Vendée Globe: Before circumnavigation - Boris Herrmann explains the modifications to "Malizia - Seaexplorer"
Tatjana Pokorny
· 02.11.2024
YACHT: Boris, from 10 November you will be alone on your "Malizia Seaexplorer" for 70 to 80 days during the Vendée Globe. Do you have a favourite place on board?
Boris Herrmann: Yes! The seat in the centre, in the passageway from the crew quarters to the cockpit - that's my favourite place to be in most conditions. I can see, work, eat and doze from there. It's simply where I live, my home.
How big is the habitat?
Much bigger than on any other ship. Even bigger than I need. The floor space of the cockpit is twice as big as this place here (Editor: Boris is referring to the size of a mini glass garden shed in his favourite brasserie in Hamburg-Ottensen, where we are conducting the interview).
Are the other skippers sometimes a little envious?
Rather not. Some people say to themselves Vendée Globethat they don't want to see the sea, that everything should just be within reach to avoid unnecessary journeys. For example, Charlie Dalin has kept everything extra compact on 'Macif'.
But most skippers are also smaller than you with your 1.89 metres...
Charlie Dalin not much; Thomas Ruyant does. He built it the same way: everything very close together and the cockpit not too big. The ergonomic reasons are obvious. You make one movement and have everything under control. You don't have to take any steps back and forth that could theoretically cause you to stumble, step over or fall over.
In return, you enjoy other advantages: headroom, light, space...
Yes, I think so too. But I wouldn't say that the boats of the others are just terrible. I think Thomas Ruyant's cockpit is very successful. The one on 'Paprec Arkéa' is also great. They may not have as much space, but they can see out well. And it's ergonomically very well designed.
Did you make any changes specifically for the Vendée Globe?
We installed a small heater, worked a little on the ergonomics and further improved the seat. Otherwise it was just routine checks and normal maintenance work. The aim was always to validate the boat with the two transatlantic regattas this year. Of course, "Malizia - Seaexplorer" is now getting new sails. With the Foils we have also sanded a little again.
In a certain direction?
No, we have only improved the finish so that they are smooth and straight.
What kind of sails are you getting new?
Almost all of them. We have eight sails in total. But hardly anyone uses the storm jib. They're usually older. You only buy them once with a boat. And then it usually stays in the bag. We used it once briefly in the Ocean Race, on stage one in the storm off Gibraltar. And I'm keeping my downwind gennaker too. All the others are new. Incidentally, the class rules will change from next year. Then you'll only be allowed to have seven sails in total with a storm jib.
Did you gain any new insights for your sailing wardrobe during the two transats?
In the Retour à La Base, my mainsail was torn two minutes after crossing the finish line. That was the light North standard sail. However, we had already wisely specified a heavier sail for the Ocean Race. And it has now also survived the two Transat races. So we also had the Vendée Globe sail built much more stable and heavier than usual.
In the 48-hour race at the Défi Azimut, you found out some surprising things...
I had the J0 on, the others the big gennaker or masthead zero. It looked funny because the big sails flapped a lot when the boats accelerated. Then you think it doesn't look so elegant, but they were travelling quite fast, they could go the same speed as me but keep a bit lower. I think that was only possible in the wind window up to around 22 knots. It doesn't work so well with two knots more wind or a bit more wave.
What kind of sails do you use?
North Sails, like most of them. There is also Yoann Richomme with Incidence sails at the Vendée Globe. His father is the CEO of the Incidence Group. It's good when there's more than just one sailmaker involved.
But North is probably not the same as North...
They are divided into two camps in France, but not completely hermetically sealed off from each other. They have divided up the fleet among themselves, but they exchange information.
Wouldn't it be a problem for you to see designs that you have co-designed on other boats?
I would say that the sails are already converging very strongly. I don't think we have anything to hide that the others don't have. There aren't that many secrets. You can see at the start and in videos what the teams pull up, how their sails look and how they work. Thomas Ruyant, for example, went to extremes with a small jib. Let's see how he copes when only seven sails are allowed.
Why did he do that?
He likes to sail triple-headed, i.e. with three sails in a row at the front. The J2 is then so small that it functions as a staysail. So between the J3 and whatever he has at the front. They have carried out a lot of aerodynamic studies and believe that this is a big advantage. They are also the fastest in this mode. In other conditions he has to set up his whole sail set a little differently. It will be interesting to see how he copes with this.
How good is your collision protection on board now?
