The Vendée Globe is regarded as the hardest single-handed regatta in the world. It covers over 24,000 nautical miles through treacherous Antarctic waters once round the globe. The start and finish line is the French Atlantic coast.
The 2020-21 Vendée Globe started in Les Sables-d’Olonne on 8 November 2020. 80 days, 3 hours, 19 minutes and 46 seconds later, the Frenchman Yannick Bestaven was the first to cross the finish line in Les Sables. There was also a German competitor among the 33 starters: Boris Herrmann. On day 22 of the race, Hermann was one of three captains that joined in the search and rescue mission for competitor Kevin Escoffier, whose yatch suffered total hull failure. All those who participated received time credits: Herrmann was accredited with six hours, and winner Bestaven 10 hours and 15 minutes. One day before arriving in Les Sables, Herrmann’s yacht rammed a fishing boat in the Bay of Biscay and was so badly damaged that he was only able to reach the home harbour at reduced speed. At the time of the accident, he was in third place with a chance of overall victory. It was no longer possible to make up the time lost as a result of the incident. In the end, he finished fifth with 80 days, 14 hours, 59 minutes and 45 seconds.
We would have liked to talk to Boris Herrmann about time but he didn’t have time.
➝ OPEN LINK
borisherrmannracing.com
yannickbestaven.fr
vendeeglobe.org