When Boris Herrmann starts the Vendée Globe off Les Sables-d'Olonne at 13:02 on Sunday, his wife Birte Lorenzen-Herrmann will be cheering him on in Hamburg, 1150 kilometres away. Contrary to original plans, she has stayed at home with their four-and-a-half-month-old daughter Marie-Louise due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Mainly to protect her husband, whom she married in Hamburg in March. Both of them had originally imagined this pre-start phase in a completely different way, wanting to be together with family, friends and partners in France. However, like so many people, they have long since arrived in the reality of Covid-19 - and are acting accordingly.
While Boris Herrmann isolated himself with his family dog Lilli in Les Sables-d'Olonne on the seafront in a small flat more than complying with the rules in the last few days before the start, his 36-year-old wife took care of their offspring. Formerly a maths and art teacher, she started the "My Ocean Challenge" programme full-time in 2018 to combine sailing, science and education. Currently on parental leave, she is driving the programme forward on a voluntary basis from their shared flat in Hamburg's HafenCity or at her parents' home in Kiel.
Linked to the global regattas of Boris Herrmann and his Team Malizia, the children's and youth education programme initiated by Birte Lorenzen-Herrmann is an intensive and renowned project close to the hearts of the couple and Team Malizia. The aim of the "My Ocean Challenge" education programme is to promote marine research, marine conservation and, in this context, the education and awareness of future generations while inspiring them with sailing adventures. Ocean issues are brought into schools around the world and awareness of climate change is raised. The greatest adventure of all is now just ahead.
Mrs Lorenzen-Herrmann, your husband is starting the race of his life on Sunday. What do you wish him for the solo circumnavigation, which he is aiming for as the historic first German Vendée Globe skipper?
I wish Boris that the Vendée Globe will be a personal success for him. Of course, that he arrives and is successful in sport, but also that he has great experiences and can get his climate message across.
Do you worry about your husband when he's out there at sea?
Not when he's sailing, actually. Because when we were on the boat together, he gave me the feeling that it was his home and that he knew exactly what he was doing. He's not a daredevil who would risk everything for a win. He wouldn't put his own life in danger. I'm not worried when he's on the boat. It's more the long car journeys from Hamburg to France...
How are you in contact with your husband, how will you follow the race?
It's important to Boris that we talk on the phone every day. We do that too. You should hear each other's voice once a day. And we write each other lots of emails. I will follow the race closely. If I'm breastfeeding at night, I'm sure the tracker will be on (smiles).
Are you a sailor yourself?
Not a regatta sailor like Boris. More of a fair-weather sailor. I grew up in Kiel and sailed a lot at the yacht school there, where I experienced the beauty of the sea at first hand. Sailing has always fascinated me as an adventure.
Did you meet while sailing?
No, we got to know each other outside of the sailing context. That was in 2014 in a café in Hamburg-Ottensen. I had no idea what he did back then. His name meant nothing to me. But I remember describing him to a friend as a "ten out of ten on the points scale" (grins). My mum later said that an adventurer suits me well and that we share the joy of experiencing new things.
Do you sail with your husband from time to time?
More often at the beginning. Sometimes it ended in bloodshed (laughs). Once, when we were travelling on a catamaran off Fehmarn, I landed under the trampoline. I hurt myself, but I didn't want to show him that. Once we had the situation under control again, he asked if we wanted to continue sailing. I gritted my teeth and said yes. I only saw the bloody dilemma later when I got out of my trousers. I was also on the 'Malizia' a few times...
"Malizia" is now called "Seaexplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco" and will start the Vendée Globe on Sunday. How do you remember sailing on this Imoca projectile?
I've been there in all kinds of conditions. It's a completely different sailing experience. Absolutely fascinating. When the boat picks up speed, you first hear the foils humming softly. Then you take off and feel the wind. It almost feels like flying. Which it kind of is. There's something liberating about moving with just the power of the wind. In dream conditions you start to cheer. But I wouldn't want to swap places with Boris. And I admire Greta Thunberg, who sailed Boris across the Atlantic last year. As a non-sailor, that was an achievement that cannot be overestimated and for which I have total respect.
You and your husband are very committed to fighting climate change and protecting the oceans. In Team Malizia, your joint endeavours are also reflected in the slogan "A Race we must win". What is your role?
The "My Ocean Challenge" project officially began in 2018, but actually much earlier. As a teacher at school, I used topics such as the Jules Verne Trophy to test whether it was possible to introduce pupils to topics such as marine conservation through a sailing adventure around the world. It worked surprisingly well. They were really excited. I then did a lot of research into what is already available for children and young people. I was amazed at how little there was. It was like a small online study programme where I got to grips with the topics. We then developed "My Ocean Challenge" step by step, first nationally and later internationally, approached scientific institutions such as the Max Planck Institute or the Geomar Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel and are now also supported by several foundations. I am continuing to look after it on a voluntary basis during my parental leave.
Your motivation?
We believe that the key to protecting the oceans lies in explaining to children - the next generation - how important and wonderful the oceans are. Because it is more exciting, we combine the sporting competition on the oceans with the even greater challenges of climate change and marine conservation. We want to make these topics tangible. It was and is important to me that the learning content is linked to positive things such as the beauty of the oceans or the fantastic biodiversity.
You have developed learning materials that teachers, educational institutions and individuals can download free of charge from the Malizia website. Why the name "My Ocean Challenge"?
Because the name gives everyone the space to find and define their own challenge in terms of content and scope. It is deliberately intended to be a personalised approach that leaves plenty of room for manoeuvre. The entire learning programme and all documents are free of charge and are now available in eight languages: German, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese and Chinese. We will now be launching another awareness campaign in parallel with the Vendée Globe.
They have now reached almost 20,000 children and young people with the learning materials, but also with on-site activities, entire school classes as fans and visitors to Team Malizia in various harbours and special campaigns...
Yes, it's a lot of fun to experience. Monaco, for example, has made our programme compulsory for all primary schools. The Schleswig-Holstein education authority recommends it for teacher training. And we have a partnership with Unesco. In many schools throughout Europe and overseas, the programme is being used in individual projects or across subjects. We have made good progress, but are still a long way from reaching our goal.
Your husband is now taking a further step, not only wanting to get through the Vendée Globe safely and well and achieve a good result, but also to collect valuable data for science...
We became aware of the topic during a presentation by scientists on the importance of measurement data and decided that we wanted to make a contribution. Boris can get a lot out of it with his boat and the measurement technology on board, especially in remote areas. This is very important for science. The data collected by the 'Seaexplorer' is of a comparably high quality to the data collected on research vessels. The 'Seaexplorer' will reach areas in the southern seas that are difficult to access and where no data has yet been collected. This is extremely exciting. This data will be made available to an international database so that scientists can access it.
We thank you for the interview and wish you every success in the race around the world and the race against climate change and for healthy oceans!
You can read more about the race, Boris Herrmann and other starters in the Vendée Globe special in YACHT 23, which is now available from newsagents.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
