Boris Herrmann passes the remotest location in the world, Point Nemo
by Holly Cova 30 Dec 2020 18:30 NZDT
30 December 2020
Boris Herrmann - Vendée Globe © Holly Cova
On the evening of the 51st day of the 9th edition of the Vendee Globe, Boris Herrmann passes south of Point Nemo. This is a point in the Pacific Ocean which is the furthest point from any land. This remote ocean location is about 2688km from any land, the closest being Ducie Island which is part of the Pitcairn Islands. The point got its name after author Jules Verne's famous Captain Nemo and translates from Latin to mean no-one!
Boris is currently so far from land that he is actually much closer to the International Space Station; when it orbits Earth it is only 416km from his location. This area is so hard to get to that there is very little known about the area or the sea life that inhabits it. In fact, the most common visits are probably that of the sailors on the round the world races.
The last three days have seen Herrmann go from light winds and flat seas to then battling it out with crossed seas and gusty winds, with his ranking moving between 3rd to 7th. To have all the top boats so close together, at this point in the race has never happened before. There is only 150nm between 2nd and 10th place, with just over 60% of the race completed, there is still a lot to play for in this race and the rankings could still change a lot over the next weeks. There is currently only some 300nm between Herrmann and first placed Yannick Bestaven. The German skipper is expected back into Les Sables D'Olonne at the very end of January.
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