In rough seas and big winds off Les Sables d’Olonne, German solo racer Boris Herrmann (Malizia – Seaexplorer) completed the Vendée Globe on Wednesday night at 2218hrs UTC to take 12th place.
For Herrmann it concludes his second back-to-back challenge on the legendary solo non stop race round the world and is his sixth race or record passage round the world. He won the inaugural Global Ocean Challenge (2009) in Class40 then raced the double handed Barcelona World Race (2010) before taking on the Trophée Jules Verne with Frances Joyon (2015-16).
After finishing third on the last The Ocean Race, third on The Transat CIC and second behind Charlie Dalin on the New York-Vendée, all on his robust VPLP designed IMOCA which is designed to do best in the harsh conditions of the Southern Ocean, 12th is a slightly disappointing result for the racer from Hamburg, Germany who until the final few hours was in the frame to win the last Vendée Globe four years ago. Indeed Herrmann said before the start of this race that ‘anything outside the top ten would be a disappointment’ whilst also acknowledging…..”It does not bother me to be spoken about as a favourite. It is correct on paper.”
For a number of reasons he did not do well on the initial descent of the Atlantic, not least in the very light winds, but he was never able to then get up and fight at the forefront of the race. The weather systems were not often on Herrmann’s side. but the German skipper showed his mettle in the Pacific catching up the best part of 1000 miles to catch up with and race with the main peloton, comfortably inside the top 10. But on the Atlantic climb back to Europe he had successive technical problems which mostly scuppered his chances of breaking into the top 5. After Cape Horn in the South Atlantic he was racing for a long period in sight of Sam Goodchild but the Brit broke away. Herrmann struggled for periods in light winds. But ultimately his hopes of a finish in the top ten were scuppered when his port foil was damaged to the point it had to be secured in place, unusable.
But Herrmann, as ever has shared his race far and wide, enhancing his global fan base, never shirking from the truth whilst always taking time to promote his sustainability initiatives and his messages of eco-responsibility. And as one of the most experienced ocean racers in the fleet he has shown an exceptional level of seamanship to finish the race, not least in the final days of his race when he has had to battle winds of up 65kts and seas of 10 metres whilst targeting the best, safest time to finish amidst a chain of storms.
Race in figures
- Arrival time (UTC) – Wednesday 29 January 2025 at 23h18
- Race time – 80d 10h 16min 41s
- Difference from first – 15d 14h 53min 52s
Boris Herrmann covered theoretical course of 23?906 miles at an average speed of 12.38 knots.
Boris Herrmann covered an actual course of 29?201 miles at an average speed of 15.13 knots.
Race highlights
- 12 November 2024
Boris joins the Top 10 following a passage outside the Cape Finisterre traffic separation scheme.
- 18 November 2024
Boris deploys a weather buoy to the north-west of the Cape Verde islands.
- 22 November 2024
After a tricky passage of the Doldrums, Boris crosses the equator in 14th position, tired but on the attack.
- 28 November 2024
Boris is overtaken by the depression which takes the leaders towards the Cape of Good Hope at high speed. Behind, they have to deal with less wind!
- 2 December 2024
Rounds the Cape of Good Hope in 11th place and in very good company, with Sam Davies a few miles ahead and both Justine Mettraux and Clarisse Crémer on his tail. “It’s harder than I remember,” says the skipper who finished fifth in the 2020 Vendée Globe.
- 4 December 2024
Boris goes into full DIY mode after a breakdown on his foil adjustment system.
- 8 December 2024
After passing very close to the Kerguelen Islands, Boris takes the lead of his quartet and joins the Top 10!
- 12 December 2024
Rounds Cape Leeuwin still in 10th place, and setting the second best time of the race on the Cape of Good Hope – Cape Leeuwin section in 10 days, 1 hour and 49 minutes, just behind Charlie Dalin.
- 17 December 2024
Three reefs in the mainsail! Entering the Pacific Boris hooks into a powerful depression and his boat transforms into a rocket ship. He even manages to catch up with Sam Goodchild and Paul Meilhat.
- 28 December 2024
Rounding Cape Horn, Boris continues his comeback and rises to 8th place in the rankings.
- 7 January 2025
In the fight to get into the top 5, Boris has to climb the mast to carry out repairs. “I’m dizzy!” he admits. The next day, he is struck by lightning off the coast of Brazil.
- 10 January 2025
J2 headsail halyard lock breaks for Malizia-Seaexplorer! After two days of repairs, the German sailor can use this vital headsail again and the mast is secure.
- 16 January 2025
Boris is the victim of a collision with an OANI (“unidentified object or animal” – a term used when the skipper does not know what he has collided with). His port foil is badly damaged, but he manages to retract and support it enough to not have to cut it.
- 20 January 2025
Significantly slowed, Boris drops back to 13th place as a particularly intense depression hits the head of the fleet.
- 24 January 2025
Faced with this violent depression, his nearest rival Sam Davies, slows down. Boris takes 12th place and gets caught in 9-metre troughs.
- 29 January 2025
Boris crosses the finish line after 80 days in 12th position. He therefore finishes in a time almost similar to the one he achieved in the last edition (80 days, 14 hours, 59 minutes and 45 seconds).
 completed the Vendée Globe on Wednesday night at 2218hrs UTC to take 12th place.){kind=link}