Vendée Globe 2020: What Boris Herrmann packs in his kitbag - Part 2: Gadgets
Jochen Rieker
· 05.11.2020
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Who Episode 1 of our series If you've already read about Boris Herrmanns' functional clothing, you'll know that the 39-year-old doesn't skimp on his personal equipment. This is also evident in the tech gadgets he has with him on his "Seaexplorer". Some of it is redundant, some may seem dispensable. But there are good reasons for everything that is important to him.
The solo skipper revealed them to us from his quarantine quarters south-east of the harbour of Les Sables d'Olonne, where he has been living alone in strict isolation from the rest of his team since Friday and is preparing for the start.
Here is the list of Boris' utensils for switching on and off
1) For enlightenment
You can burn a hole in the darkest night with this light monster. Actually an unusual choice for a sailor, as the lamp with its separate battery pack is quite heavy (263 grams) and also causes a lot of glare due to its extreme luminosity (2500 lumens). But Boris swears by it "because it can't be bright enough when manoeuvring". After all, he alone has to master huge sail areas, dozens of sheets and trim lines and a sometimes complex choreography. He accepts the fact that it takes him a long time to get his eyes used to the darkness again afterwards in order to have a better overview at the crucial moments. Incidentally, the H15R comes from the LED Lenser professional series and is a discontinued model. If you are looking for a similar model, albeit not quite as bright, the MH11 is also a good choice.
But it is not the Hamburg native's only headlamp. He also has a particularly compact model with him for reading, repairing or briefly changing the trim in the cockpit:
The skipper of Team Dongfeng, Charles Caudrelier, who won the last Volvo Ocean Race, praised the headlamp as the ultimate; he had been looking for one for years, he says. In addition to Boris, they have Alex Thomson, Jérémie Beyou and Pip Hare on board for the Vendée. Their advantages: low weight and minimal tension on the wide headband, which is barely noticeable. However, their two-stage LED light does not reach very far, especially on black sails with little reflective effect, and the rechargeable battery, which can be charged via USB cable, lasts just 30 minutes. Petzl offers good alternatives with the models e+Lite and Bindi .
2) For all kinds of things
Almost all Imoca skippers have a tablet on board. Some use it as a subsidiary display for the on-board computer with its own power supply in the cockpit, such as Kojiro Shiraishi from the DMG Mori Global One team, who sails a sister ship to "Charal".
Boris also uses his iPad in a variety of ways: He can use it to mirror the data from his B&G instruments, the radar image or the displays from the Oscar collision detection system, which uses a video camera and two infrared cameras from the masthead to look out for objects that could cross the course of the "Seaexplorer".
The Hamburg native also has plenty of music, a few films, several audio books and photos of his loved ones stored on it - "to combat the loneliness and boredom" that are likely to arise in the Southern Ocean, but also as a distraction when difficult weather is on the horizon. His team manager Holyl Cova has created a special playlist for him on Spotify, where friends can upload music recommendations for him. Its name: "Boris onboard".
3) Against the noise
An Imoca 60 on foils is already loud at 15 knots, at 20 knots it howls, and above that it crashes, bangs, groans and sings so loudly that you can get scared. For an experienced skipper, this is nothing unusual, but in the long run the background noise is extremely draining, the noise means stress for the body. For this reason, nothing works without noise-cancelling headphones - also because otherwise you could only think of listening to music in light winds. Boris has four ways to get (a little!) peace and quiet:
The small white in-ear buds accompany the skipper on all his business trips - whether on the water, in the air or on the team bus. Their biggest advantage: they are relatively insensitive to moisture and can be taken into the bunk because they are hardly bulky.
The high-end hi-fi headphones from Bang & Olufsen are several classes better and more comfortable to wear in the long term. They offer very good suppression of ambient noise and the finest audio quality to boot, so they are both uplifting and functional. Boris' favourite model.
For the toughest passages, however, he still has a pair on board for commercial aviation use. This is usually seen on helicopter or airline pilots. It physically insulates the ears and can reduce noise by up to 36 decibels. Other Imoca skippers also rely on it.
The low-tech solution that requires no electricity and is the most comfortable if you just want to sleep in peace. Foam plugs from 3M, highly effective with 33 decibels of noise reduction, available in packs of 200 for less than 40 euros. Also recommended for all long-distance sailors who want to remain as undisturbed as possible during their free watch.
4) For all of us
Because ocean sports have no grandstands, as the former YACHT publisher Konrad-Wilhelm Delius once said very aptly at the Hanseboot Award ceremony almost 20 years ago, it's up to Boris to take us with him on his Vendée. To do so, he has built up a small, fine arsenal of state-of-the-art camera equipment.
The skipper has resolved not only to sail well on his premiere, but also to document as much as possible. Hence the professional equipment, which enables noise-free, high-resolution images even at dusk. A high-quality microphone is also on board for video recordings to give a realistic impression of the conditions below and on deck.
The compact 360-degree action cam with electronic image stabilisation serves as a supplement for all situations where the Canon would be too exposed. In addition, another GoPro is permanently attached to the stern of "Seaexplorer" and records continuously. Team Malizia will also use it to stream the entire launch sequence live on Sunday 8 November, which can be found at on Boris' homepage.
This post shows just how much Boris wants his fans to be part of the race - it's also available twice, because something can go wrong during a single-handed landing manoeuvre... While the top favourites would neither invest the time to film nor accept the weight of two drones, the German is determined to document his first Vendée Globe participation from the air. He has practice with this. He has been flying his Mavic Air from the aft deck for a good two years now, and not just in duck pond conditions. So we can be excited!
5) For reflection and beaming away
With so much technology, it may come as a surprise that Boris also relies on analogue entertainment. But he wouldn't leave home without a handful of printed books, never. So he has packed "A Brief History of Mankind", the non-fiction bestseller by Yuval Noah Harari, among other things. And of course the current YACHT, issue 23/2020 whose cover is adorned with a portrait of him. He will have read them both by the time he gets back. Incidentally, on his first ocean race, the Mini-Transat 20 years ago, he only had a copy of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung with him to read.
In episode 3, from Sunday morning here on YACHT online: What else Boris Herrmann has packed to pass the time, combat loneliness and gloom - and what he uses an inflatable globe for*!
*) Spoiler alert: not for navigation...
Jochen Rieker
Herausgeber YACHT
