The 28 skippers have to put up with a lot during this transatlantic regatta. You can read just how much in their faces and between the lines of their reports, which alternate between sarcasm, resignation and sheer anger.
Thomas Ruyant, for example, as one the He started as one of the top favourites, is 325 nautical miles back in a bitter eighth place, behind the British Imoca rookie James Harayda. "It was tough," said Ruyant yesterday. Seeing Charlie and Boris pull away in the north while he himself can't get to the other side of the trough must hurt even more than the strain of the constant sail and speed changes in this area of unstable pressure conditions.
The boss of TR-Racing, whose racing team also employs Sam Goodchild, spoke of a "hefty bill". And Ruyant expects that this bill will cost him and the competitors sailing with him in the group to the south even more. Because what lies ahead of them is far less clear than the route open to the two leaders in the north.
More and more Imocas are showing weaknesses in this changeable New York Vendée
It's not just the soloists who are suffering. Their boats are also showing more and more signs of damage. Apart from not exactly unusual maladies such as torn sails (Sam Goodchild) or a complete blackout of the power supply (Justine Mettraux), Nico Lunven was hit particularly hard yesterday morning. The bowsprit of his "Holcim - PRB" broke again for the Breton, two-time Figaro winner and promising third place. The race is over for him because he can no longer use a spinnaker or code sail until the finish. "We'll have to fish," he said dejectedly, as he didn't have nearly enough food on board.
Compared to Nico, Boris is doing well. However, in his video from on board the "Malizia - Seaexplorer" yesterday, he also looked exhausted. It's all too easy to forget what it means to shoot across the sea at 20 knots and more in the current foiling boats.
The 43-year-old had a suspension system specially installed in the front part of his fully enclosed cockpit for the seat, from where he can operate the sheets and adjust the autopilot. However, the shock absorber borrowed from a mountain bike was not enough to sufficiently reduce the compressions, which is why Boris switches to a centrally mounted lounger in the aft crew quarters during such phases, which is made of canvas and provides more relief for the spine.
Will Boris Herrmann take his solo to the high latitudes?
At present, there is much to suggest that the "Malizia" skipper will head much further north and choose a classic west-east route. It would spare him the cross that threatens closer to the direct course line and that Charlie Dalin might take on.
Boris would then have to go up to 59 degrees north, i.e. at the level of the northern tip of Scotland, and then swing back to the south-east in a wide arc. This promises Vendée Globe-like conditions and would therefore not only be a tactical option, but also exactly the test that all skippers had hoped for in this regatta, which is regarded as the last major training session before the race around the world in November.
As the 43-year-old already has qualification safely in the bag, it doesn't even matter if the diversions ends up taking longer. But that is not yet a foregone conclusion. In fact, Boris has a real chance of winning this New York Vendée. Let's keep our fingers crossed for him!
Will Boris make it cleanly into the next weather system in the north? Who will perform best in the southern group? All of this will be exciting today.
Jochen Rieker
Herausgeber YACHT
