Paris (AFP)

Third in the Vendée Globe, less than 100 nautical miles from leader Charlie Dalin (Apivia), the German Boris Herrmann and his boat are "at 100%" to try to close the gap by the arrival scheduled for Wednesday.

If he "does not yet think of victory" some 1,500 nm from Les Sables d'Olonne, the skipper of Seaexplorer-Yacht Club de Monaco) sees "a certain chance of remaining on the podium", in an interview given on Saturday to several media including AFP.

Q: What can make the difference in the last days of racing?

A: "It's a mixture of things. I slept well, soundly, before that call. It was the wake-up call that reminded me (to get up) ten minutes before. It's also time to wake up. eat, soon I will eat a tartiflette. The sails are chosen, the course is set, I think I have adjusted the boat well. So there, I have to watch, I have a few hours of rest again this afternoon and the night is about to begin, there is a sort of small forehead, a small depression. I feel good and I still manage to rest. "

Q: Are you aware that you are in a position to win the Vendée Globe?

A: "No, I don't realize it, I realize that I'm third now. When I'm first on the + tracking +, we'll talk about it again. There, Charlie and I, we're in the same wind, we are heading in the same direction so his boat will normally go a bit faster in these conditions, I don't think that leaves a lot of possibilities. But hey, there is a certain chance of staying on the podium. I'm sailing at my best and We will see what happens. My boat is at 100%, I too am not slowing down, I am pushing the cursor a little more to the level of the boat's load. At the moment, things are not bad because the sea is not too bad and the forecast (weather) by the end does not look too bad. Tonight is going to be a bit extreme (a front is forming as the Azores approaches, Editor's note). "

Q: Do you think there is still room for a tactical move between now and the finish?

A: "Already, between the two global weather models (one European and one American, editor's note), the roads are not the same. With the European model, it passes the Azores rather by the west and for my boat, equipped with the GFS , an American model, the road passes east of the Azores. There are already 200 miles of difference in the trajectory. Who is right? We do not know today. Whoever has the best nose can already do a huge gap with these different trajectories. "

Q: Have you considered the hypothesis of a victory thanks to the six hours of compensation granted by the race director for the rescue of Kevin Escoffier?

(laughs) "I haven't thought about that, it's true. We'll see in 24 or 48 hours how things evolve. If I manage to scratch Charlie a few miles, then we can talk about it. Win without being first (Herrmann has never held first place since the start, Editor's note), it's a bit of a shame but it's a game. We have all received our compensation (Yannick Bestaven will benefit from a 10:15 am bonus at the finish and Jean Le Cam at 4 pm), it was well thought out by the race management, I find that correct, correct. We have known about these hours for a long time and we will do with it. I would say that it takes a little chili in this game already very spicy. "

Interview by Whatsapp.

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