Boris Herrmann beamed. With tousled hair, a 30-day beard and both winner’s fists, the sailing star cheered for the camera, in the background: Cape Horn. With his crew, Herrmann was the first to circumnavigate this mythical headland on the king’s stage of the Ocean Race.
“The moment we cheer for the camera arm in arm with this iconic rock behind us triggers a range of emotions for me and for all of us,” said Herrmann and allowed himself, the sea and his boat a sip from a bottle Rum: “The horn looked beautiful today, and after a few minutes it disappeared again into the gray mist.”
“Proud of the team”
Herrmann and Co. had not seen land for days, the mast was damaged in between, co-skipper Rosalin Kuiper was thrown out of her bunk by a large wave while she was sleeping and suffered a concussion and a cut above the eyebrow. But now the Malizia team’s Seaexplorer yacht was actually the first boat to turn into the home stretch of the longest stage of the Ocean Race.
“Reaching Cape Horn first means almost more than winning a stage. I’m proud of the team and of this boat,” said Herrmann, who needed 29 days, four hours and eight minutes for the passage from Cape Town – the start of the third stage – to the rocky island of Isla Hornos.
Now the final spurt of the stage is underway, we continue north towards Itajai – Herrmann will probably call at the Brazilian port on Sunday or Monday. “It will be a close race to Itajai,” said crew member Will Harris. “We have to work hard to finish this stage first.”