Reunited: Boris Herrmann is still hugged by his wife Birte on the boat after months of loneliness
Source: AFP / LOIC VENANCE
After 80 days on the oceans, Boris Herrmann left his badly damaged yacht “Seaexplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco” in the port of Les Sables-d'Olonne.
On Thursday, the 39-year-old was finally able to embrace his wife Birte Lorenzen-Herrmann, his seven-month-old daughter Malou and family dog Lilli, relieved and exhausted.
display
At this point at the latest, the man from Hamburg had forgotten all the hardships of the Vendée Globe and the shock of the collision with a fishing trawler shortly before the destination after more than 28,000 nautical miles.
“You have to wait 80 days for the finish line and for all these beautiful emotions to occur,” said Herrmann.
"It's not a pleasure trip, it's a strange relationship between time and reward."
In the morning he crossed the finish line in front of the French coastal town in fifth place, celebrated with two Bengalos in his hands and was greeted by friends and team members on dinghies.
“It was a wonderful feeling out there on the water when the boats came closer and closer and I recognized one face after the other,” he reported.
display
Due to a time credit of six hours, Herrmann came fourth in the provisional classification of the toughest regatta in the world.
However, he had to wait until evening to see if Jean Le Cam (“Yes We Cam”) would oust him thanks to his time credit of 16:15 hours.
“My great friend” - congratulations from Greta Thunberg
But that didn't matter to him in the port.
Not even that the hopes of a victory or a podium place after the ominous encounter on Wednesday evening with the Spanish ship "Hermanos Busto" were shattered about 90 nautical miles from the finish.
For some inexplicable reason he collided with the 30 meter long and eight meter wide fish trawler.
“I'm really happy with the result, also given the circumstances.
It was an incredible experience, a team effort, a great journey over many years that came to an end today, ”said Herrmann.
"The little hiccups from Wednesday, that's almost forgotten," he said.
display
The race certainly changed him, said Herrmann.
"I don't know how yet, but it taught me a lot about trust, trust in the people and the boat, trust in time - that good things come with time."
In any case, his adventure has been widely recognized around the world, for example by the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
“Congratulations my great friend, Boris Herrmann, on finishing the toughest race in the world in the top 5!
Solo non-stop around the world.
We couldn't be more proud of you!
Welcome home! ”She congratulated on Twitter.
“A real hero.” Herrmann sailed Thunberg on a yacht across the Atlantic to New York for the UN climate conference in late summer 2019.
The 18-year-old had refrained from using an airplane for reasons of climate protection.
As the first German sailor, Herrmann had dared the Vendée Globe adventure on November 8th and caused a sensation - until Wednesday evening.
"That was the worst nightmare," he said a few hours after the accident.
Fortunately, he and the crew of the other ship were unharmed.
display
But instead of creating something historical and being the first to break into the victory phalanx of the French in the ninth edition of the race, he had to continue his voyage at reduced speed because of the considerable damage to his yacht.
Herrmann with his damaged "Seaexplorer" entering the port of Les Sables d'Olonne
Source: AFP / SEBASTIEN SALOM-GOMIS
When Herrmann was still on the water, the Frenchman Yannick Bestaven was declared the winner.
The 48-year-old skipper of the “Maître Coq IV” had reached the destination as the third sailor in the night 7:43 hours after his compatriot Charlie Dalin (“Apivia”).
But a time credit of 10:15 hours on his total sailing time helped him to succeed.
So far only the French have won.
Dalin had crossed the finish line on Wednesday evening.
The 36-year-old finished the race over 28,267.88 nautical miles in 80 days, six hours, 15 minutes and 47 seconds.
Louis Burton (“Bureau Vallee 2”) came in second.
Herrmann, Bestaven and Le Cam received the credits from the race committee for their involvement in the rescue mission for the shipwrecked Kevin Escoffier on the night of November 30th to December 1st.
Source: info.BILD.de
Despite the missed victory, Herrmann rose to become the new German sailing star at the regatta.
He made his journey a media event.
With his talent for communication, he knew how to take viewers on board via various social channels, to let them get close to him, to excite and inspire them.
"In the media it is the best thing that has happened to German sailing in a long time", stated the three-time Olympic and two-time America's Cup winner Jochen Schümann.
At the same time, Herrmann used the hunt over the water for his fight against climate change and for the health of the seas.
He never let the stream of gripping pictures, videos and interviews on board break even in dark hours - like when the mainsail tore in a storm off Cape Horn.
Only from his drama in the Bay of Biscay with the fishing trawler there were no more pictures.
He left it open to participate again in the Vendée Globe.
"It's still too early.
It is an ambitious undertaking to aim for the podium, "he said," it is no small matter to do it. "The race was the ninth edition of the Vendée Globe since 1989/90.
It takes place every four years.
display
After the race, Hermann said that for him - regardless of the mishap - it was the toughest thing he had to go through, especially emotionally.
“I'm not a loner, I'm not made for being alone.
I love people around me, I am communicative.
For me, loneliness was by far the hardest part.
The Vendée Globe is not a race to have fun.
It's been an experience, but not always an easy one, ”he reported.
And then he told the story of a friend whose sister-in-law was fighting cancer.
"She said that she had followed my journey, that she could draw a lot of strength from it and that she could fight cancer much better," he said - and smiled blissfully.
That, he says, touched him deeply.