Crash in the final of the Vendee Globe: Captain defends himself after accident with Herrmann

Thursday, January 28, 2021

Crash in the final of the Vendee Globe
Captain defends himself after accident with Herrmann

Shortly before the finish line, sailor Boris Herrmann collides with a fishing cutter and loses his chances of winning the Vendee Globe. Now the captain of the boat speaks up – and defends himself against suspicions that warning systems have been switched off.

After the collision with the German circumnavigator Boris Herrmann, the captain of the Spanish fishing trawler is not aware of any guilt and rejects any allegations. The automatic identification system (AIS) on his ship "Hermanos Busto" was switched on "at all times", said Jose Zaldumbide of the "Süddeutsche Zeitung".

He guarantees that. "Firstly, we are obliged to do so, secondly, it can be checked very easily because: It is recorded automatically. Not to mention the fact that we always have a guard on duty around the clock," said the 55-year-old. Herrmann had suspected that the cutter might have been on the move without an active alarm system. "He shouldn't be saying that, damn it!" Said Zaldumbide.

At the Vendee Globe, after 80 days at sea, Herrmann's yacht "Seaexplorer" rammed the fishing boat just 85 nautical miles from its destination off France, and the yacht was badly damaged. Herrmann, who slept during the collision, lost his chance to win and was the fifth boat to reach the destination in the coastal town of Les Sables-d'Olonne. Due to time credits, the first German participant in the 28,000 nautical mile regatta moved up to fourth place overall.

The captain of the fishing boat and the boat's crew were unharmed. "Our ship got a few scratches. (…) A bit of material is broken, we have damage to the paintwork, and we had to tinker a bit in order to finish the catch," reported Zaldumbide. The AIS did not report the sailboat. He tried to reach the sea watch and, worried about Herrmann, to follow the yacht: "But we didn't have a chance."

Herrmann was only able to finish the race at reduced speed after the collision and also had to make some quick repairs. One of its wings, a foil, was broken and a headsail got caught in the cranes of the other boat. "It was a real shock," he said of the impact.