Boris Herrmann: "I'm fired up for the New York Vendée Regatta"

Boris Herrmann made his first mark with second place behind Yoann Richomme in the outward race Transat CIC at the beginning of May. At the same time, he also punched his ticket for the Vendée Globe, for which - unlike some of his competitors - he has already qualified. He also impressively demonstrated the capabilities of his VPLP-designed Imoca. What does he expect for the New York Vendée, which starts on Wednesday evening Central European Time?

Boris, before we talk about your next race, which is just around the corner and for which you are already studying the weather models, how important was your second place in the Transat CIC for you? What is it worth on the Vendée Globe course?

It feels like another step on the way. The race was always intended as preparation, training and a test for the Vendée Globe. At the same time, this Transat was a bit more for me because I have a historical connection to it. Because I contested my first professional race here in 2008 with "Beluga Racer" in the Class 40. It was a nice coincidence that I also came second back then.

The organisers described the latest result as your biggest success to date in the Imoca class. And rightly so?

I think this number, this second place, is good, but the Vendée Globe (Editor's note: Boris Herrmann sailed to 5th place at his premiere in 2020/2021) is by far my greatest achievement. It's so much longer, demands so much more. The Transat CIC lasted a week and gives me a good feeling for what's to come this winter. It was an intense race in tough conditions.

Exactly your world?

The race gave me confidence. That was my main goal. I was able to validate my Vendée Globe participation and found my sea legs, my solo legs again. My boat is stable and reliable and gets through the sea very well. That's a good thing for the Vendée Globe. I also get on very well with the ergonomics and handling. I'm very happy with the boat.

Looking back, what were the keys to the success of this 15th edition of the Transat CIC?

I didn't have too many technical problems that slowed me down. On the other hand, the boat gave me the opportunity to sail decently fast because it is really good in swell. That's why it was maybe a bit easier for me to do this race. I wasn't too stressed. The overall package has improved. The autopilot has become more reliable, the sails better and also the weight distribution. And simply the knowledge of the boat and its settings. As we all know, the devil is in the detail. But the details are right.

How are the new foils designed by Sam Manuard performing?

The new foils are good and fast. I don't use them to their full extent all the time, most of the time only 80 or 90 per cent. They certainly give me a bonus. But I also had cavitation from just over 30 knots. I have to make sure I find the right settings. It's a bit tricky, but perhaps it's the price you pay for performance gains in the low-end range. I think the old foils are still good too. If something happened this year and I had to ride with the old foils, I wouldn't have an issue with it. I'm a little bit more familiar with the old foils when there's a lot of wind.

How did you cope with the rigours of the Transat CIC?

Physically I feel pretty good, mentally very good. That surprises me, but I was really in a relaxed state most of the time. I had many pleasant moments on this regatta. I'm glad to have found the flow on board. I felt very comfortable on my own.

Are you planning any major changes to the boat for the Vendée Globe?

No, no bigger ones. The boat is fine. That's it! "Malizia" is now ready for the Vendée Globe. A few more small brushstrokes, a little more perfecting. But 90, 95 per cent of the work is done. I think the rule now is to stay calm and not change anything before the Vendée Globe. We should be satisfied with what we have and benefit from the reliability we have gained in the meantime. I have great confidence in the ship.

Can you win the Vendée Globe with it?

The ship works well. The ergonomics too. I have a lot of space. I have light. I have good options for trimming and working. I now get on better with the boat than with my previous one. Then it also goes fast. It goes well through the sea. That's what we designed it for. It is fully competitive.

You often say it yourself: there are no gains in boat development for which you don't have to give something away. In what area is this "Surrender" with "Malizia - Seaexplorer"?

Compared to "Macif" (Red. the new Imoca by Charlie Dalin) in anything higher than 90 degrees on the wind, and in a range between 13 and 16, 17 knots of wind speed. This is the range where 'Macif' will be the fastest boat due to its very boxy hull shape. And where Charlie, with its less tolerant foils, might also be a little faster in foiling. But none of these are characteristics that are important to me for the Vendée Globe. In this respect, I'm very happy with my boat.

Yoann Richomme's boat also has a bit of a weakness in this area. We are even a little stronger than his "Paprec Arkéa". Not when it comes to foiling. But when we're still displacement sailing, we simply have more form stability and a bit more power thanks to the wider hull. At the start of this transat, I was able to get close to it or pass it for a while in light winds. We are also one of the fastest boats on the wind with Code Zero.

Yoann Richomme has your "Malizia - Seaexplorer" and his own boat as being quite similar and particularly suitable for the Vendée. Do you agree?

"Paprec Arkéa" seems to have a good balance, successful longitudinal positions of keel and foils. The bow shape is perhaps also a good concept. It remains to be seen what will prevail in the end: Scow or motorboat bow. The motorboat bow might also cut through the waves quite nicely. Both probably work well in swell now. I'm glad that we have a lot more space inside. Yoann's boat is very small inside, but he has made good use of the limited space. The boat is very ergonomic.

Who or what surprised you?

It was all a bit as expected - with the exception of Charlie Dalin, who was well in the lead and suddenly took a more moderate pace and no longer showed such dominance. I think something must have happened on board (Editor: Dalin explained his various technical problems after crossing the finish line. Among other things, a piece of the port rudder had broken off, the autopilot only worked to a limited extent and a wind sensor did not work at all). I'm sorry for all those who had difficulties.

Like your Ocean Race competitor Paul Meilhat or your former navigator Nico Lunven?

Paul Meilhat really impressed me, at least in the first part, until he suffered foil damage after a collision. He could have won the race. Nico would have done the same if he hadn't broken his bowsprit. Really, the fleet as a whole is very homogeneous, very strong and very impressive. The same still applies to Justine Mettraux. She once had to serve a 70-minute penalty at a stupid moment because of her broken engine seal. We were almost side by side. I think that's when she started to slip back a little bit. She was actually on her way to the front. Justine can win races from my point of view. And then Sam Davies got her first podium finish in quite a while. She has a lot of confidence in her boat and now really seems to be there to win the Vendée Globe or finish on the podium.

What other insights did you gain for the Vendée?

I would like Yannick Bestaven to do even better. We hear that his boat and Maxime Sorel's identical boat stick their noses quite deep into the water on downwind courses and are not so easy to handle. Incidentally, these are more or less sister ships to 11th Hour Racing, which won The Ocean Race.

What do you expect from the New York Vendée?

The next step towards the Vendée Globe, where everything is in the spotlight this year. Another confrontation with a different course and with new participants who were not present at the Transat CIC, such as Thomas Ruyant and Sam Goodchild. And of course with participants who were recently handicapped, such as Paul Meilhat and Nico Lunven. These are all strong candidates who are right at the front. We want to see if we can keep up again. And we would like to continue to gather motivation and self-confidence as well as details for the summer refit. These rides are always tests for all systems. It remains important to validate them. The hydrogen generators, for example: up to what speed can they produce electricity and not tear off the rear?

How do you rate the characteristics of the race?

It's a bit more similar to the Vendée Globe. In the Transat CIC we had more room sheeting than usual, but statistically the New York Vendée should bring even more downwind, up to 70 per cent. The result in the Transat CIC gives me additional motivation to try to confirm the success and be consistent. I'm really looking forward to the New York Vendée.

From tomorrow on yacht.com: More about the race and the favourites, from Wednesday onwards there will be regular updates on the progress of the New York Vendée Regatta!