Transat Jacques Vabre: The young woman and the sea - Justine Mettraux fights

Two days before the expected Imoca finale in the 16th Transat Jacques Vabre, Boris Herrmann is looking back on a positive performance. At an online press conference from on board the "Malizia - Seaexplorer" on Friday afternoon on the way to Caribbean climes, the 42-year-old from Hamburg said: "We are enjoying fantastic sailing on course for Martinique." The most important realisation of the five-time circumnavigator: "I am very relieved that we can keep up with the other newbuildings. I was a bit worried about that. What we are experiencing here is very promising for the Vendée Globe."

According to the routings, Justine is still winning the race" (Boris Herrmann)

Boris Herrmann will start his second solo race around the world on 10 November 2024. Until then, the "Malizia - Seaexplorer" will be further optimised following intensive experience in the Ocean Race. In fact, the new and fast Conq-Koch sisters "For People" with Thomas Ruyant and Morgan Lagravière and "Paprec Arkéa" with Yoann Richomme and Yann Eliès appear to have a slight speed advantage. Among other things, Boris said that he was curious to find out more about how their gennaker use on "Malizia - Seaexplorer" compared to the Code Zero use.

In the race across the Atlantic, Boris Herrmann is currently also impressed by the Swiss Justine Mettraux and her co-sailor Julien Villion on "Teamwork.net". Unlike the majority of the Imoca fleet, the mixed duo opted for the stormy northern course. Boris Herrmann said on Friday: "According to the routings, Justine is still winning the race. She did a really good job to get through the storms in the north. She is very brave and very strong - very impressive!"

Sunday final could work out

Herrmann has no regrets that his team, along with the majority of the field, opted for the longer but less stormy southern route in more favourable trade winds: "We wanted a good race and to compare ourselves with the others." Team Malizia was in sixth place on the eleventh day of racing. The frontrunners were "For People" and "Paprec Arkéa", two Conq-Koch-Imocas from the same design forge built in 2023. "Malizia - Seaexplorer" was launched in the summer of 2022 before the Ocean Race.

Herrmann expects to cross the finish line on Sunday evening German time. However, depending on wind shifts, the finish could also be pushed back or forwards quite a bit. Until then, there are more exciting duels to watch in the Imoca fleet. While "Malizia - Seaexplorer" was around 180 nautical miles behind the leading "For People" on the afternoon of 17 November, the gap between the second-placed "Paprec Arkéa" and its leading sister ship has also grown to around 70 nautical miles.

Four years older: "For the Planet" attacks in the Transat "Paprec Arkéa"

Very exciting: "Paprec Arkéa" is now even under attack from the "For People" racing team mate "For the Planet". This is a remarkable achievement, as Sam Goodchild and designer Antoine Koch are sailing a Guillaume Verdier design from 2019 with a good chance of a podium finish. The British-French duo continue to keep Sam Davies' "Initiatives Cœur" and Jérémie Beyou's "Charal" at bay.

Maxime Sorel's "V and B - Monbana - Mayenne" (8th), Clarisse Crémer's "L'Occitane en Provence" (9th) and "Guyot Environnement - Water Family" with Benjamin Dutreux completed the Imoca top ten before the last two days at sea. Although they are currently enjoying nice winds, they are also struggling with the heat.

We now have almost 28 degrees Celsius in the cabin even at night" (Andreas Baden"

Andreas Baden, who was in 28th place with Fabrice Amedeo on "Nexans - Art & Fenêtre" on Friday afternoon, almost 1,000 nautical miles behind "For People", reported: "The temperatures are not exactly making life on board any easier. Even in the cabin at night, it's now almost 28 degrees Celsius. The options for providing fresh air are limited. What helps is to reach for the bucket more often and use the warm Atlantic water for a little refreshment."

Andreas Baden's look at the supplies on board revealed: "The last fresh food on board is now two grapefruits, which will probably keep us refreshed until tomorrow. After that, it'll just be freeze-dried meals, power bars and muesli (with milk powder instead of fresh milk). Surprisingly, we found a bar of black gold yesterday after we thought we'd run out. But its shelf life will probably expire soon, probably by noon today at the latest. One of us on board has a sweet tooth ..."

You should do as Tiger Woods said: 'I don't measure my success in victories, but in getting better every day'" (Andreas Baden)

Andreas Baden commented on the tactical-strategic situation in the Transat: "At the moment, it looks as if the northern route is the slightly faster route to Martinique. But there has also been damage to one or two ships on this route. I have already explained our philosophy in this respect. Speed up where possible - without jeopardising the return race." According to Andreas Baden, this is even more important when you realise that there is only just under a week between arrival and departure "to prepare the boat again and regenerate Fabrice".

Andreas Baden recalled that he and his skipper Fabrice Amedeo had started his Transat première with "a low level of training". "We didn't know the boat that well after only four training sessions before the TJV. By the time we get to Martinique, we'll probably be well-rehearsed and know the boat and the hidden levers for the extra turbo. At this point, we should go with Tiger Woods, who said: 'I don't measure my success in victories, but in getting better every day. And that's what we do. Together. With fun and motivation."

Transat thriller: thrilling top duel in the Class 40

At the same time, Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink are struggling in the Class 40 fleet. In 24th place, the young professionals on "Sign for Com" continue to pay tribute to their past losses in the doldrums. Following the split that also divided their fleet, they are now among the seven boats seeking their fortune on the northern route. This group is led by two co-favourites: "Groupe Snef" and "Crédit Mutuel". However, both boats were only in 14th and 16th place on the afternoon of 17 November.

At the same time, the southern group had gained a clear advantage, where the top favourites Ambrogio Beccaria and Nicolas Andrieu on "Alla Grande Pirelli" with the "Ibsa" co-skippers Alberto Bona and Pablo Santurde Del Arco still had almost 1,350 nautical miles to go to the finish with a difference of around one nautical mile(!). The best all-female team was the Ocean Race sailors Amélie Grassi and Anne-Claire Le Berre in tenth place in the Class 40 on "La Boulangère Bio".

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"Yay, nice foiling here!" - This is how the Malizia clip that the Transat Jacques Vabre published on Friday morning begins: