Skipper Boris Herrmann & Co-Skipper Rodolphe Jacq
The signs for the project are good and negotiations are ongoing. The famous red racing yacht with the number 833 and the original name "Cray Valley" is in Cowes. Ready to have another victory written on her personal résumé in November 2005.
Behind Boris Herrmann (23) is a team of experts from the industry. Ready to support him and his team partner Rodolphe Jacq (32) from France in his plan to cover the 4400 nautical miles between Le Havre (France) and Salvador de Bahi (Brazil) faster than the competition in class II in the Atlantic regatta transat Jacques Vabre.
The transat Jacques Vabre, which takes place every two years, runs over an almost identical route as that of the mini transat, in which Herrmann took part in 2001 with a six and a half meter long boat of the "Pogo" type as the third German ever to take part. He met Rodolphe Jacq at the event. The route: over the equator towards Brazil. The difference between Transat Jacques Vabre and Minitransat: The “big” yachts don't stop in the Canary Islands. The field, which mainly consists of Open 60s and Orm60 trimarans, continues to surf non-stop. Mostly on a long course, they pass the Cape Verde Islands and partly around the military and radio island Ascension in the South Atlantic (only the Transat Jacques Vabre Multihulls round the island).
"Cray Valley"
The Transat Jacques Vabre, named after a large coffee trading company, was launched in 1995 as a one-hand regatt “Route du Café”. As with its big sister, the “Route du Rhum”, the celebrity sailors flocked to the regatta in droves. Advertised today for crews of two, the "TJV" has long since secured a place among the world's major Offshore Grand Prix events. It is the only regatta of the Ligder extreme freaks where prominent sailing couples regularly meet. Yves Parlier sailed with Éric Tabarly, Alain Gautier with Michel Desjoyeaux and later with Ellen MacArthur or Pete Goss with Raphael Dinelli. Up-and-coming talents also use the Transat Jacques Vabre to study the style of old masters live on board or to take over their boats. Last year, for example, the young Sébastien Josse (“VMI”) went to sea with offshore icon Isabelle Autissier or the radical Alex Thomson with the successful Frenchman Roland “Bilou” Jourdain. For the Englishman Thomson, the Transat Jacques Vabre was basically a boat takeover. Because from the finish in Brazil belonged to the former "Sill" Thomson, who was already working on his Hugo Boss deal and was interested in participating in the Vendée Globe Challenge. Thomson has obviously been briefed well by ex-skipper Jourdain. Because on the return journey from the Transat Jacques Vabre, he immediately set the world record for one-handed sailed vehicles
Herrmann is still half a league further down by aiming for a victory in class II. However, he follows the pattern of uniting with a super sailor in the Transat Jacques Vabre. With Rodolphe Jacq. At the same time as Herrmann, he dominated the pogo class and is now one of the most sought-after professionals in the extreme Regagta circus. The blond Frenchman with the delicate appearance, winner of the Atlantic race Ag2r in the Figaro class, is currently earning his living on Olivier de Kersauson's trimaran “Geronimo”. Jacq's humorous, open manner, however, belies one of the most extreme young sailing characters of today - he has "lrage gagner", the rage to win. This is how the French press writes about the blond Frenchman.
The Open 50, which the duo has chosen for their ambitious plans, could cope with Rodolphe Jacq's desire to win. Because the former "Cray Valley" from the computers of Groupe Finot is used to winning. At the Around Alone 1998/99, the Frenchman Jean Pierre Mouligné cleared all victories in class II with the fixed keel and water ballast yacht - on all four stages around the world. "Cray Valleys" sister ship, equipped with a pendulum keel, copied this scoop in 2002. The name of that sister ship: "Tommy Hilfiger". Since the overwhelming victory in the Around Alone race in 1999/99, “Cray Valley” has rarely appeared. However, she is undoubtedly one of the best ships of her kind. At the Route du Rhum 2002 she carried one-handed pilot Nick Moloney to victory. In addition, the British Conrad Humphreys, who is currently also sailing at the Vendée Globe, won the Transat Jacques Vabre 2004 and holds the record for the longest distance ever sailed by a 50 foot yacht (333 nautical miles), Humphreys coskipper in the Transat Jacques Vabre: Paul Larsen, former co-sailor of the legendary Pete Goss.
At the moment the red carbon fiber yacht with the number 833 is still on land in England. It belongs to the “Offshore Challenges” racing team, which Ellen MacArthur co-founded. But the Munich agency flowmotion. public & relation has long been working on contracts that your sailcom. offshore sailing team Boris Herrmann and Rodolphe Jacq to participate in the Transat Jacques Vabre 2005. The Munich-based company is not only talking about "Offshore Challenges". Also with the Kiel meteorologist Dr. Meeno Schrader, who is already interested in the project. Or with the sailmaker Gerald Moosbrugger, who on behalf of North Sails France has already turned his eyes to the red yacht's familiar sail wardrobe. Or with the Hamburg sleep researcher Dr. Holger Hein, whom Boris Herrmann trusted even before the mini-transat in 2001. When planning his projects, Der Herrmann leaves nothing to chance.
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