Vendée Globe: Four weeks to go until the start: a spirit of optimism in Lorient

The starting signal for the ninth edition of the Vendée Globe will be given in exactly one month's time on 8 November. The non-stop solo race around the world will set new standards in many respects. From a local perspective, the most important fan factor is the historic first participation of a German skipper in the endurance test for man and material: Boris Herrmann is starting the race of his life as a pioneer, beacon of hope and sporting advocate in the fight for the health of the oceans ("A race we must win!"). The 39-year-old is currently preparing with his Malizia team at the base camp in Lorient, Brittany, for the upcoming transfer to the Vendée Globe start harbour of Les Sables-d'Olonne, where his "Seaexplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco" will be on display alongside 32 other Imoca yachts from next week. Three decades after the premiere in 1989/90, the total of 33 registered Vendée Globe boats marks a new record number of participants for France's most famous race.

Herrmann's team is right on schedule, well prepared and ready for the challenges of the coming weeks until the start. During the on-site visit, the Hamburg-based skipper appeared calm and focussed, although the demands on him are increasing daily. Herrmann will return to his family in Hamburg after completing the transfer and final preparations before gathering with his team in Les Sables-d'Olonne. Like all the major Imoca racing teams, Team Malizia is taking the best possible precautions against the risk of infection in times of coronavirus. Everyone is concerned about catching the virus after two to four years of preparation and jeopardising the project. They only eat outdoors - no matter what the weather is like in Brittany, which is often wild in autumn. Car journeys have not taken place with outsiders for some time now. The core team keeps to itself. Interviews and photo shoots are always conducted wearing masks; the mouth and nose protection is only removed from time to time when shooting from a distance. Herrmann currently has a little piece of home with his family dog Lilly in France - the agile dog, jokingly called "Killer" in the team, is a guarantee of a good mood when she sweeps through the boat hall or snuggles up on her master's lap during interviews.

Boris Herrmann himself moves from interview to online presentation, from photo session to team meeting, from the office in the large boat hall with the outside sign "Glorieux 1" to the boat 100 metres away on the jetty - and back again - in three languages and with astonishing calm. He remains friendly and level-headed as calls, enquiries and decision-making needs pile up. It comes as no surprise that he falls into a deep sleep in the team flat at 9.30 p.m. on some evenings. Strolling through the harbour area of "La Base" along the prominent heartbeat chambers of teams such as the Ultim racing team Gitana, you can almost feel the rising tension. Vendée skippers such as Sam Davies, Thomas Ruyant and Isabelle Joschke trudge past the rows of buildings with concentrated faces. Their shore crews are busily working on the futuristic foilers, heaving the provisions bags and equipment already packed for the Vendée Globe onto the boats and making final technical updates. Riggers are hanging from the mast here, divers are at work there.

Boris Herrmann and Japanese skipper Kojiro Shiraishi, for example, have decided to tackle the Vendée Globe with a spare oar on board. They will therefore be part of a minority and are emphasising their determination to complete this race. "Other skippers don't have a spare oar with them because the race will be over for them if their oars break badly. For some, only victory counts," explains LinkedIn team manager and Imoca expert Marcus Hutchinson, who ranks Boris Herrmann among the best five skippers in this edition due to his convincing all-round qualities and focussed boat preparation. Herrmann himself remains cautious in his prediction: "I would like to be in the top ten. But more than anything I want to finish. Arriving is so high on the priority list that I would continue even if it no longer made sense from a sporting point of view in terms of a top position."

Mini sailor Lennart Burke is also observing the lively Imoca activity on site in Lorient. The talented soloist from Stralsund, who also caused a stir in French mini circles in August with his third podium place in the classic Les Sables - Les Açores - En Baie de Morlaix, has dropped his anchor in "La Base". He has been sleeping in his car there for months so that he can invest every cent in his sailing project and his boat. He recently launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance his mini-transat campaign, read more here. Burke has also been able to chat to Boris Herrmann over a meal together. Burke is now keeping his fingers crossed for Herrmann, wishing him "that he always keeps his goal in mind and doesn't let any setbacks throw him off course" and is preparing himself for the final mini race of the 2020 mini season, which has been shortened due to the coronavirus pandemic; on 15 October, he will start the 220-nautical-mile Trophée Marie-Agnes Peron (MAP) regatta off Douarnenez. He will be back from the test when the starting signal for the Vendée Globe is given for Herrmann and the other 32 Imoca skippers.

The Stralsund native has been sailing for 13 years and is currently heading towards the next career peak: taking part in the 2021 mini-transat