win the race has been widely highlighted. However, the German offshore sailor remains humble and doesn't let the pressure get to him, as he repeatedly emphasises the incredible level in the fleet, where, in his opinion 6 to 10 skippers are capable of winning or placing on the podium.
Beyond pure performance, raising awareness through our A Race We Must Win - Climate Action Now! mission is of uttermost importance for Boris. Since 2018, our team has been carrying a laboratory onboard our boat that measures valuable Ocean CO2, temperature, and salinity data in partnership with renowned marine research institutes. This data is used by scientists worldwide to better understand the role of the Ocean in climate change and is incredibly valuable as we race in the most remote areas of the world where almost no research vessels go. He will also deploy a drifter buoy during the race to further support Ocean research and climate change monitoring.
What dates to remember?
- Arrival of our Malizia - Seaexplorer IMOCA yacht in Les Sables d'Olonne - Thursday 17 October 2024 in evening
- Race village opening in Les Sables d'Olonne - Friday 18 October 2024
- Virtual Team Malizia press conference in English - 7 November 2024 - timings and invitation to follow
- Start day in Les Sables d'Olonne - Sunday 10 November 2024
- Dock-out parade and iconic channel exiting between 08:00 and 10:00 local time (CET)
- Race start at 13:02 local time (CET)