After a recent positive assessment of the performance of his team and his Imoca on leg one, Boris Herrmann's team Malizia surprisingly announced an injury to the skipper on the night of 23 January. A press release stated that the Hamburg-based "Malizia - Seaexplorer" skipper had suffered a severe foot injury caused by boiling water during the opening leg of the 14th The Ocean Race. After treatment in hospital, Team Malizia's official doctor and medical advisor Dr Spike Briggs advised against his participation in leg two.
Severe foot scald due to boiling water
Team Malizia cited the "significant risk of infection at sea" as the reason for the medical "no". According to the team statement, Boris Herrmann is still undergoing medical treatment and is said to be recovering well. The 41-year-old four-time circumnavigator himself said: "I am very sad that I cannot sail this leg with my team, especially after the success of leg one. I am more motivated than ever, but I don't want to jeopardise my participation in leg three and risk compromising our performance in leg two. Luckily, the world-famous and long-standing coach Yann Eliès is stepping in to cover for me in this part of the race."
It was Brit Annie Lush from Guyot Environnement - Team Europe, the fifth crew to arrive in Mindelo harbour, who warned against such burns before the start of the Ocean Race. In an interview with YACHT online, the experienced two-time Ocean Race participant from Great Britain pointed out that she considers the risk of skin scalds from boiling water on board the often violently bucking Imocas to be very high. She has "enormous respect" for this.
Boris Herrmann will be expecting his team in Cape Town
Regarding his further plans, Boris Herrmann said: "I will now be travelling directly to South Africa to be with my wife and daughter and to recover so that I am ready for the challenge of the third leg in the Southern Ocean. I will use the time ashore to work closely with our performance group, analyse the boat data and prepare the debrief for the sailors' arrival in Cape Town. I look forward to welcoming the team to South Africa in a strong position."
Due to Herrmann's cancellation, the 29-year-old former co-skipper Will Harris will take over the role of skipper earlier than expected. "It was always the plan for the fourth leg that Boris didn't want to do," explained the Briton. Will Harris continued: "I wish it had happened under different circumstances, but our team spirit is great and we will do Boris and our team proud. I'm looking forward to sailing with Yann again. It was great to do the passage from Guadeloupe to Alicante with him on board, he brings a lot of experience to the team."
"The new foils have come to stay"
Herrmann's prominent replacement Yann Eliès was also combative: "I'm super-motivated to sail the second leg of the Ocean Race. We recently crossed the Atlantic together and are ready to give it our all, push the boat forward and fight for a good position in the race."
In an interview with YACHT online just a few hours before his decision to skip the upcoming leg, Boris Herrmann spoke positively about the performance of his team and crew on leg one. Herrmann said: "The new foils have come to stay. They have proved their worth. They are a little softer than the old ones. That's due to the construction. But this design is also stronger in terms of reverse load. In this respect, we have fewer worries. The foils are very tolerant, the boat sails more easily and builds up speed more easily. It is not so critical to regulate the trim of the ship, the fore-and-aft tilt. And the foil rake is not as much of a drama as with the old foils. In this respect, the new foils have many advantages."
First loud and brutal, then a euphoric race to catch up
After the loud and brutal start to the first stage, he and the team enjoyed "getting back on track at the end of the stage". It had "triggered huge euphoria on board". Herrmann said: "We made up 70 nautical miles on 11th Hour Racing over one and a half days. The speed potential is there. The hard work of two years since the Vendée Globe has culminated in the success of a campaign in the Ocean Race with great speed potential. There was high spirits on board. We carried this mood to the finish of the first leg. I'm in a really good mood now and here in Mindelo."
A few hours later, Boris Herrmann had to announce that he would not be taking part in leg two. Herrmann sees his belief in the strengths of all the boats in the fleet confirmed by the results of the first leg, despite significantly different finishing times: "I still believe that all the boats in this Ocean Race fleet can theoretically win the race. I also told Robert Stanjek from the Guyot team the same thing. We can also theoretically win. Everything is still open here."
Herrmann sees "Holcim - PRB" and "11th Hour Racing" as strong
However, Herrmann made one small qualification: "You can see that Holcim - PRB and 11th Hour Racing are a bit stronger at the moment. But that doesn't mean that we can't get there. If the first stage had been longer, we might have been able to catch 11th Hour Racing."
