Team Malizia's Boris Herrmann Rounds Cape of Good Hope in Vendée Globe

Team Malizia's Boris Herrmann Rounds Cape of Good Hope - 2024 Vendée Globe © Boris Herrmann

Boris Herrmann, skipper of Malizia - Seaexplorer, has rounded the iconic Cape of Good Hope this Monday 2 December at 14:33 UTC in the Vendée Globe 2024-2025. The offshore sailor, who is competing in the solo, non-stop, unassisted, round-the-world race for the second time was the 12th participant to reach the longitude of the famous landmark, after 22 days, 2 hours, and precisely 31 minutes at sea.

"Hello everyone", said the German skipper in a voice note sent from onboard. "Today, at 14:33, we passed the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope. In fairly typical conditions for this area, the Agulhas Current often causes rough seas here. It's not easy to manoeuver in such conditions. I've worked hard today, and now I'm exhausted. Thankfully, I don't have to jibe for the time being and can continue on my current course heading southeast. I may have to reef the sails and change them later tonight if the wind picks up. For now, I'm granting myself a brief moment of rest."

As Boris Herrmann is approaching Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of the African continent, he will soon officially leave the Atlantic and enter the Indian Ocean: "The Indian Ocean will undoubtedly be very challenging. It looks like there'll be a lot of wind, and I'll be relieved once we reach the Pacific. The Indian Ocean is often disliked by sailors and skippers because its seas are far more confused than those of the Pacific." He continues: "I've set myself the goal of rounding Cape Horn by 1 January at the latest. Yesterday was the 1st of December. So from the 1st of December to the 1st of January, the entire month of December is what I call my 'Southern Month', my Southern Ocean passage."

Returning to the Southern Ocean for the first time since The Ocean Race 2022-2023, Boris Herrmann will have two things to look forward to: observing his favourite bird, the albatross, and showing once again the potential of his Malizia - Seaexplorer race yacht. "I've already spotted some albatrosses yesterday, that was fantastic. It's still fairly warm here, especially in the current, and we had some sunshine today, though the wind was very unstable at times."

He describes the conditions in the South: "They are harsh, with showers and gusts. Overall, it's very challenging to sail. The boat bucks quite a bit in the swell, and even with our seaworthy vessel, we've experienced small nose dives and plenty of water over the deck. It's very rough aboard the boat. You're thrown back and forth. Conditions are tough right now, and if things intensify further, we'll need to ease off a bit and simply navigate through safely. That's the situation onboard for now."

Even though he saw it coming over the past days, the current 1,300 nautical mile gap to the leader of the fleet is not Boris Herrmann's preferred ranking as he enters the Southern Ocean. However, resilience is in his own and his team's DNA - a prime example being the last time he sailed at these latitudes in The Ocean Race 2022-2023. After discovering and repairing a crack in the mast only days after leaving Cape Town in Leg 3 of the race, Team Malizia were over 600 nautical miles behind the leaders. Yet, by the time they reached Cape Horn, they had overtaken all the boats in the fleet and rounded the landmark in first place, earning them the Roaring Forties Trophy for being the fastest team from the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Horn. A few days later, they won the leg. "There's still a long way to go in this race", said Boris Herrmann. "And like Francis Joyon told me during our Trophy Jules Verne years ago, you never know when a pleasant surprise might come your way. So I'll wait for the opportunities that might lie ahead and seize the moment."

An opportunity that might present itself in the near future, as explains Team Malizia's co-skipper Will Harris: "The big feature of the week is a low pressure system currently south of Boris' position that is building up. It's a really powerful and proper Southern Ocean low. It is strengthening as it moves East and will catch up with the boats in the group ahead of Boris. In 24 hours, the leaders will still be well ahead of the low, but this second group, of the 6th to 9th places will get caught up and experience 30 knots of wind, with gusts up to 40 knots. With that, the waves are getting bigger, reaching 4-5 meters by tomorrow."

The British sailor continues: "In three days, so by Thursday afternoon, the low will have really developed and the winds on the back edge of the low could reach 50-60 knots. Fortunately for Boris and Justine Mettraux, their positions allow them to hang off the back of the low, avoiding its worst conditions. Meanwhile, we expect a lot of boats going further North to evade the strongest winds and waves. However, the leaders' strategies will be very interesting: they could head North, attempt a risky route through the center of the low, or even venture South, battling upwind conditions. It's a tricky situation and will be fascinating to watch. The first real test for the boats will be Friday though, as the waves are expected to grow even bigger, possibly up to 10 meters. But the three groups should then be in the same weather system, which is good news for Boris. Cape Leeuwin is expected to be reached by the race leaders in 6-7 days, with Boris following 1.5 days later. This gives him an opportunity to close the gap—fingers crossed everything goes smoothly. At this stage, it's vital for sailors to carefully balance performance with safety, making smart decisions to navigate these challenging conditions."

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: EFG International, Zurich Group Germany, Kuehne+Nagel, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz, and the Yacht Club de Monaco. 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.