display

Even one day after his finish at the Vendée Globe, Boris Herrmann's flow of speech did not dry up.

"I still feel the need to talk," said the circumnavigator on Friday.

And everyone likes to listen to the new German sailing star.

After his fifth place in Les Sables-d'Olonne, France, the 39-year-old is experiencing an interest in himself like never before.

At the interview marathon after his 80-day marathon, the man from Hamburg looked surprisingly fresh.

He "slept like a stone," he said.

Only his little daughter woke him up when she “punched me in the back”.

Dramatic final chapter

The communication talent himself had made his trip around the world with his yacht "Seaexplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco" a media event.

He regularly spoke to journalists on social media or discussed climate change and marine pollution with children.

The dramatic final chapter of the modern adventure with the collision with a fishing ship in the dark of night increased the media interest in him again.

display

It was precisely this momentous encounter on Wednesday evening with the Spanish cutter about 90 nautical miles from Les Sables-d'Olonne that initially sparked discussions one day after Herrmann had passed the finish line.

But after a phone call with the ship owner, things seem to have smoothed out.

“We had a nice chat.

In any case, no allegations on my part, ”he said.

They would have "apologized nicely to each other".

Hard work on the boat: Boris Herrmann

Source: picture alliance / DPPI media

Most recently, Herrmann and the captain of the fishing boat had expressed different views on the incident.

Captain Josu Zaldumbide had assured the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" that the AIS, through which ships exchange their navigation and ship data, had been switched on with him.

Herrmann had doubted that.

"He's right," he said now.

"In the rush of the situation, I perceived that as the simplest and most obvious explanation, because I have already seen one or the other fishing boat that did not have AIS on." to explain.

display

Due to the collision in poor visibility and the damage to his boat, Herrmann had missed the hoped-for podium place or even victory.

He tries to be positive about that.

"The collision showed me how much I wanted this arrival," he said.

The accident did not deprive him of the attraction of the Vendée Globe.

He does not rule out participating again.

"I can certainly imagine doing the Vendée Globe again," he said after being more cautious on the day he returned.

Federal Cross of Merit?

The performance of the first German participant in the toughest regatta in the world has not escaped politics.

The Minister of State in the Foreign Office, Niels Annen, proposed Herrmann for the Federal Cross of Merit.

He made a corresponding suggestion at the Hamburg State Chancellery, said the Hamburg SPD politician to the German Press Agency and confirmed a report by the "Hamburger Abendblatt".

Not only because of the athletic performance, emphasized Annen, herself a passionate sailor.

As an environmentalist, Herrmann also linked social issues such as climate change and education with the regatta.

“I am very happy when it is noticed and appreciated,” said the athlete.

Herrmann wants to return to Hamburg in the next one or two days.

Then there is likely to be a tour of talk shows.

There are enough inquiries.

The biggest challenge awaits him at home in Hamburg with his wife Birte Lorenzen-Herrmann and the seven-month-old Marie-Louise: The baby bed for the daughter has to be put together and the curtains hung up.

"Apparently these are two of my jobs," he said.

"I also learned that from the press."