This consists of radar, AIS and SeaAI, formerly known as OSCAR (editor's note: a combination of video and thermal imaging camera with automatic pattern recognition). The three systems together complement each other very well. With the radar, we filter out everything that is closer than a mile, because the Sea AI takes over collision monitoring.
How well can SeaAI see?
Every bird. The system beeps for every bird that flies past. This is sometimes a problem, especially in the Southern Ocean when we are accompanied by albatrosses. But we don't normally have any ship encounters or similar problems there. We tend to be travelling alone. Some skippers have reported that they would have had really bad collisions without the system: with unlit wooden fishing boats drifting off the Brazilian coast without AIS, for example. You really can't see them. There are main ships and smaller canoes that they send out. Even in rough seas, they sail within a radius of a few miles of the mother boat and can suddenly emerge from a wave next to you.
What's next for Team Malizia after the Vendée?
We are taking one step at a time. First of all, I have been working meticulously to further develop our campaign for the coming years and set it up in the best possible way. It is of existential importance to me that our team is not solely dependent on how the Vendée Globe goes. I need to know what will happen in January 2025 when I'm back here. I have heard from some Olympians that they are focussing on the Olympics. I wonder if it's really professional to pursue this kind of life challenge over many years without being embedded in a larger project? I believe that being embedded can give you more inner peace. It's completely different mentally. And you have a lot more resources.
However, it is not easy for Olympic athletes in particular, with their intensive training and regatta schedules, to get involved in large projects at the same time. Apart from the fact that you first have to find a job like this...
If people were prepared to say 'I make sailing my life', then you'd include them in your team. We are looking for people like that everywhere. We have already offered jobs to Olympians, but little has come back. For example, I put Thomas Ruyant in touch with an Olympic sailor because he was looking for a German sailor. But these ideas are not in their heads.
Perhaps the Imoca challenges seem too adventurous for many with a preference for fast coastal sailing?
But a broader and cross-project approach would remove the total focus and thus also the financial dependency, while at the same time broadening the horizon of experience with often positive effects. See the Spanish 49er Olympic champions from Marseille, who are also active in the SailGP and even won the season championship.
After two bronze medals in the 49er, Erik Heil is following this path with the first German SailGP team...
After his Olympic career with the Swiss, one Jochen Schümann went into the America's Cup and has won it twice. He is still competing in the professional keelboat series. A Timmy Kröger sailed around the world twice and then went to the America's Cup first with the French and then with South Africa without knowing French. Turning sailing into a career means taking the individual steps along the way, being present, knocking on doors - and doing it! Every German sailor can decide for themselves to do this. You can sit in the bar in Lorient in the evening and talk to people from the Mini scene, Figaro, Class40, Imoca or Ultime. Amélie Grassi is a great example: a few years ago she was hardly known, now she sails the Trophée Jules Verne with François Gabart. That's as good as it gets!
What's going on for you, for Team Malizia - how are you heading into the future?
We are looking ahead as far as possible to our partners, the team, the current ship and other future issues that we will have in operation by the end of 2025. There are a thousand more plans, not all of which are ready to be finalised yet, but which are very diverse. We are working on the campaign of the future.
Do the plans also include a new Imoca 60 for you and Team Malizia?
We are also thinking about that. But one step at a time (smiles).
Are you already planning the crew for the Ocean Race Europe 2025 and possibly another Team Malizia participation in The Ocean Race 2027/2028?
We are working on the future of the campaign beyond 2025. I hope to be able to say more about that soon. Of course, I've also been thinking about who we want to compete in the Ocean Race Europe with. The Ocean Race 2027/28 comes to mind at the same time. I've been in talks and there are a handful of people we have our sights set on. But there are no commitments yet.
In the Défi Azimut you had America's first non-stop circumnavigator Cole Brauer on board...
I would like to win her for Team Malizia. I think she's a very good sailor. And a cool sock too.
Can we expect German crew members alongside you?
There are quite a few possible candidates. In the meantime, however, I've had a few conversations with Olympians and got the impression that many people think it's too complicated. At its core, it's all about commitment, dedication and people's vision.
Team Malizia was founded in 2016 by Pierre Casiraghi and yourself. Can you say the team has grown up?
Yes, now everyone has children... (laughs). There are about 20 of us in the core now. We were up to 55 people in the intensive boatbuilding second phase.
Your team director Holly Cova has become a mum. Your co-skipper Will Harris and your event manager Lucia Nebreda got married and became parents. Your team works at different locations in Europe. Does that work well?
