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Boris Herrmann

Cole Brauer

Justine Mettraux

Julien Villion

Gauthier Lebec

We compete on the highest level in the toughest races, inspire action & create awareness and highlight solutions to the climate crisis.

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From launching their new Malizia 4 race yacht in France to crossing the Atlantic and sailing more than 6,500 nautical miles in less than two months, Team Malizia has been through a fast-paced period of testing and training. Boris Herrmann and a new crew combination now face a fleet mixing proven race machines with the latest generation of IMOCAs in The Ocean Race Atlantic, a new 3,200-nautical-mile sprint from New York to Lorient and an important step as the team builds towards The Ocean Race 2027.

, a new fully crewed transatlantic race for the IMOCA fleet, with its newly launched 

 set to make its competitive debut. Six teams from six nations will line up in New York City for the 3,200-nautical-mile sprint across the North Atlantic to Lorient, France. 

Starting on 1 September, crews of four sailors and one onboard reporter will race for approximately eight to nine days, navigating changing weather systems and challenging North Atlantic conditions. For the first time in a fully crewed IMOCA race, each team’s four-sailor crew will feature an equal gender split, with two women and two men. If conditions allow, the race could also provide an opportunity for teams to challenge the 24-hour monohull distance record, which Team Malizia has held since 2023.

For Team Malizia, the race is the first opportunity to put its new boat through its paces in competition after her launch in Lorient on 6 July and more than 6,500 nautical miles of sailing already completed in less than two months. Skipper 

 documenting the race for fans worldwide.

 through her first big test in a race,” said 

. “I feel very confident with this crew. They’re some of the best sailors in the world, and I’m proud and honoured to sail alongside them. We’ve sailed a lot together during testing, and we know each other well from the sailing world. They’re all superstars and some of the most sought-after sailors in the sport. I think we will make a very strong team together.”

The fleet includes an interesting mix of boats, designs and experience. In the battle of new designs, Boris Herrmann’s 

 (Antoine Koch design) will go head-to-head with Kojiro Shiraishi’s

 (Guillaume Verdier design). “From what we've seen so far, the rumours around the dock are that 

 is particularly fast downwind”, noted Boris Herrmann. “From our side, we've seen that our boat performs very well upwind. That could make for a really interesting comparison between the two yachts. Besides that, it will also be a duel between two new boats racing against four boats from previous generations that have already been very well tested and developed.”

A particularly familiar yacht will be on the start line: Skipper Francesca Clapcich will race aboard 

 alongside Team Malizia's long-time co-skipper 

. The boat is a proven and reliable platform, while the British sailor knows her inside out after thousands of miles aboard her with Team Malizia. It will be the first time Team Malizia competes directly against their former boat and long-time team member Will Harris, creating a unique reunion at sea.

“If they beat me, of course, it will be a disaster for me!”, 

 said with a laugh. “Jokes aside, I can't wait to see how we perform, especially against 

 and our old boat. And at the same time, this kind of rivalry is what makes racing interesting. We also have the two sisters racing against each other: Justine on our boat and Elodie-Jane on the other one. So there's definitely an internal friendly rivalry as well. It will be short-lived, however: both Francesca and Will will be back in Team Malizia colors aboard 

or The Ocean Race around the world in 2027. The German skipper added: “In the meantime, having Will race with Francesca allows him to share his experience, strengthens the collaboration between our teams, and creates further opportunities for our wider Malizia squad to sail together in race mode ahead of next year’s round-the-world event.”

In The Ocean Race Atlantic, Team Malizia will also meet Paul Meilhat’s crew again, racing onboard 

), one year after their encounter during The Ocean Race Europe won by the French sailor and his team. The race will also bring together the teams of Ollie Heer (

), adding further depth to a fleet that combines new and older generation foiling boats.

