Malizia and Boris Herrmann returned to competition at the 14th Tour de Belle-Île. Competing in the P’tit Tour by Suzuki format, the Yacht Club de Monaco skipper and his crew finished 2nd in the Open Class on the GC32 Malizia 1. The return is significant for the crew as it comes a few weeks before the launch of their new IMOCA.
The Tour de Belle-Île is like no other race. Every year, hundreds of mono- and multi-hulls from 6 metres and up line up for a mass start at La Trinité-sur-Mer to race round the Belle-Île-en-Mer in an atmosphere that is competitive yet informal and fun. For the 2026 edition, Team Malizia chose to enter its foiling GC32, a fast, responsive and spectacular to watch boat that is more at home on top-level circuits than big open regattas. The P’tit Tour was therefore the obvious choice being a 37-nautical-mile course better suited to the boat’s potential and expected conditions. From the start in La Trinité-sur-Mer, the fleet crosses Quiberon Bay, rounds a mark off Sauzon, races along the inner coast of Belle-Île and passes the Galères cardinal mark before returning to La Trinité-sur-Mer.
Aboard Malizia 1, