Boris has been relishing these last few days at sea describing a grey but splendid Southern Ocean, with flat seas helping him make rapid progress with the J2 mainsail and a reef. However, he’s keeping a keen weather eye on a deep depression forecast to the south of New Zealand early next week: “We have a big storm coming on Monday with winds up 45 to 50 knots expected”.
The Vendée Globe is legendary as it requires all competitors to round three famous, if not infamous, capes. Today, Yacht Club de Monaco’s Boris Herrmann is passing Cape Leeuwin, another key stage in his adventure aboard Malizia-Seaexplorer. The passage is a turning point in the race and attention will focus on the skipper’s performance.
Passing Cape Leeuwin: an unforgettable moment
This Thursday afternoon, Boris crossed the Cape Leeuwin longitude at 16:22 UTC, after 32 days 4 hours 20 minutes and 54 seconds of racing. With the second of the big three capes behind him, the Team Malizia skipper is celebrating while keeping his mind on the next big objective: to reach Cape Horn before 1st January. Pointing to a vertical line on his screen, he explains: “This line goes up to the south-western tip of Australia at Cape Leeuwin. We crossed it on 12 December at 16:22 UTC. It’s the second of the three capes in the Vendée Globe : Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin and finally Cape Horn. We have also just crossed what I call the “Australian elbow” of the Antarctic exclusion zone”.
A turning point
Ten days after rounding Cape of Good Hope, Boris explains why the next one is so significant: “Cape Leeuwin is more heartening than Cape of Good Hope as it makes you feel you are nearly halfway across the Southern Ocean. It gives the Vendée Globe a different perspective as in just over two weeks we could be rounding Cape Horn and leaving behind the most challenging part of the race. Everything seems more manageable now”. The skipper’s objective is to round Cape Horn before 1st January. “I planned a route for fun and it looks possible, maybe even get there a little earlier. We’ll soon see. The boat is reliable, almost at 100% of its capabilities, and I feel in great shape, ready to tackle the Cape!”
