IMOCA – Malizia-Seaexplorer – Vendée Globe

This Monday morning, Boris Herrmann, skipper on Malizia – Seaexplorer and Yacht Club de Monaco member reached another milestone in his second Vendée Globe. Currently lying 7th in the race, he passed the Point Nemo longitude in the middle of the South Pacific. Nicknamed the “Maritime Pole of Inaccessibility”, this mythical spot is the furthest in the world from any land. Boris celebrated passing it at 06:43 UTC after 42 days 18 hours and 36 minutes of racing.

Mythical and symbolic

Located at 48°52.6 South and 123°23.6 West, Point Nemo is 2,688 kms from the nearest land which is Ducie Island one of the Pitcairn Islands. Named after Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo, it’s a significant passage for any sailor embarked on a round the world race. At that moment in the race, Boris Herrmann was closer to the astronauts on the International Space Station, approx. 416km above Earth, than to any other human being! Despite its isolation, Point Nemo plays a special role in space exploration as a controlled disintegration site for decommissioned space craft.  However, despite its pristine appearance, it’s far from being an ecological sanctuary as nutrient-poor waters make it a biological desert not conducive to marine life.

Extreme conditions and fierce competition

Currently in sixth position, Boris Herrmann knows this part of the world well. It’s the second time he’s passed Point Nemo aboard Malizia-Seaexplorer after a first crossing during the third stage of The Ocean Race 2022–2023. In the previous Vendée Globe, Boris crossed it on the 51st day of racing but this time after only 42 days, proof of how much faster he’s going this time round.

Unstable conditions in the Southern Ocean in recent days forced Boris to gybe along the edge of the Antarctic Exclusion Zone. On Saturday evening, the sailor snatched a lead over Yannick Bestaven (Maître Coq), winner of the last Vendée Globe, to lie in 7th place. It was a memorable moment captured by spectacular photos.

Heading for Cape Horn

After a day that saw snow falls, a first for the German sailor, and his intense battle with Yannick Bestaven, Boris Herrmann is now focused on catching up with those ahead, Nicolas Lunven (Holcim-PRB) and Jérémie Beyou (Charal), currently 6th and 5th, and his sights are set on rounding the legendary Cape Horn for the seventh time in his career.