Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia announces full crew line-up for The Ocean Race Atlantic 2026
by Team Malizia 15 Apr 23:24 PDT
1 September 2026
Team Malizia unveils its full crew line-up for The Ocean Race Atlantic 2026 © Team Malizia
Team Malizia is proud to unveil its crew for The Ocean Race Atlantic, a new transatlantic race for the IMOCA class, starting on 1 September 2026. Skipper Boris Herrmann (GER) will be joined by co-skippers Cole Brauer (USA), Justine Mettraux (SUI), Julien Villion (FRA), and onboard reporter Gauthier Lebec (FRA).
The race from New York City to Lorient will mark the team's first competition aboard its new IMOCA yacht and reflects its long-term vision of building a strong and diverse sailing squad for The Ocean Race next year.
"A new boat, a new race, and as much motivation as ever," says Team Malizia skipper Boris Herrmann. "We are looking forward to a big year with the launch of our new boat and The Ocean Race Atlantic 2026 shortly after. I am very happy to be racing with Cole Brauer, Justine Mettraux, and Julien Villion as co-skippers, and with Gauthier Lebec as onboard reporter for this sprint across the North Atlantic Ocean. It will be the first race on our new IMOCA yacht, sailing in a new crew configuration, and on a route that holds a lot of significance for me and the team, which makes this a very meaningful event."
As part of the inaugural Ocean Race Atlantic, a new fully crewed transatlantic race for the IMOCA class, teams will start on 1 September 2026 and race approximately 3,000 nautical miles (5,500 kilometres) from New York City, USA, to Lorient, France, over around eight to nine days. Featuring crews of four sailors and one onboard reporter, the event follows The Ocean Race Europe 2025, where Team Malizia finished fourth, and leads into the next round-the-world edition of The Ocean Race in 2027. In a landmark step for the sport, this will be the first IMOCA race to feature fully crewed teams with an equal gender split: two women and two men onboard.
For The Ocean Race Atlantic, Team Malizia will race in a slightly new configuration, with skipper Boris Herrmann joined by co-skippers Cole Brauer, Justine Mettraux, and Julien Villion, all of whom also raced onboard Malizia - Seaexplorer last year. Since 2025, Team Malizia has been building a larger sailing squad, bringing together a tight-knit group of experienced sailors who develop and work closely over time, with The Ocean Race 2027 in mind. The team trains and races in different line-ups to prepare for the round-the-world race, while individuals continue to pursue their own projects in between events.
"I am excited to race with this crew," says Boris Herrmann. "Cole, Justine, and I competed together in The Ocean Race Europe last summer, and I am looking forward to finally racing alongside Julien. He is a very experienced sailor across different formats, an excellent navigator, and was a great fit with our team during the Course des Caps last year. His long-standing collaboration with Justine also brings invaluable experience and continuity to the group." He adds: "And as for Justine, she's simply one of the best sailors out there and I have always had a huge amount of respect for her. It was great to finally race with her, rather than against her. With Cole completing the crew and doing an amazing job at taking on the challenge of IMOCA racing over the past year, it feels like a really strong and balanced line-up for this race."
New to the team is Gauthier Lebec, an experienced onboard reporter on foiling IMOCA yachts, who has sailed with Benjamin Dutreux during The Ocean Race 2022-23 and with Paul Meilhat during The Ocean Race Atlantic 2025, and has been working closely with Justine Mettraux for several years. Now reuniting with her under the Malizia colours, he says: "I am very happy to join Team Malizia, which has participated in every The Ocean Race event in the IMOCA class and is known for pushing hard, while also knowing how to balance performance with enjoyment. I look forward to capturing the team's story on camera during The Ocean Race Atlantic and being part of the Malizia adventure."
The fleet will assemble at the Brooklyn Bridge Marina in New York City and participate in local activations on and off the water ahead of a race start on 1 September. After sprinting across the North Atlantic, teams are expected to finish off Lorient on 8/9 September (ETA) where the Ocean Live Park will be set up at "Lorient La Base" for the public with activities for all ages. Both New York City and Lorient, which was announced earlier today as the arrival city by the organisers, hold a special meaning for Boris Herrmann and his team.
"We have celebrated many major milestones in New York and the North Atlantic," comments Boris Herrmann. "From racing success, including podium finishes, to several crossings I did with Giovanni Soldini, to our trip with Greta Thunberg back in 2019, and more recently an event with world-renowned oceanographer Sylvia Earle to raise awareness of the climate crisis."
Notably, the last time Team Malizia raced a similar route in crewed configuration was during Leg 5 of The Ocean Race 2022-23, when the team broke the 24-hour monohull distance record. During that leg, they also collected Ocean data in the North Atlantic, including during a storm event that revealed a significant CO2 release from the Ocean to the atmosphere. This mission will continue with their future race boat, which, as always, will carry an Ocean Pack and measure Ocean temperature, salinity, and CO2 data whenever the boat is sailing and share that with their scientific partners.
American sailor Cole Brauer says: "I am very excited to see The Ocean Race Atlantic start from my home state. I'm from Long Island originally and have been living in New York City this past year, so racing from home waters to Lorient, where I have been spending a lot of time with Team Malizia and is one of the team's home bases, feels quite special. Adding to that, we will be racing on a new generation boat, which is incredible." Having joined the IMOCA sailing scene through The Magenta Project and with Boris Herrmann as a mentor, Cole Brauer says she is happy about the equal-gender crew format. She notes: "During The Ocean Race Europe, Team Malizia always had at least two women onboard, and now seeing this configuration officially included by the organisers is a positive step forward for our sport."
With the build of their new race yacht now well under way and the boat taking shape week by week ahead of her launch at the end of June, the team is busy preparing for a new phase of their campaign. Over the coming weeks, they will train together ahead of the season and continue to work on various projects linked to their A Race We Must Win - Climate Action Now! mission, with several exciting announcements to come soon.
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 six main partners: the Yacht Club de Monaco, EFG International, Zurich Group Germany, Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz, and KPMG 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.
Team Malizia's crew for The Ocean Race Atlantic 2026:
- Boris Herrmann (GER) - Skipper
- Cole Brauer (USA) - Co-skipper
- Justine Mettraux (SUI) - Co-skipper
- Julien Villion (FRA) - Co-skipper
- Gauthier Lebec (FRA) - Onboard reporter