Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia off to Genova in dramatic Leg 7 start of The Ocean Race

by Team Malizia 16 Jun 2023 11:37 AEST 15 June 2023

Team Malizia has set sail in the final leg of The Ocean Race © Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race

Team Malizia has departed The Hague, Netherlands in Leg 7 of The Ocean Race which sees them sail to Genova, Italy in the final stage of the race. The day had started nicely, with the Dutch crowds chanting Rosie's name and waving off the IMOCA fleet one more time before the boats started racing in the two-lap inshore section at the beginning of the 2,200-nautical mile-long leg.

Team Malizia's crew composed of skipper Boris Herrmann, co-skippers Will Harris, Rosalin Kuiper, Nico Lunven, and onboard reporter Antoine Auriol was off to a good start. The team was third over the line to the windward side and racing towards mark 1 behind Team Holcim-PRB in first and 11th Hour Racing in second position. In 15 to 18 knots of wind and sunny weather, the boats were battling it out in foiling conditions at about 20 knots of speed. GUYOT environnement - Team Europe, which was in fourth place, overtook Malizia - Seaexplorer on the inside at mark 2. The first three boats managed to extend the gap to Team Malizia in fourth and Biotherm in fifth position as they raced towards the third mark.

Co-skipper Will Harris on the deck of Malizia - Seaexplorer - photo © Marie Lefloch / Team Malizia

Towards the end of the first lap, the day took a dramatic turn when GUYOT environnement - Team Europe collided into 11th Hour Racing Team. No injury was reported from onboard but both boats were forced to head back to the harbour to assess the damages caused by the collision and what these will mean for the race. With the other three boats, the race continued finishing the inshore course. Team Holcim-PRB was first to clear the leaving gate, with Team Malizia in second position, and Biotherm in third place.

These three boats are now racing towards Genova in a complex leg with various weather challenges and strategic situations to manage. Leaving The Hague, they will have to slalom between many commercial ships and exclusion zones put in place due to wind farms or oil rigs in the area. In The English Channel, they will face strong tides in the summer high-pressure situation and a dangerous rocky coastline. Into the Atlantic, they will sail across the Bay of Biscay known for stormy conditions.

"Down along the coastline of Portugal, the boats could be in for some fast offshore and downwind sailing before reaching the Gibraltar Strait which will likely be tricky to manage", explained navigator Nico Lunven earlier today. Entering the Mediterranean Sea and sailing past Alicante, Spain, where the race started six months prior, the IMOCA fleet could face a slowdown. "The Mediterranean can be quite unpredictable, so we will have to wait and see", commented the French sailor.

The IMOCA fleet at the beginning of Leg 7 in The Hague - photo © Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race

The entire Malizia team is incredibly saddened by the collision and the damages suffered by 11th Hour Racing Team and GUYOT environnement - Team Europe. Obviously, one doesn't wish to see such a start or competitors go through something like this. Team Malizia has offered its support to both teams for any repair work they need to do, and hopes that all the teams will be able to complete this Ocean Race together.

Team Malizia's A Race We Must Win - Climate Action Now! mission is only possible due to the strong and long-lasting commitment from its seven main partners: MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz, the Yacht Club de Monaco, EFG International, Zurich Group Germany, and Kuehne+Nagel. These partners band behind Team Malizia to support its campaign, each of them working towards projects in their own field to innovate around climate solutions.