Known as the ‘Everest of the Seas’ the Vendée Globe is considered one of the greatest challenges in sport. The 2024 edition promises to be one of the most competitive in race history and for the 40 sailors lining up at the start, there are some simple rules they must follow.
The rules of the race
Solo: The skipper is the only person allowed on board for the duration of the race. The only exception to this is if a fellow competitor needs to be rescued.
Non-assisted: The sailors have to navigate their own route, carry out boat maintenance and look after themselves when injured or ill. They may consult their technical team for advice but need to repair any damage themselves whilst continuing to race.
Non-stop: The only stop permissible is if they return to Les Sables d’Olonne and leave again within 10 days of the start.
Around the world: The race starts and finishes in Les Sables d’Olonne in France and the course covers around 45,000 km (24,300 nautical miles). The fleet will round the three legendary capes, the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn, as well as pass Point Nemo, the most remote location on earth. En route, the sailors will navigate ever changing weather conditions and challenging sea states, particularly in the Southern Ocean.
Boris Herrmann: A man on a mission
In 2020/21, Boris Herrmann made history as the first ever German to compete in the Vendée Globe and finished in an impressive fifth place out of 33 competitors. Many lessons were incorporated into the build of the new Malizia – Seaexplorer boat.
Since the launch in July 2022, the boat has sailed an incredible 75,588 nautical miles (139,989 km) in solo, double -handed and crewed modes, including a 3rd place finish in The Ocean Race 2023 and back-to-back second places in the transatlantic races in spring 2024. This blend of experience and nautical miles sailed means Boris Herrmann is considered a strong podium contender in this edition of the Vendée Globe.
It is said that 80% of the Vendée Globe is decided ahead of the race and Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia have certainly done everything in their power to reach the start line in the best possible shape.
Follow the race start
Sunday, 10 November 2024 from 08:00 to 10:00 CET
There will be live coverage of all the build-up to the race start, including the docking out parade and iconic channel exit, on Team Malizia’s website and social media channels.
13.02 CET: Vendée Globe race starts
There will be a live feed from Malizia – Seaexplorer’s cockpit camera on Team Malizia’s YouTube channel, followed by regular updates on all Team Malizia social media channels.
The race start will also be covered on France TV, TV Monaco and NDR will do a live TV broadcast with German commentary from 07:30 to 14:30 CET.
How to follow the Vendée Globe
Throughout the race, Team Malizia will post regular news, updates and behind the scenes content from onboard in the form of video, photos and audio clips on their website and social media channels.
The race tracker is one of the best ways to keep up with Boris Herrmann’s daily progress as it is updated every four hours during the race.
Team Malizia is also planning a number of special programmes on their YouTube channel, that will run for the duration of the race.
Every Monday, at 18:00 CET Holly Cova, Team Director and Will Harris, co-skipper, will co-host the Malizia Vendée Show, streamed live on YouTube, in English. Each 30 minute episode will feature a special guest and topics will range from science to sports performance and include the ever popular ‘Weather with Will’ segment.
Every Wednesday, at 12.00 CET there will be a weekly re-cap of all the most exciting content from the previous seven days.
The other ‘Race We Must Win’
For the duration of the Vendée Globe, Boris Herrmann won’t just be racing competitively. As part of Team Malizia’s ‘A Race We Must Win – Climate Action Now!’ mission, he will be collecting valuable ocean data via Malizia – Seaexplorer’s automated laboratory and deploying drifer buoys along the route.
The path of the Vendée Globe takes in some of the most remote areas on the planet, so access to this rare data helps scientists better understand and protect the ocean and address global environmental challenges.
The effects of global warming can even be noticed in offshore racing. The race management set an ice exclusion zone, which competitors are not allowed to enter, in order to avoid any collisions with icebergs. However, since ice melts more quickly and drifts further due to global warming, the exclusion zone around Antartica has been moved further north, lengthening the course from previous editions of the race.
The Vendée Globe is a test of resilience, physical endurance and mental fortitude. The race is expected to take around 80-90 days to complete, with an estimated arrival back in Les Sables d’Olonne in late January 2025.
We know that Boris Herrmann draws immense strength from the continuous support of Team Malizia and the partner family and we wish him the very best of luck – and fair winds – for this epic challenge.