Le Défi Azimut: Wow pictures after a crisp 48-hour start with Boris Herrmann
Tatjana Pokorny
· 12.09.2024
Many would describe 455 nautical miles as a long distance. For the Imoca skippers, who sped through the night at more than 20 knots, it's more like a stone's throw. Their starting signal was given at 3 p.m. on Thursday off Lorient. 19 boats started the race in fresh wind and sea conditions. In fifteen knots of north-westerly wind, Boris Herrmann and "Malizia - Seaexplorer" got off to the best possible start in bright sunshine in the 48-hour race of the classic Le Défi Azimut.
Le Défi Azimut: 15 men and four women challenged
15 men and four women are competing in an official regatta for the last time before the start of the 10th Vendée Globe on 10 November. They are expected back at Groix Island on Saturday morning. Until then, they will have to roll up their sleeves on the course designed by regatta director Yann Eliès. This includes Boris Herrmann, whose boat is already ready for the second solo circumnavigation, while others are still tinkering and testing new foils or are waiting for them.
"It's a tricky W-shaped course with six waypoints," Boris Herrmann's Ocean Race team-mate Yann Eliès explained the challenge. The experienced circumnavigator, who has sailed around the world, is the regatta director for Le Défi Azimut and says: "It wasn't easy to design the race. The arrival times had to be taken into account. Plus the need to avoid an area with a high concentration of marine mammals. And the task of staying in the eastern Bay of Biscay to avoid a shallow zone that threatened to approach the French coast towards the end of the race."
Groix, the Gironde estuary, the Ile d'Yeu and the tip of Penmarc'h are the cornerstones of this usually fiercely contested regatta. On the pontoons before the start, the Imoca sailors could see how much they were looking forward to this last short dress rehearsal before the long solo around the world. With downwind sailing at its best and a possibly rather light wind final, everything pointed to a beautiful and exciting race.
Great regatta enthusiasm among the Imoca best
"We're expecting good weather, with wind, but not too much. We will be travelling at full steam. We're just not quite sure how the race will turn out: will we all end up with no wind at the Glénan Islands, or on the contrary, will we get a bit of a push towards the end? We'll see...", said "Initiatives - Cœur" skipper Samantha Davies with much anticipation.
This should put us in good shape a few weeks before the start of the Vendée Globe." Charlie Dalin
Charlie Dalin ("Macif Santé Prévoyance") was in a similarly good mood and said: "We start with a long downwind leg to the mouth of the Gironde, followed by a short downwind leg at full speed, before continuing powerfully upwind. As always, we expect a wide range of wind conditions in strength and direction." The two-time winner of the 48-hour race is also one of the favourites this time. His promise: "We will have a tough race and will certainly arrive very tired on Saturday morning, but that's part of the game!"
Good start for Boris Herrmann
A few minutes before the start, "Malizia - Seaexplorer" skipper Boris Herrmann had led the fleet to the centre of the line. He was closely followed by Tanguy Le Turquais' "Lazare" at the head of the Imoca fleet, where Justine Mettraux ("TeamWork-Team Snef") also made a brilliant start. Romain Attanasio on "Fortinet-Best Western" also proved to have good timing, but Charlie Dalin and Sam Goodchild on "Vulnerable" were soon pushing for the lead.
It was Sam Goodchild, the winner of the previous day's speed runs, who initially led the fleet at the end of the afternoon, when the Imocas were already travelling at more than 20 knots. The different sail wardrobes in particular led to different courses. Late on Thursday evening, Boris Herrmann's Ocean Race navigator Nico Lunven initially took the lead with "Holcim - PRB". Yoann Richomme's "Paprec Arkéa" was also among the front runners.
After just over the first quarter of the course, the top eight were separated by just 17 nautical miles at midnight. Boris Herrmann was in eighth place and had already built up a cushion of more than 20 nautical miles behind Damien Seguin on "Groupe Apicil". For the 43-year-old, the race was a welcome opportunity for a reality check on his "Malizia - Seaexplorer", which was already well prepared for the Vendée Globe. Some of his competitors, on the other hand, still have innovations to try out.
Cole Brauer and Antoine Auriol on board
Despite the "solo" mode, Boris Herrmann - like the other participants in the 48-hour race - has two companions on board. US sailor Cole Brauer accompanies the Hamburg native as a so-called "watch keeper". However, she is only allowed to intervene in manoeuvres if this is necessary for safety reasons. The third member of the azimuth team is the onboard reporter and flight captain Antoine Auriol.
"The Défi Azimut takes place every year. Our crew configuration for the 48-hour race changes depending on which big race is coming up next," says Boris, explaining the unusual three-man constellation. "In the Vendée Globe years, we usually sail alone. Last year, we did it double-handed before the Transat Jacques Vabre. And in 2022, we even did it with a crew before the Ocean Race."
