The South Atlantic could not have offered its conquerors a greater contrast. "Just a few hours before arriving in Itajaí, we had waves as high as a two-storey house, so short and steep that we couldn't fit our boat between them," reported Malizia co-skipper Will Harris this morning on the energy-sapping finish of the third, most important leg of The Ocean Race.
He shakes his head again and again when he thinks back to the last 150 nautical miles before the finish.
When we finally make it, at around 2 o'clock in the morning, the South Atlantic is as calm as a village pond. Only a slight residual swell reminds us of the breakers that rolled up the Brazilian coast the day before. In order to reach the finish line at the harbour pier, Boris Herrmann and his crew even have to change from the J2 to the J0, the largest upwind sail that has remained intact.
Escorted by a helicopter and a dozen or so boats, "Malizia - Seaexplorer" finally glides to its first victory in this race, its first ever victory in an Imoca regatta.
It's early Sunday morning in Germany. And yet tens of thousands of sailing fans are glued to their screens at this hour. On the team's YouTube live feed alone, broadcast via iPhone and commented on by team manager Holly Cova, 6,000 people are watching. Boris Herrmann has barely arrived at the jetty when he has to give live interviews for Eurosport, ARD and ZDF.
Once again, the man from Hamburg has managed to get the nation excited about sailing - just like in January two years ago, when he almost won his first Vendée.
Malizia crew wows the fans
Of course, it's also the result that counts. With the victory in Itajaí, the Malizia skipper and his marvellous crew moved up to second place in the overall standings - coming from fourth place. But at least as impressive is how hard it was fought for.
For more than two weeks, it has been a constant state of anxiety, fighting and never letting up for fans and sailors alike. And no other team has managed so well to take the public along on their adventure.
Boris is now an international brand. Even during the TV interviews on the jetty, early in the morning at half past three, Brazilian fans shout their congratulations loudly over the barrier. Two Germans have also come especially to be close to their idol.
As he walks onto the stage, the skipper has to pause several times to fulfil selfie requests from the audience. Kevin Escoffier's team members are also in the audience, applauding and jeering. There is probably no one on this night who begrudges Antoine Auriol, Boris Herrmann, Will Harris, Rosalin Kuiper and Nico Lunven this victory.
On the contrary: High-ranking members of The Ocean Race management also wanted Malizia to win the leg - not only as a change after the flawless race record of "Holcim - PRB" so far, but also because "no other team produces such positive vibes", as one official, who wishes to remain unnamed for reasons of neutrality, told YACHT online.
How Holcim skipper Kevin Escoffier categorises his result on stage three
Even Kevin Escoffier, whose ambition and will to win is nothing less than impressive, was relaxed the morning after finishing in second place. He wouldn't have minded being the first boat to cross the finish line again, he said on the jetty. But his lead remains as comfortable as it was when he passed the scoring gate halfway through the race before Australia. He could cancel a leg and still be in first place.
"We always said at the start of this leg that the most important task was to arrive in Itajaí with the crew and the boat in good shape, and we did that," said the Frenchman, who had already won the last edition of the Ocean Race with Charles Caudrelier's Dongfeng Racing Team. "Scoring nine out of ten points for the leg is obviously very good and gives us a good starting position for the rest of the race."
Boris Herrmann was the first to congratulate him when he brought his remarkably fast Verdier design to the floating dock in almost all conditions. The two top-placed skippers of the race exchanged their experiences and the condition of their Imocas over the railing. A nice gesture that shows great mutual respect and camaraderie. "Strong leg," said Escoffier to the man who had so successfully kept him at bay in the final phase.
Bravo to your whole team, Boris! Superb!"
Boris Herrmann couldn't bring himself to go to bed that morning. He stayed in the Ocean Race Park, talked to team members, reflected on the race and simply didn't want to switch off. This success was too incredible, the adrenaline level too high, the conditions too gruelling until shortly before the finish for him to want to lie down.
When, shortly after 6 a.m., the dawn beyond the Itajaí River transformed the scenery into a magical light and he carried his bag off the boat, he turned round once more to his boat, which bears his signature and which he commemorated with a moment of silence at the award ceremony, which actually seemed to be an impossibility amidst the joy of the Brazilian fans.
During the stopover in Cape Town, he told YACHT that he did not yet feel the same intimate connection as with the old "Malizia". That has now changed after the past 14,700 nautical miles.
