He only switched his German mobile phone back on the day after crossing the finish line and is far from finished reading the many congratulations, messages and enquiries. While Boris Herrmann enjoys the hustle and bustle and the emotions of arriving at the finish harbour of the Vendée Globe, the encounters with other participants and the reunion with family and friends, there is hardly a daily newspaper at home in Germany on the day after his finish that does not report in detail and often on the front page about his achievements, his great adventure and the Vendée Globe.
ZDF has also changed its programme for the coming Sunday and will be showing a 45-minute documentary about Boris Herrmann and the Vendée Globe in the "ZDF-Sportreportage - extra" from 5.10 pm. In Hamburg, Niels Annen, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, suggested to the State Chancellery that Boris Herrmann be nominated for theOrder of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany to propose. Annen told the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper: "Boris Herrmann is not just an exceptional athlete. He also takes his responsibility and role model function, especially towards the younger generation, very seriously outside of sport."
How the "Seaexplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco" skipper experienced the end of his great adventure
In an exclusive interview with YACHT online and at a first press conference with German journalists, Boris Herrmann answered many questions the day after his arrival at the start and finish harbour of the Vendée Globe. Read excerpts of the 39-year-old skipper of the "Seaexplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco"'s answers on current topics here:
To the longed-for arrival at the end of the Vendée Globe premiere:
I was full of energy and very, very happy! You realise a lot. That's the power of sport, to trigger such joy. The first people to come on board were the technical crew while we were still at sea. There was a coronavirus protocol that limited the number to five. My friend and team founder Pierre Casiraghi was also there. And our boat captain Stuart McLachlan. We gave each other a big hug. It's a team success, so it's as much their success as mine. Everyone put in so much time and energy. Stuart hasn't seen his family for almost a year because he hasn't been able to go back in times of coronavirus. The whole team has invested so much. To then give each other a big hug is something special. My wife wasn't out in three metre waves. She stayed on the jetty with our baby and came on board with me after mooring. I take my hat off to her. There are many parallels to my challenge for a young mother looking after a baby alone in times of coronavirus: interrupted nights, lack of sleep, uncertainties.
About the missed podium place due to the collision at sea on the last evening:
The day I arrived was a happy day. The emotions will stay with me for a long time. I didn't think about the collision at all. I only do that when I'm asked. Before the collision, everything was still possible for me in the end, including victory. In the final phase there was a relatively flat, organised wave in which my boat was able to sail well. That was the big turbo for me. I was consistently faster than the calculations over the last two days, Charlie Dalin a little slower. The fact that Jean Le Cam pushed me out of fourth place is not so relevant. Originally, the top ten was the goal, the top five my secret dream. I achieved that. I have great respect for Jean. He showed us how to sail in the Southern Ocean. He demonstrated: Hey, I'm 61 and I'm going to show the boys how it's done. He's a great guy. He also shows that sailing doesn't have to be a brutal feat of strength. You have to be smart and foxy. It's great how Jean shows what you can do with experience in sailing. It's great to see that you can continue sailing at such a high level into old age. Jean is an inspiration.
About his opponents and companions:
I had a good exchange with a few sailors during the regatta. The main ones were Yannick Bestaven, Damien Seguin and Giancarlo Pedote. Nobody can better imagine what we went through. That creates a great closeness. Charlie Dalin is a great sailing hero for me. He was always very reserved before the race. There was never a great closeness before. Yesterday on arrival it was much more personal. That meant a lot to me. He is certainly one of the best sailors of this generation.
About the first night on land in 2021:
We sat together with friends and celebrated. That was really nice. At some point, I fell asleep comatose at our little sofa table in the house. It wasn't much more than two or three hours of sleep again until our baby punched me in the back in the morning. Which was also very, very nice.
The transition from free life at sea to the coronavirus world with restrictions, masks and rules:
I already knew the corona world from the time before I left. Before the race, I was completely isolated and excluded. I was almost paranoid before travelling. For me, the loneliness started two weeks before the race. I even told people not to touch our dog. I just didn't want to risk being excluded from the Vendée Globe. Now, straight after the trip, it's clear: I don't have corona. It's a nice feeling not to be a danger to others.
On State Secretary Niels Annen's proposal to nominate him for the Federal Cross of Merit:
I am very pleased and honoured. I only found out about it today. It's a good feeling when our work in the fight against climate change, our educational initiative for children and young people and our commitment to sport are recognised so positively in this context.
About a possible Vendée Globe comeback:
I can definitely imagine doing the Vendée Globe again. The race remains fascinating with the technological innovations and new builds in the Imoca class. Of course I want to do it again at some point. There have only been a few people in the history of the race who have made a clear cut afterwards. There are only two reasons that would speak against a comeback: The achievements and experiences are either unbeatable or were too traumatic. It wasn't traumatic for me, but it can be topped.
On the plans for participation in The Ocean Race:
We have high hopes that The Ocean Race can take place. I can well imagine it. The race has been around even longer than the Vendée Globe. As a team race, it also has a great fascination. I hope that we can manage to take part in it. We've got our eye on it. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of us taking part with a Volvo 65. But only three of the twelve crew members can be over 30. And you need a few people who know how to push the boat in certain conditions. Our base remains the Imoca circuit. That is the most solid bank. With over 30 teams, the Imoca class is the strongest offshore class in the world.
About his Imoca yacht "Seaexplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco":
I'm going there this afternoon. The damage isn't that bad. We got away with a black eye in the collision. It's a great ship, a good ship. It means a lot to our team. I am incredibly proud of this ship. All our love, tears, sweat and 15,000 hours of work have gone into it. The boat is a technological marvel. What will happen to it is not quite clear yet. It's for sale, we don't own it ourselves. The owner has allowed us to operate the boat. The agreement was always for four years. The boat belongs to Gerhard Senft, a property entrepreneur from Stuttgart. He is a fan of the Vendée Globe and I have become friends with him. You need someone to provide the boat. Perhaps that could be a bank or another company in the future.
About the development of the Imoca class boats:
It will be even more radical going forward. It didn't take much for Thomas Ruyant and Charlie Dalin to show us an incredible performance. And we were unlucky with the weather in this edition. I am absolutely convinced that we will experience a circumnavigation in 60 days. You could also see it on my boat, how I was able to sail close to others with intact foils. With the experience from this Vendée Globe, we will be looking at new builds. I'm back from the race with a book of ideas. That's what's so fascinating about our sport: people, nature and technology. How do we move forward into the future? How do we realise the fascination of foiling in the Southern Ocean? If we succeed, then we will have circumnavigated the world in 60 days.
