Vendée Globe: Boris Herrmann on the accelerator, change of leadership in sight?
Max Gasser
· 16.12.2024
"It's going very well and inevitably the scenario of the race makes me happy. I feel comfortable on board, I'm in tune with my weather routings, there are no setbacks," said Yoann Richomme, describing his obviously good situation in the Indian Ocean. According to the latest tracker update, the Frenchman is only just over ten nautical miles behind compatriot Charlie Dalin in the lead.
Together with Sebastien Simon, who he pushed into third place two days ago, the leading trio has clearly pulled away from the rest of the fleet. Although ex-Malizia navigator Nico Lunven, the number one chaser, is currently delivering the best 24-hour distance, with a gap of 769 nautical miles there is still no acute danger to the leaders. However, a change in the lead may be in the offing. "I'm lucky to have a fantastic boat on the wind for these conditions. Charlie knows this only too well, we will soon be on a par," predicted the helmsman of the Finot-Koch design "Paprec Arkea" Yoann Richomme this lunchtime.
Vendée Globe: Herrmann's race to catch up only short-lived?
Only Boris Herrmann on "Malizia - Seaexplorer" is likely to be even better prepared for the increasingly rough conditions in the coming hours. The 43-year-old can still boast excellent average speeds, although he is still in tenth position. But Paul Meilhat in front of him is now within touching distance. 40 nautical miles currently separate the two Ocean Race participants - instead of over 300 just a week ago. In contrast to Herrmann, the entire group around "Biotherm" skipper Meilhat has literally been held fast over the past few days. The further the German can now move eastwards with them, the better.
This is because the supposedly small gaps are likely to widen again soon. Proximity to the competition is therefore crucial. "These small gaps make a big difference in the sea conditions. The further you get ahead, the better the conditions and the faster you can get through," explains Herrmann von Bord. Justine Mettraux, for example, just a little behind him, was already struggling hard with the extreme conditions this lunchtime, while "Malizia - Seaexplorer" was still able to push on with full sails.
"Medallia": First mast breakage of the 10th Vendée Globe
But Herrmann is also expecting winds of almost 50 knots soon. According to the latest forecasts, this will further intensify the battle against attrition. "Wish us good luck for the night," Boris Herrmann asked his followers in today's video message. Another contestant had already been hit hard last night. After breaking her mast, Pip Hare had to announce the third abandonment of the current Vendée Globe. As one of the six women taking part, the Brit was in fifteenth place.
The encouragement from the field of 37 remaining skippers was immense after the hard blow. "I was very sad and had tears in my eyes, it's really hard," said French-German Isabelle Joschke, for example. Will Harris and ex-Malician Nico Lunven, among others, also expressed their sympathy. "Every mast that falls is like a knife in the heart. It brings up a lot of emotions in me. When something like that happens to you, you feel like your whole world is falling apart," said Conrad Colman, who suffered the same misfortune in 2016.
Many repairs, wear and tear battle progresses
This devastation was undoubtedly evident in Hare's first video message after the accident. "There's no good news today. I don't know what happened. 'Medallia' just took off - and when she landed, the mast came off the top in two pieces," she explained. "This is the end of our Vendée Globe 2024." She herself was unharmed and the ship was also in good condition. The 50-year-old was able to set up an emergency rig and is on her way to Australia, where she should arrive in around ten days.
Meanwhile, other participants had to report major problems. Benjamin Ferré ("Monnoyeur - DUO for a JOB") had to work for twelve hours to repair a hydraulic cylinder. "There was oil everywhere in the boat, the keel cylinder attachment literally exploded," said the Frenchman. Antoine Cornic ("Human Immobilier") and Denis Van Weynbergh ("D'Ieteren Group") climbed up the mast, while Arnaud Boissières ("La Mie Câline") had to deal with stabbing pains in his knee. The man from the Vendée is in contact with the race doctors to alleviate the pain and treat himself. He concludes: "At sea, we live a bit like Tarzan in a cage. You crawl on all fours, you fall down. I realised I had bruises everywhere!"
