Team Malizia third overall in The Ocean Race and second in the in-Port Series

by Team Malizia 2 Jul 2023 04:03 AEST

After finishing on the podium of the overall ranking of The Ocean Race and scoring second place in the last In-Port Race today in Genova, Team Malizia finished in a strong second position in the final ranking of the In-Port Race series. With two wins in Alicante and Newport, a second place today, and three third-place finishes, Team Malizia has shown that her Malizia - Seaexplorer and crew can perform well not only in offshore races, but also in inshore courses that aren't necessarily suited to IMOCA race yachts.

"We had a great start today", commented co-skipper Will Harris after the race. "Today's In-Port Race was going to be tricky, with very light winds, trying to get our boat moving and deal with the competitors. The key thing was going to be the start and we managed to nail that, so it was really cool."

Team Malizia skippered by Boris Herrmann and crewed by Will Harris, Rosalin Kuiper, Christopher Pratt and onboard reporter Antoine Auriol stayed in the lead for a good amount of the race. By mark 1, Biotherm had closed the gap but the crew onboard Malizia - Seaexplorer held on and stayed in front. From then, the fight was on with the two boats behind. "We had a really close fight with Biotherm and 11th Hour Racing Team around a shortened course", explained the British sailor. "We always had to figure out how to stay in a bit more wind while defending the shortest course towards the finish."

11th Hour Racing Team and Team Malizia, respectively on the first and second step of the In-Port Series podium - photo © Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race

The young co-skipper, who was one of only very few sailors to complete all legs in this edition of The Ocean Race, added: "It was always going to be a big ask for us today to finish in first place and 11th Hour Racing Team in last place for us to win the series. It looked really good at one point and we sailed a really nice race. But also 11th Hour were really on it, they managed to pass Biotherm and unfortunately due to the course being shortened at mark 3 during the race, it put us in a really tricky spot. We had already sailed away from the course to get more wind and that turned out not to be the fastest way. A little bit gutted but also very happy with how we sailed and our second position, and congratulations to 11th Hour Racing Team for the win today and winning the In-Port Series!"

Will Harris said: "The Ocean Race might have been coming to an end but when we did that start and sailed around that course, we were sailing just like we were trying to win it, like day 1 in Alicante. That is really cool to see from the team, how motivated we still are after these intense 6 months. Having our partners and guests onboard was really great today, we were able to show them what we do and how far we have come."

Team Malizia co-founder and vice-president of the Yacht Club de Monaco Pierre Casiraghi was one of the team's key supporters onboard Malizia - Seaexplorer today, alongside world-renowned American sailor Paul Cayard. As a long-time friend of skipper Boris and being a sailor himself, Pierre Casiraghi enjoyed being on the IMOCA for the first time during a race: "It was great to see the boat and the team work together, we did a great start which is difficult in these light wind conditions so I was really happy to be onboard. From breaking the 24-hour distance record to winning two legs of The Ocean Race, it's been fantastic to see what the team has achieved and it's been a great experience to follow."

With The Ocean Race coming to an end this weekend, the entire Malizia team, their friends and family, their partners and guests are now celebrating the team's successes in their first participation in the legendary race: A third place in the overall ranking with two legs wins, one in the iconic Southern Ocean leg, a second place in the In-Port series, a Roaring Forties Trophy and a 24-hour distance record in a monohull.

Team Malizia was off to a great start in Genova, first over the line - The Ocean Race 2022-23 - photo © Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race

On Monday, skipper Boris Herrmann, Pierre Casiraghi, Will Harris, Rosalin Kuiper, Antoine Auriol, and Team Director Holly Cova will sail the IMOCA to Monaco, where the Team Malizia dream started and where the rest of the team will be waiting. "Malizia - Seaexplorer is going to arrive in Monaco for the first time," said a very happy Pierre Casiraghi. "We are really excited and will have a little party for the whole crew at the end of this race. I'm really happy to be sailing her home, I can't wait, what a way to finish The Ocean Race!"

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: the Yacht Club de Monaco, EFG International, Zurich Group Germany, Kuehne+Nagel, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz. 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.