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Alex Thomson leads the start at the Vendée Globe sailing regatta

Alex Thomson knows how to make an impression on his fans and possibly also his competitors: At the weekend, the skipper of the pitch-black “Hugo Boss” yacht posted a video that showed him – just holding on to a thin rope – in the middle of the troubled Alantik on the hull of his boat.

“When you stand here, you can experience the power of nature live. It can be pretty ugly at times, ”the 42-year-old Welshman shouted into the camera through a headset when the wind was blowing at over 90 kilometers an hour. The Briton, who is taking part for the fifth time, can currently afford such not exactly harmless excursions. At the end of the first week of the Vendée Globe, Thomson was already leading the field of 32 remaining sailors with a lead of just over 50 kilometers (around 27 nautical miles) over Frenchman Jean Le Cam.

The yachts still have more than 41,000 kilometers to go non-stop around the globe. However, if Thomson asserts himself in the lead on the way south towards the Cape of Good Hope also in the passage of the “Doldrums” – the so-called Kalmengürtels, a mostly almost windless low pressure zone on the equator – this should be the first indication of the seriousness of his ambitions to win get ranked.

Boris Herrmann also knows how to use the pictures and short statements shared via video for himself. After the Hamburg resident had visibly overtaken twice at the end of his first stormy nights on the “Seaexplorer” and spoke a little frustrated into the camera, Herrmann finally sent good-humored messages and pictures of picturesque sunsets or an animal companion made of plush.

The 39-year-old has now established himself in the top third of the field and even took seventh place on Saturday. On the way to Cape Verde, he still had problems getting to rest regularly – despite more relaxed weather conditions and a good boat speed of around 20 knots (37 kilometers per hour). On Sunday he announced: “It is very hot on board. That makes it even harder for me to fall asleep. “

The Vendée Globe is considered the toughest regatta for single-handed sailors. It began on November 8th on the French Atlantic coast and leads once around the globe along the Southern Ocean. Boris Herrmann is the first German to take part.

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