Not long out of the shipyard and Malizia 4 has been officially christened in time-honoured tradition. Surrounded by his team, Yacht Club de Monaco member Boris Herrmann christened his new IMOCA in Lorient. The ceremony marks the start of a busy racing schedule for Team Malizia, founded ten years ago by Boris Herrmann and YCM Vice-President Pierre Casiraghi.
“It’s a very special day for us,” said sailor Boris Herrmann, standing on the deck of Malizia 4 alongside his co-skippers Will Harris, Cole Brauer, Justine Mettraux and Loïs Berrehar. Before the ceremony, partners, friends and team members headed out to sea off Lorient to discover the new IMOCA in ideal sailing conditions.
In keeping with a timeless maritime tradition, the crowd counted down from ten to zero before Cole Brauer smashed a bottle of champagne, provided by the Yacht Club de Monaco, against the anchor of the new 60-footer. As the bottle shattered, it officially christened Malizia 4 bearing with it the traditional wishes of fair winds and success for the boat and its crew.
Although Malizia 4 honoured tradition with the customary christening ceremony, the team had not waited for that event before heading out to sea. Launched 6 July, the IMOCA’s potential has already been put to the test. Within the very first week, Malizia 4 was sailing at full speed on the foils. The team has made the most of every outing to push forward its development programme, continuing with the sea trials, tuning and optimising the IMOCA’S performance. The boat has been sailed with the technical team, crew and naval architect Antoine Koch on board before taking part in training sessions alongside other IMOCA teams.
Mid-August, Malizia 4 will head to the United States to compete in its first event, The Ocean Race Atlantic, sailing from New York to Lorient. Boris Herrmann will be joined by co-skippers Julien Villion, Justine Mettraux and Cole Brauer, and onboard reporter Gauthier Lebec. Following a short refit, the German skipper will start his first solo race, the Route du Rhum, before lining up for The Ocean Race 2027, the first round-the-world challenge, this one with crew, on the schedule for Malizia 4.
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