Shortly before the Azores, the Vendée Globe leadership group gets down to business: with front runners Charlie Dalin ("Apivia"), Louis Burton ("Bureau Vallée 2") and Boris Herrmann ("Seaexplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco") the same trio the bow tips in front. In a press release by the Vendée Globe organizers, the headline read on Friday evening: "Is it the three musketeers who will fight for victory in the Vendée Globe?" The fastest times were once again set by Boris Herrmann on Saturday morning, who had to defend himself against the attacking fourth-placed Thomas Ruyant ("LinkedOut"), who was able to shorten his gap to Hamburg to 28 nautical miles at the end of the 76th day at sea. At 7 a.m. on January 23, the boats in front had to cover almost 1,500 nautical miles to the finish in front of Les Sables-d'Olonne. Boris Herrmann himself expects his arrival around the evening of January 27th.
Confident: "Apivia" skipper Charlie Dalin remains the leader of the "Three Musketeers" even at the end of the 76th day at sea
Take a risk: "Bureau Vallée 2" skipper Louis Burton
In a good mood in the finale and happy to hunter the two skippers Dalin and Burton, who are still ahead of him: Boris Herrmann
The positions towards the end of the 76th day at sea on January 23 (7 a.m. German time). Charlie Dalin leads, Louis Burton tries again and apparently wants to take the turner with him. Boris Herrmann is in third place
Before that, Boris Herrmann invites YACHT-online readers and fans to the Zoom meeting on Sunday afternoon (January 24th) at 5 p.m. There the 39-year-old will report live from See how he is doing in this thrilling final spurt. Here are the dial-in data:
The link to the Zoom conference with Boris Herrmann (please click!)
Meeting ID: 896 7380 6873
Password: 4397
With the Zoom meeting, Boris Herrmann wants to thank fans and sponsors for the overwhelming support over the past few months and give as many people as possible the opportunity to look into his world at sea and his thoughts on the final spurt. He said: "The huge support is a great motivation for me and the whole team. What an audience! The race is being followed with so much passion on social networks. Thank you!"
Current assessments of the "Seaexplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco" skipper for the final
Boris Herrmann had already assessed his position and his chances on Friday as follows: "I am the hunter, the others are the hunted. They have the pressure, I am in a good position. Everything is possible. I can also finish seventh. I try to make myself not to fixate too much on the podium, not to drive myself crazy. " Herrmann said of his strongest opponents: "Charlie Dalin on 'Apivia' is the favorite. Louis Burton on 'Bureau Vallée 2' has done well in the West recently, is very clever as a favorite for second place and seems to be quite a daredevil. Thomas Ruyant on 'LinkedOut' will be on the move fast from this weekend until the arrival of the first boats on January 27th or 28th. It crosses the finish line before the wind. That means that his broken port foil doesn’t hinder him very much. He’s a strong one Contender for third place. As the last sixth, Yannick Bestaven always has the knife between his teeth. During the race he has found ways to push himself forward. Let's see if and what surprises he can bring us now. And then we're still there. I can't promise a podium, but I'm doing my best. Six boats could arrive on the same day. This has never happened before in the Vendée Globe!"
Herrmann received personal greetings from his former skipper Giovanni Soldini on the English-language TV program of the Vendée Globe organizers (daily at 1.30 p.m.). The Italian record hunter and “Maserati” skipper Soldini said: "Boris is a great sailor. He may be a little bit German, but a great guy. We have had a lot of experiences together. I am so happy that it is good in the Vendée Globe runs for him. I think Boris is perfectly in the race and has studied the weather thoroughly. He had a strong race, especially in the Southern Ocean, and came out with a perfect boat. He has no damage and that is the key. He works well with his boat, taking care not to break it. It is a great achievement to have a boat in this condition."
Here you can find the tracking and the intermediate results (please click!)
Golden prospects from aboard the "Seaexplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco"