Boris Herrmann's "Malizia - Seaexplorer" has survived a nearby lightning strike for the second time in a year. While the skipper himself was uninjured, parts of the equipment were damaged. The incident occurred during the night from Monday to Tuesday, as Herrmann's team Malizia reported on Wednesday. The boat was less damaged than during the first eerie lightning encounter in New York in May last year.
Vendée Globe: massive front, relentless thunderstorms
"Yesterday was one of the craziest days I've ever had at sea," said Boris Herrmann, who hasn't had much rest since he climbed the mast of his racing yacht Malizia - Seaexplorer on Monday afternoon and fixed a problem with the rigging.
"It started with a massive front and relentless thunderstorms, the likes of which I have never experienced in all my years of sailing. It lasted all night and into the day, with heavy rain like I've never experienced before." The Malizia skipper was sailing towards the equator near Cabo Frio off the Brazilian coast on his second Vendée Globe when he got caught in the storm.
"A few times we lay flat on the sea and I was thrown around." Boris Herrmann
In a video on the evening of 7 January, Boris Herrmann explained: "The thunderstorms were violent, with lightning from all directions, crashing waves and a boat that was struggling to sail upright. Fortunately, nothing was broken until lightning struck nearby."
My screen immediately started flashing, went black and the autopilot switched off along with the instruments." Boris Herrmann
Boris Herrmann then experienced the unreal scenario like this: "Alarms sounded and the boat lost control and lay flat in the water. The wind picked up again, there was even more thunder and lightning, it was relentless. I think the sea really showed me its teeth yesterday. Whether it was the Vendée Globe or the weather, I won't forget that day."
Autopilot clear again, radar not
Boris Herrmann has since reported that some of the electronic equipment on board has been damaged as a result of the lightning strike and needs to be repaired or replaced. Late on Tuesday evening, the skipper commented on the condition of his equipment: "Thanks to the Shore team, we were able to get an autopilot and a set of wind instruments up and running again. That's really good!"
But he doesn't have much else for the time being: "The radar is broken. The screen here is no longer working. I no longer have any data for the loads, the foil rake. The keel system is no longer working normally. I have to do a lot more manually than normal. But I can charge the batteries, I have power, the watermaker..." Boris Herrmann's inventory can be seen in detail in the video.
With minimal sleep, no time to eat and still with plenty of adrenalin in his blood, Germany's most famous sailor later said: "I've been struggling to recover ever since. We've just come out of the front. I've finally had a northerly wind again for half an hour. Before, the south wind made almost everything impossible. The boat could easily reach 30 knots if I wasn't careful, and with the swell coming from the front, it was chaos."
Vendee Globe nutrition: Power gel from a friend
He had realised that he hadn't eaten properly since climbing the mast, "just a gel from my friend Thomas Theriult and some power food". While the final week at sea is already underway for the front runners of the 10th Vendée Globe, Boris Herrmann has not forgotten his position in the ongoing competition amidst all the drama.
In his group, he and his rivals are fighting for the best places in the top ten as well as for victory. Boris Herrmann remains in the thick of it with staying power. At the end of the race day, the "Malizia - Seaexplorer" skipper defended sixth place in the morning of 8 January.
The "best in the west" formula seems to be paying off for his group. While Charlie Dalin ("Macif Santé Prévoyance") at the front of the field was able to extend his lead over Yoann Richomme to almost 170 nautical miles overnight and sailed towards Les Sables-d'Olonne at a good speed, the chasing pack in fourth to tenth place were still close together on Wednesday morning - measured in nautical miles.
Nevertheless, it is becoming apparent that the boats distributed from west to east off the Brazilian coast are benefiting differently from their choice of route. It was currently the group sailing westwards and closer to the coast around fourth-placed Jérémie Beyou ("Charal"), the British Sam Goodchild ("Vulnerable") and Boris Herrmann ("Malizia - Seaexplorer") that was able to gain an advantage there. The eastern boats with Nico Lunven ("Holcim - PRB") and Paul Meilhat ("Biotherm"), on the other hand, have lost miles.
