Boris Herrmann off to a flying start in the Défi Azimut 48h
by Team Malizia 12 Sep 20:50 BST
12 September 2024
Boris Herrmann and his Malizia - Seaexplorer are off to a flying start in the Défi Azimut 48h race © Marie Lefloch / Team Malizia
He is racing in the Atlantic again: Team Malizia's Boris Herrmann took the start of the Défi Azimut 48h race today in fantastic foiling conditions. Like many of his 17 competitors, the Malizia - Seaexplorer skipper is sailing in "fake solo" mode, with USA sailor Cole Brauer as watch keeper and Antoine Auriol as onboard reporter, in this last race before the Vendée Globe.
Team Malizia's skipper Boris Herrmann set sail in the Défi Azimut's 48-hour offshore race this Thursday afternoon in perfect foiling conditions. The German offshore sailor is racing a 455 nautical mile loop in the Atlantic, from Brittany down to the Bay of Biscay, against 17 other IMOCA boats, and is expected to arrive back in Lorient this Saturday.
Taking place every year over the course of six days (10-15 September), the Défi Azimut is an established part of Brittany's IMOCA calendar. The French city of Lorient is the home port of about 20 boats from the IMOCA fleet and where a lot of the expertise, as well as where Team Malizia's hangar, is located. This year's Défi Azimut is the last racing event before the much anticipated start of the Vendée Globe. Following yesterday's speed runs hosting guests to experience sailing onboard an IMOCA, the fleet has now set sail for a 48h offshore race, which counts in the IMOCA GLOBE SERIES with Boris Herrmann leading this year's championship. The Défi Azimut will conclude with a tour of the Île de Groix on Sunday.
Like almost all skippers this year, Boris Herrmann is racing in "fake solo" mode. This means that he is doing all the manoeuvers, taking strategic decisions, or analysing weather files alone, but is accompanied by American round-the-world sailor Cole Brauer as his watch keeper. Antoine Auriol, who did the entire The Ocean Race 2022-2023 with Team Malizia, is back as an onboard reporter (OBR) for the week. Both watch keeper and OBR are not allowed to help with performance, i.e. they can't wake up their skipper if the boat slows down or the wind shifts. However, they are required to warn and help if there is a safety issue.
"The Défi Azimut takes place every year and our crew configuration for the 48h race changes depending on what major race is up next", detailed Boris Herrmann. "We usually race it solo in the years of the Vendée Globe, we did it double-handed last year with Will Harris before the Transat Jacques Vabre. And in 2022, we even raced it in a crew ahead of The Ocean Race."
He added: "Doing the Défi Azimut is a good general exercise to get the boat ready for the Vendée Globe, and it gives me a few extra moments to remember all the details and procedures. It's a good addition to all the training, including the Pôle Finistère training sessions, we did recently. We also try to do the start procedure in a similar way to the actual Vendée Globe start, with Will Harris basically taking all the decisions in the run up to the start and me being just a passenger until 6 or 7 minutes before the start. Then, I only proceed doing what he already set up and I really take on the race and make my own decisions."
Malizia - Seaexplorer docked-off around 1:00 pm this afternoon and members from the tech team conducted the usual final checks at sea in the two hours before the warning signal. They also kept an eye on the nearby boats whilst Boris Herrmann, Will Harris, and Cole Brauer focussed on discussing the strategy for the start. The tech team then stepped off Malizia - Seaexplorer a few minutes before the start. At 3:00 pm sharp, the fleet made its way under a sunny sky, calm seas, 10-14 knots of northwesterly wind, and ideal foiling conditions. Off to a fantastic start, Boris Herrmann crossed the line amongst the first boats and sailed at the top of the fleet. About 10 minutes later, he changed his headsail, switching from a J2 to J0 (code zero), a manoeuvre that led to a couple of boats overtaking him but is likely costing him only temporarily.
After passing the island of Groix to port, the fleet is now heading south in a very fast-paced course, with six waypoints (course markers) to round on a 455-nautical mile route in the Bay of Biscay. "First, we will race on a long downwind leg all the way along the French coast", commented the Malizia - Seaexplorer skipper earlier today. "The wind will pick up during the afternoon and evening, and we will have to round the first waypoint off the coast of Royan, likely this evening." After that, the IMOCA yachts will continue with a bit of reaching before getting into upwind conditions. Race director Yann Eliès explained in the skippers briefing this morning that this will help spread out the fleet and prevent the boats from crossing each other as some still race south, whilst the first ones head back north. "We will then go into lighter and lighter conditions, the race course sends us to the Glénan islands before a short downwind leg and crossing the line near Lorient in a very light and a bit unpredictable finish", said Boris Herrmann. The leading IMOCA yachts are expected to arrive on Saturday morning.
Over the course of the 48-hour race, Antoine Auriol is capturing both photos and videos to tell the story of the race and to make fans worldwide feel like they are onboard their favourite boat. He filmed the start live and the action-packed replay can be watched on Team Malizia's YouTube channel. The race tracker is available on Team Malizia's and the Défi Azimut's websites for anyone to follow live.
Team Malizia's A Race We Must Win - Climate Action Now! mission is only possible due to the strong and long-lasting commitment from its seven main partners: Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz, the Yacht Club de Monaco, EFG International, Zurich Group Germany, Kuehne+Nagel, and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company. These partners band behind Team Malizia to support its campaign, each of them working towards projects in their own field to innovate around climate solutions.