Boris Herrmann's Malizia - Seaexplorer returns home on her first birthday
by Boris Herrmann Racing 20 Jul 2023 17:26 NZST
Malizia - Seaexplorer is back in Lorient, exactly one year after her launch on 19 July 2022 © Jimmy Horel / Team Malizia
What a year! Team Malizia's IMOCA race yacht Malizia - Seaexplorer arrived this morning in Lorient's La Base harbour where she was launched exactly one year ago, and after having already sailed the equivalent distance of more than two Vendée Globe races.
One year to the day: Team Malizia's race yacht Malizia - Seaexplorer arrived in Lorient, France, this Wednesday morning, exactly one year after her launch on 19 July 2022. After having sailed over 55,000 nautical miles around the globe, the IMOCA boat made it back to her home port in Brittany, where Team Malizia's technical base is located, in a rather coincidently but also perfectly timed manner on her one-year anniversary.
"Over the past ten days, the boat was being delivered by our technical crew from Monaco, where the team celebrated our achievements in The Ocean Race with founding partner the Yacht Club de Monaco", said Boris Herrmann who is currently in Germany with his family and fulfilling media and commercial appointments. "It wasn't timed on purpose, but it is a really nice coincidence that the boat made it back to the harbour of La Base on the 19th of July!" The ETA wasn't easy to predict, in the end, it took the crew 10 days and 8 hours to sail 2,100 nautical miles from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. Shortly after the Strait of Gibraltar, they encountered a pod of five orcas but the 45-minute visit by the curious animals didn't seem to cause any damage to the appendices of the boat. This evening, the team members present in Lorient are going to have a little gathering, also kicking off the summer refit, while the rest of the team will have a toast from afar.
Boris Herrmann added: "It's amazing to think about what we achieved in a year. Launching a boat - on the date announced months before, christening her in my hometown Hamburg, sailing the Route du Rhum 2022 which was my first solo race since the Vendée Globe, racing over 37,000 nautical miles in The Ocean Race 2022-2023, winning the Southern Ocean and the final legs, passing Cape Horn first, winning the Roaring Forties Trophy, breaking the 24-hour distance record in a monohull, and finishing third overall! We also won two In-Port races and experienced an amazing welcome at the Fly-By in Kiel. We even had royalty on board with the King and Queen of the Netherlands at the arrival in The Hague, and later Prince Albert II of Monaco came to see the boat when we sailed her to the principality for the first time!"
Team Malizia sailed their Malizia - Seaexplorer race yacht over 55,000 nautical miles, more than twice the length of the Equator. "In twelve months, we have learned so much about our boat and perfected her", commented the German offshore sailor. "She sailed around the world without major damages and has arrived in great shape in Lorient. It's really thanks to a tremendous team effort and great energy coming from this team. I'm really happy and can't wait to be back with everyone and continue this amazing Malizian journey! Next big step: The Transat Jacques Vabre 2023 this fall with Will Harris by my side as co-skipper!"
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: Zurich Group Germany, Kuehne+Nagel, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz, the Yacht Club de Monaco, and EFG International. 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.