From Nice to Genova: Team Malizia Takes on Leg 4 of The Ocean Race Europe 2025

Team Malizia has set sail in Leg 4 of The Ocean Race Europe 2025 © Meredith Rodgers / Team Malizia

After just two days in port, Team Malizia is back at sea for Leg 4 of The Ocean Race Europe 2025, a 550-nautical mile leg from Nice, France, to Genova, Italy.

On Sunday afternoon at 17:00 local time (15:00 UTC), skipper Boris Herrmann, co-skippers Francesca Clapcich (ITA/USA), Cole Brauer (USA), Loïs Berrehar (FRA) and onboard reporter Flore Hartout (FRA/NED), got off to a good start under the sunny skies and light winds of the French Riviera. The leg featured an early scoring gate in Monaco, offering teams the chance to earn points for the overall leaderboard before continuing on a challenging loop around Corsica and through the Strait of Bonifacio.

The fleet set off from the Promenade des Anglais, offering spectators a stunning view as the seven competing IMOCA teams tacked upwind toward the Monaco scoring gate. Shortly before the start, big wave world record holder Sebastian Steudtner leapt off the portside outrigger of Malizia - Seaexplorer, performing a backflip into the Mediterranean in front of spectator boats and the crew. The German famously surfed the world's biggest wave, about the height of an IMOCA mast, making his jump a perfect send-off for Team Malizia as they began Leg 4.

At 17:00 sharp, the Malizia - Seaexplorer crew took a good start under sunny skies and very light east-southeasterly winds of around 8 knots. Racing upwind along the beautiful backdrop of the Côte d'Azur, Team Malizia and their six competitors headed toward Monaco. Biotherm ultimately grabbed the two available points, extending their perfect scoring streak in this edition of the race, with Team Holcim-PRB passing the gate in second.

While Team Malizia missed out on points, sailing past Monaco remained a highlight. "The Monaco fly-by was a big moment for us, we were super excited about it," said Boris Herrmann after passing the gate in fourth place. "Monaco has been a great partner for nearly 10 years and will continue to be in the future, and is also a strong ally for Ocean protection. The Principality is very invested in this cause, not only through the Yacht Club but also the Prince Albert II Foundation. Sailing past Monaco was really iconic and a close call for us! Unfortunately, the winds didn't work out for us as hoped, but our placement in the fleet, sailing in second place shortly after the gate, is good for the rest of the race."

As expected from a purely Mediterranean race, Leg 4 will bring a few challenges from start to finish. "There is a fast-moving low pressure system coming through the Mediterranean, moving from the Balearic Island to the Gulf of Genova, so strategy will be interesting again", says the German offshore sailor. "After the very light winds start today, we might see some rougher conditions, especially with potentially strong westerly winds in the passage between Sardinia and Corsica. I'm hoping the conditions will play in our favour so we can collect valuable points up until Genova."

Co-skipper Francesca Clapcich added: "Timing will be crucial as we manage the Strait of Bonifacio. Depending on the timing, we could face strong westerly winds that accelerate through the Strait. I've been there a few times; this 11-kilometre passage between Corsica and Sardinia is a stunning place but also notorious for its swirling currents and shoals. Then, along the Italian coast, there's a waypoint off Tuscany and some zigzagging in front of the Gulf of Genova before the finish. The conditions in Genova itself look light again, so it could turn into a restart near the end." Leg 4 promises to be exciting until the finish, with light winds, strong breeze and many transitions keeping crews on their toes.

"The Mediterranean really is a special place, almost like a different ecosystem that not many people know about", commented the Italian-American sailor. "I grew up there and I'm quite familiar with the coastal and local effects in this part of the world. Everyone talks about the Atlantic or the Pacific, but the Med hasn't been studied as much, and the weather here can be very unpredictable. The forecast models don't always match reality, so it often comes down to the sailors on board, their instincts, and reading the local effects to make the best decisions in the moment." The fleet is expected to arrive in Genova on 3 September after three days of racing.

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 eight main partners: MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz, KPMG Germany, 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.