The Ocean Race Atlantic also connects two cities that hold particular significance for Team Malizia: New York has become a familiar stop for Boris Herrmann and his team - and a particularly special starting point for Cole Brauer, who was born and raised in New York State - while Lorient is home to their technical base and one of the world's major IMOCA sailing hubs.

“I’m very excited to race in this new event, especially with this team and aboard our new 

. It’s pretty special to be starting from New York, surrounded by friends, and then racing back to Lorient, where the boat was launched and where I’ve really found my place with Team Malizia. It feels like a very fitting way to tie in all my experiences with the team.”

As they sprint to France, the six teams will need to balance outright speed with tactical decisions as they navigate the tricky conditions of the North Atlantic. Co-skipper and navigator 

 commented: “It’s still too early for a detailed forecast, but we have a good idea of what to expect. Leaving the US East Coast in late summer, we could encounter unstable, potentially thundery systems and rapidly forming transition zones. The Gulf Stream and exclusion zones soon after the start will also strongly influence the routing and limit tactical options. Weather models can disagree significantly in this part of the Atlantic, as we saw during our delivery to the US. Once offshore, it becomes a more typical Ocean passage, and we’ll have to wait for a clearer picture to see which systems offer the best route to Europe. Approaching the Bay of Biscay and Lorient, a high-pressure system could once again reshuffle the race.”

During this transatlantic race, Team Malizia will once again carry its 

. The automated laboratory collects crucial measurements of sea-surface CO₂, temperature and salinity and the data is made freely available to scientists to help improve understanding of the Ocean's role in the climate system.

has already gathered valuable scientific data since her launch in July, adding to the long-term dataset Team Malizia has been building since 2018 in collaboration with its scientific partners. The team also continued its work with Ocean observation instruments, including the deployment of a drifter buoy during the delivery to New York.

. Before the start, the six teams will take part in the Sailors' Parade and Dock-Out Show before sailing past the Statue of Liberty. The parade of boats in front of Manhattan will be broadcast live (see timings below). The fleet then heads out to the virtual start line located approximately 100 nautical miles offshore. The race is expected to start at 20:30 earliest (local time / 02:30 CEST).

 A Race We Must Win – Climate Action Now!

 mission which combines sailing, science, education and partnerships is only possible due to the strong and long-lasting commitment from its 

: Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz, KPMG Germany, 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.

Malizia 4, Team Malizia's new build has already proven to be a very versatile foiling yacht

Skipper Boris Herrmann is eager to put his new Malizia 4 to the test against his old Malizia - Seaexplorer (now known as 11th Hour Racing, see on the right-hand side of the photo)

Skipper Boris Herrmann is eager to put his new 

Justine Mettraux (left) and Cole Brauer (right) onboard Malizia 4

Co-skippers Justine Mettraux (left) and Cole Brauer (right) onboard 

Co-skipper Julien Villion (right) will bring his navigation and weather routing expertise to the crew and race for the first time alongside Boris Herrmann (center)

Malizia 4, skippered by Will Harris for the delivery, arrived in New York City on 24 August 2026, before racing back to Lorient starting 1 September 2026 © Marie Lefloch | Team Malizia

 arrived in New York City on 24 August 2026, before racing back to Lorient starting 1 September 2026 © Marie Lefloch | Team Malizia

The fleet departs from Brooklyn Bridge Marina in New York on 1 September 2026. Following the Sailors' Parade and Dock-Out Show (10:35–11:30 EDT/local time), the six IMOCA teams will sail past the Statue of Liberty before heading into the open Atlantic, bound for Lorient, France.

The sailing/exhibition start along Downtown Manhattan and past the Statue of Liberty will be 

 on The Ocean Race's YouTube channel on 1 September from 12:00 EDT (New York) / 16:00 UTC / 18:00 CEST (Europe) for approximately 60 minutes.

The race start line is located approximately 100 nautical miles offshore. The earliest possible start is later that day at 20:30 EDT (00:30 UTC / 02:30 CEST on 2 September) and will not be broadcast live by The Ocean Race. 