It was the last building block that was still missing. Until now, the Hamburg-based company had only announced that it had managed to buy a "top boat of the latest generation". Now it is clear which one: the "Edmond de Rothschild" of the Gitana team, the boat with which Sébastien Josse retired in third place at the Vendée Globe due to problems with a foil. The 2015 VPLP/Verdier design is one of the best developed Open 60s on the racing circuit and should provide a perfect basis for further development for the 2020 Vendée Globe.
Herrmann is driving the project forward together with Pierre Casiraghi and his "Malizia" team from the Yacht Club de Monaco. The financing for the Open 60 was provided by Stuttgart property entrepreneur Gerhard Senft.
Hermann's new Open 60, the ex-"Edmond de Rothschild" from Sébastien Josse
"This boat belongs to the latest generation of the Open 60 and offers real potential for victory, as we can develop it further in the long term," says Boris Herrmann. The Gitana team built the boat in 2015 and has been continuously modifying it ever since. Alongside "Banque Populaire", it is regarded as the best-positioned team on the Imoca scene, employing its own development departments and engineers. Herrmann continues: "However, our focus is on increased reliability anyway. This also includes the development of new, even more efficient foils, where we see further room for improvement."
Gitana skipper Sébastien Josse from France was one of the top favourites for the ongoing Vendée Globe with the Open 60, but had to retire in third place halfway through the race near Australia. A centreboard had been damaged in the storm, threatening to destroy the centreboard box, which could have led to an uncontrollable inrush of water. The boat is currently being taken to France on a freighter. The Gitana team will refit the boat there before handing it over to Team Malizia and Boris Herrmann in March/April.
Until then, international specialists led by Boris Herrmann are focussing on finding a title sponsor. For the presentations and preparations, the navigator even had the heavy heart to forego another record attempt with the trimaran "Idec Sport", which is currently around a day ahead of the record at the halfway point of the Jules Verne Trophy.
Herrmann will be supported by his sailing friend Pierre Casiraghi, the businessman and Vice President of the YCM, among others. After a successful debut season together on the foiling GC32 catamaran "Malizia", the eldest son of Princess Caroline of Monaco will also compete in the planned two-man regattas with Herrmann on the Open 60. In addition to two transatlantic races per year, longer appearances in Germany are also on the agenda.
Andreas Fritsch
Editor Travel
