Team Malizia to compete in The Ocean Race Europe 2025 starting in Kiel, Germany
by Team Malizia 15 Feb 2024 04:54 AEDT
Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia have announced that they will return to Kiel for the start of The Ocean Race Europe next year © Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race
After their successful participation in The Ocean Race and an incredible welcome during the Fly-By in Kiel, Germany, last year, Team Malizia have announced that they will be on the start line of The Ocean Race Europe 2025. The race will start in the sailing city of Kiel, a place that feels like home to skipper Boris Herrmann, and which will no doubt be a highlight again for the international team and their German fans.
Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia announced today at a press conference in Kiel, Germany, that they will participate in the upcoming The Ocean Race Europe next year. As if the news wasn't already exciting enough for the international team and their fans, organisers of The Ocean Race have confirmed at the same press conference that Kiel.Sailing.City will host the start of The Ocean Race Europe. The event is scheduled to begin on 10 August, 2025.
For Boris Herrmann, the hugely successful Fly-By in Kiel last summer on the penultimate leg of The Ocean Race 2022-23 was a special highlight. On their way to rounding the turning mark in the Kieler Fjord, Boris Herrmann and his Team Malizia were escorted by an incredible amount of spectator boats and tens of thousands of people cheering from the shoreline. The German skipper had the chance to race for the first time in his home country onboard his new IMOCA race yacht. Back then, he compared the emotions created by the Kiel Fly-By to the passage of Cape Horn. He is now looking forward to starting the race from Germany, particularly in Kiel, and to participate in The Ocean Race Europe for the first time.
"We are all really happy and excited to have The Ocean Race Europe starting in Kiel next year!" said the Team Malizia skipper today. "Kiel feels like home to me and I grew up sailing here over the years. It's also home to Geomar and our science partners. This will be an amazing chance for the public to come and meet the team, see the boat and get in touch with our education programme in 2025. For me and Team Malizia this is a great announcement and we can't wait to compete in the race!"
The race in 2025 will be the second edition of The Ocean Race Europe, following a debut event in the summer of 2021. This new edition will build on the foundations of the inaugural race and will be held under the banner of "Connecting Europe". The race course will stretch from the Baltic Sea, through the North Sea and English Channel into the Atlantic Ocean and end in the Mediterranean Sea. The fleet of high-tech IMOCA boats that foil above the water at record-breaking speeds is scheduled to start the race on 10 August 2025 from Kiel and finish approximately six weeks later, depending on the final race route. More city announcements are expected this spring.
"Starting The Ocean Race Europe from Kiel is an opportunity to demonstrate the power of sport to connect us and serve a larger purpose," said Richard Brisius, Race Chairman of The Ocean Race. "I have no doubt that the cutting-edge, foiling IMOCA boats and the extraordinary women and men who sail them will produce an exceptional race on the water and an incredible experience for race fans in Kiel, a two-time host of sailing events at the Olympic Games and with Kiel Week, Kiel has become world-renowned as the home of the largest sailing event in Europe. But we are determined for The Ocean Race Europe to be more than that. All of us here today are firm in our belief that we are in a Race for the Ocean, that the restoration of Ocean health is key to life on our planet."
"The enthusiasm for sailing is evident in Kiel year after year, with many local regattas and of course during the internationally renowned, Kiel Week," said Dr. Ulf Kämpfer, the Lord Mayor of Kiel. "Last year we were able to welcome The Ocean Race with a Fly-By - a brilliant success that proved once again that this city lives and loves sailing. The fact that we will now be the starting port of The Ocean Race Europe 2025 makes me incredibly proud. Our aim is to combine this event with the topic of ocean health and protection. We are really looking forward to hosting the top sailors from all over the world and to prove once again that Kiel.Sailing.City is the world capital of sailing."
The Ocean Race Europe 2025 will be the next opportunity for Team Malizia to sail in crewed races again, following a year of solo racing in 2024 marked most notably by Boris Herrmann's second Vendée Globe participation starting in November 2024. As they compete in the most difficult offshore races, Team Malizia continues to spread the A Race We Must Win - Climate Action Now! message they are carrying on their sails and take concrete action in the fight against climate change. Skipper Boris Herrmann has recently been appointed ambassador to the German committee of the Ocean Decade. The automated Ocean laboratory Ocean Pack will, as it has been since 2018, be carried onboard his race yacht and measure CO2, temperature, and salinity data to help further scientific research on the role of the Ocean in our climate system.
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: 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 campaign, each of them working towards projects in their own field to innovate around climate solutions.