Retour à la Base: Boris Herrmann gets off to a good start - season finale on the road
Max Gasser
· 30.11.2023
The annual highlight of the major Imoca regattas is underway: at 5 p.m. German time, the 33 soloists crossed the starting line off Martinique. Boris Herrmann was almost unusually aggressive in steering his "Malizia - Seaexplorer" on the 3,500 nautical mile course towards the French offshore capital of Lorient. Consequently, the man from Hamburg led the race shortly after the start, was Live tracker led in first position. In light winds in the Caribbean, the other high-calibre riders around Jérémie Beyou's "Charal", Thomas Ruyant's "For People" and Yoann Richomme's "Paprec Arkéa" also pushed far ahead and will put the pressure on. The morning after, Herrmann was in eleventh place.
After a relatively calm post-start phase with unsettled trade winds, the field of Vendée Globe contenders is expecting a first front from the west on their way north on Saturday, which experts predict will be harmless. A low-pressure area that has formed over the east coast of the United States will not reach the leaders until Monday. Around 30 knots of wind and rough seas are currently forecast. A second area of low pressure with 30 to 35 knots of wind is expected to move west of the Azores and cause heavy seas, particularly on the night of 7 to 8 December.
Single-handed for the first time: Will Goodchild succeed in the Retour à la Base?
It is therefore not only a worthy season finale, but undoubtedly also a tough and varied test for the Imocas and their sailors. In addition to Boris Hermann, who is hoping for a good finish to the season solo after seventh place in the Transat Jacques Vabre, there are several other candidates who have sailed themselves and their designs into the limelight. Brit Sam Goodchild, among others, could cause some surprises. Although he finished third in the Transat with co-skipper and designer Antoine Koch and has an extremely competitive boat in the former "LinkedOut" (now "For the Planet"), he has absolutely no single-handed experience on his Imoca.
The 34-year-old revealed before the race that he had never sailed the boat alone before. "I did a few manoeuvres on my own when we were still sailing with a crew. So it will be a kind of voyage of discovery." However, the weather conditions could play into his hands in the first few miles. "I should be able to slowly get used to the routine of sleeping, resting, eating and self-catering. Then we'll have a few days before we get into the tough conditions. I'd rather do that than the other way round at the moment!" says Goodchild, who contested the Ocean Race on board "Holcim-PRB".
These are the favourites for the season finale
You should definitely keep an eye on those too. Since the Kevin Escoffier sacked two ex-Malicians are at the helm of the Swiss team. Nico Lunven and Rosalin Kuiper are the new team and have sailed the ship to Martinique together; due to a refit, they were not yet able to start the Transat Jacques Vabre. The first regatta after the Ocean Race is therefore a solo race for the experienced Lunven, who acted as navigator on the "Malizia - Seaexplorer". How well he already has his "Holcim - PRB" under control will be decisive, because even his former boss Boris Herrmann has no doubts about Lunven's abilities and even believes he can win.
However, despite the absence of dominator Charlie Dalin and his new "Macif Santé Prévoyance", the competition in the top group is huge. The Frenchman was already unable to compete in the Transat Jacques Vabre, only sailing across the start line due to various Vendée Globe qualification criteria and then returning directly to harbour. The team said that Dalin was ill, but nothing more is currently known. The boat was not transferred to the Caribbean, so the Frenchman will not be taking part this time either.
In his place, several other soloists must therefore be named as candidates for victory in the Retour à la Base. Without question, alongside Transat winner Thomas Ruyant ("For People") and runner-up Yoann Richomme ("Paprec Arkéa"), there is also Jérémie Beyou on "Charal" and, last but not least, Boris Herrmann with his "Malizia Seaexplorer" - can he prove himself single-handed?
Follow the return à la base in the LIVE tracker:
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Max Gasser
Editor Test & Technology
