Dear readers,

"So, what do you think of Boris?" I'm being asked that a lot these days.

Surprisingly, most conversations come up with friends, acquaintances or neighbours who actually have nothing to do with sailing and some of whom I have never spoken to about sailing before.

Apparently, Boris Herrmann has once again managed to interest people far beyond the interest bubble of the sailing community. These conversations are almost never about his position. The foil breakage is mentioned, or how he got stuck in the mast. A great deal of respect is evident; apparently even non-sailors can visualise the challenge: man against sea, commitment against loneliness, fear against aggression. It's probably that Jules Verne myth over and over again: round the world in 80 days. Around the world. In 80 days. Alone!

I then say that I think what Boris and all the other participants are doing is completely crazy. I've had the privilege of sailing on Imocas twice. Ten horses wouldn't get me on a boat like that if I had to sail it alone, no matter where, let alone in the Southern Ocean. And if I did, then no more than a few hours and with an accompanying boat, please.

After the previous Vendée, where Boris sensationally finished fifth, I saw a film. It contained previously unpublished video footage of Boris, which is still not freely accessible today. It contained a scene in which he was sitting below deck in the masthead after his repair at the time. You have to know: The man has a fear of heights. He sat there like a heap of misery, deeply shocked, completely exhausted, crying. I thought he was finished with the Vendée.

All the greater my respect that he did it again. That he was able to overcome this inner bastard. How great must his love for the sea, for the adventure of the open sea be?

And so, during the current Vendée, I paid much more attention than before to the nuances in his videos or in his blog here on yacht.de. What mental attitude, what coping strategies did he use to face this obviously enormous psychological challenge? Apart from the physical exertions. There was a lot to read. There was a lot of talk about safety, about arriving, getting through, not looking back. Not allowing negative thoughts, staying in the moment. What must he have suffered this time too?

This was particularly impressive for me when they were in the Southern Ocean, just before the Kerguelen Islands, when they had to navigate around a nasty storm with 60-knot gusts. The leading duo saddled up and got away, Boris and a few others took evasive action to the north. Boris wrote: "Conditions you don't want to be in."

And yet Boris kept going. To get there, to get through.

The sporting aspect, the results aspect, almost completely fades into the background. Boris says that he didn't achieve his sporting goals with twelfth place. He could only do so much about that. Without the material problems in the final third - hitting the mast twice, lightning damage, foil breakage, mainsail tear - he would undoubtedly have been higher up on the results table. But the podium that many, including myself, had hoped for was gone much earlier, actually already in the South Atlantic on the outward leg. He missed the boat and therefore the weather systems. So what?

Only just over 60 skippers have completed the Vendée twice. Boris is one of them. Nobody can take that away from him.

Boris has announced his next, third participation. Let's think about it: the first time, he was a Vendée greenhorn, sailing along for the podium until shortly before the end, perhaps according to the motto: "because he didn't know what he was doing." The second time round, he knew what was coming, was armed, intensively prepared and certainly wanted to prove that the previous finish was no coincidence or luck. That he could do it.

He has now proved this once and for all and has nothing more to prove. What prospects can that open up? Getting there, getting through in one piece, of course, that must always be part of the directive, after all it's also about survival. But what would happen if he were to drop out of the next race, for example due to material breakage? Nothing. Nobody can doubt his sailing skills any more. From now on, he can sail with complete freedom. As the "Doctors" used to sing: "You're always at your best when you don't really care."

I wish Boris and I that he doesn't care about everything next time, but much more. That he comes through, of course. But also that he can crown his Vendée career with a podium finish. He certainly has my respect, regardless of the outcome, and that of a huge fan base anyway. Nothing better than Boris at the Vendée could happen to us.

And if it doesn't work out in four years, then in 2032, 2036, ...

Lars Bolle

Editor-in-Chief YACHT Digital

Click on it to see through:

The week in pictures

Recommended reading from the editorial team

Vendée Globe

The race in the live tracker

The live tracker of the Vendée Globe 2024/25: This tracking shows the race of the tenth edition of the round-the-world regatta - with Boris Herrmann!

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