Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia gets off to a flying start in The Ocean Race
by Boris Herrmann Racing 16 Jan 2023 08:30 AEDT
15 January 2023
Malizia - Seaexplorer gets off to a flying start in The Ocean Race © Ricardo Pinto / Team Malizia
The international sailing team skippered by Boris Herrmann has embarked on the legendary round-the-world race, facing human, technological and sporting challenges onboard Malizia - Seaexplorer over the next six months.
The Ocean Race 2022-23 is under way. Today, Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia took the start of the 60,000 km-long crewed race around the world. The first leg is leading the fleet of five IMOCAs from Alicante, Spain to Mindelo, Cabo Verde, with an expected duration of about six days.
This Sunday afternoon, Team Malizia's sailing crew comprised of Boris Herrmann (GER, skipper), Will Harris (GBR, co-skipper), Rosalin Kuiper (NED, co-skipper), Nico Lunven (FRA, co-skipper), and Antoine Auriol (FRA/GER, onboard reporter) stepped on Malizia - Seaexplorer surrounded by the team, friends, family members, and more than 50,000 visitors witnessing the dockside farewells. The newly built race yacht docked out at 14:29 hours CET to the sound of Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now", soon embarking on her first race around the globe.
The programme for Sunday's start was an inshore course almost identical to last week's Inport Race, before heading towards Mindelo. At 1610 hours CET, the fleet took a reaching start, Biotherm crossing the start line first, Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia in fourth position. They raced in foiling conditions, before bearing away towards mark 2. Biotherm kept their lead, passing both marks first. Soon after, GUYOT Environnement - Team Europe struggled with their J0 causing them to lose their position whilst they dealt with the problem. Malizia - Seaexplorer passed mark 3 in fourth position, flying by the Malizia supporters cheering from a chartered ferry. As the fleet sailed in the direction of the island of Tabarca, Team Malizia and 11th Hour Racing Team exchanged for the third and fourth positions.
The fleet will have an easy early evening of reaching, before encountering a tricky weather transition with light winds forecasted. Team Malizia's co-skipper Will Harris explained before the start: "The northwesterly winds will allow us to sail quite fast reaching angles down to the southeastern corner of Spain. Going into tonight, we will have to fight our way through the light winds, not sleeping much, and doing lots of sail changes. Finally, once we get through this transition, we will be hit by the strong westerlies funnelling through the Alboran Sea, slowing our progress to Gibraltar as we tack upwind in a heavy sea state and up to 40 knots of wind."
The next 36 hours will be crucial for the crew skippered by Boris Herrmann, as they try to make tactical decisions whilst also preserving the condition of their Malizia - Seaexplorer. "The boat exciting the Mediterranean in the lead will be in a great position, able to use the strong trade wind situation to their advantage, and propelling them on a fast sailing angle towards Cabo Verde", explains Will Harris.
As of 21:00 hours CET this Sunday evening, Malizia - Seaexplorer sails in first position, however, Leg 1 and the race around the world have only just begun.
Team Malizia will be sharing the adventure of the race across all their channels and launching a YouTube documentary series following the team during The Ocean Race. They will also be spreading their A Race We Must Win - Climate Action Now! message as they sail around the world, raising awareness amongst children about ocean protection and climate change through their My Ocean Challenge educational programme. They will run their onboard mini laboratory, embarking on the race with the aim of collecting their second set of rare ocean CO2 data around the world.
This mission is only possible due to the strong and long-lasting commitment from Team Malizia's seven main partners: Kuehne+Nagel, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz, the Yacht Club de Monaco, EFG International, and Zurich Group Germany. These partners band behind Team Malizia to support its A Race We Must Win - Climate Action Now! mission, each of them working towards projects in their own field to innovate around climate solutions.