That can also be a challenge at times. But on the other hand, I don't see many alternatives. You hear from the big companies how they are struggling to call people back to the office. Attendance is compulsory again at large corporations. In part, I understand the reasoning behind this: because a chat in the coffee kitchen is sometimes more effective than a long meeting. On the other hand, if everyone has to be in one place all the time, it greatly reduces the number of candidates who can be considered for employment.
Can we already guess how many boats we might see at the start of the Ocean Race Europe?
I would guess between eight and ten. Taking part means a logistical situation that is a challenge for a smaller Imoca team. But then I'd say: man, guys, hire a van, put a trailer on it and go on a road trip.
Apart from solo versus crew and non-stop versus legs - what do you think are the main differences between the Vendée Globe and the Ocean Race?
I think the Vendée Globe still has the attributes it has always had: there is no big marketing sports group behind it that is turning the race upside down. The President of the Vendée is still the event boss. He takes care of setting up beer stalls in a sweet and shirt-sleeved manner. It's very tangible, no marketing chichi. But sometimes it's a bit difficult for us if we want to commercialise a sporting event like this. Sometimes it doesn't work that way.
At this point the Ocean Race completely complementary. There are the VIP options that are not available at the Vendée Globe. You can't even get to the Vendée Globe and park, you don't get badges or tickets for your guests. They don't know all that. But it's the big spectacle. We can offer great hospitality at the Ocean Race. In this respect, we have covered both worlds, which we like, are passionate about and need, well together.
Both regattas are sailed on Imoca 60. How do you rate the development of the class, which seems to be at a new high in popularity?
I believe that the ownership structure in our segment of ocean racing is unique. The races are organised by people who belong to different interest groups. In addition, there is the class association. This results in a multilateral situation that moderates all interests quite well. Of course, everyone complains all day long. Some think this is daft, others that - normal. But the interests are represented in a very balanced way. If I look at the Olympics and the IOC, for example, you have a huge power structure that tells you exactly what you can and can't do. With us, it's a truly participatory process, at least to some extent.
At least we as a class are organised like a club and think together in meetings, in WhatsApp groups, at the bar in Lorient, in the small governance group or elsewhere about what the next right steps are and what the right developments would be in the medium and long term. Class president Antoine Mermod shares his thoughts with everyone, calls us skippers regularly and puts his heart and soul into it. He doesn't go on holiday either, this is his life's work. It's great to be in a class with such enthusiasm and passion.
To what extent does class influence the Vendée Globe?
The Vendée Globe is a bit of a counterpart that we also rub shoulders with. Because the race belongs to them. You could also say to the Imoca class: you stay at home, we'll do it with Class40s in future. Or with our own type of boat. Theoretically, that would be conceivable, which is why there are sometimes small hiccups. In reality, of course, it's not really conceivable.
Because the Imoca class is too strong, too prominent?
Yes, it's like a marriage between the Vendée Globe and the Imoca class. You love each other, but sometimes you hate each other too. You argue and make up again. The result is a balanced relationship. Both are in complete agreement on the sporting policy that the adventure element must not be lost. The race must remain accessible for people with a small budget if they commit to a few years to qualify. Then they can also start. That should still be guaranteed.
The 34 skippers and six female skippers of the Vendée Globe anniversary edition come from eleven nations, three participants from Switzerland alone. Is the internationalisation progressing?
We've also had a third international starters before. Last time we had 33 skippers, eleven of whom were non-French.
There was a lot of discussion about the fact that not all 42 qualified skippers were allowed to take part in the Vendée Globe because the organisers had set a limit of 40 starting places. What do you think of the decision?
I can understand both sides. I would have liked to have taken everyone with me. The two who didn't get the wild card (the British James Harayda and Francois Guiffant, the ed.) were perfectly prepared, qualified and financed. It really hurts to realise that you can't sail with us at this point. They put four years of work into it. But they knew about the risk. Especially 'Fanch' (François Guiffant), who even had a special licence for his old boat. Incidentally, this is my former Barcelona Round the World Race boat, the former 'Neutrogena', a really great ship.
But on the other hand, if you set up rules and say there are 40 places and a Clarisse Crémer loses her jobbecause it's so uncertain whether she can still qualify despite her pregnancy, so dramas like this play out, then you end up levelling everything if the criteria are watered down after all. I can understand people who are afraid of being criticised and prefer to keep a straight line. Rules are rules.
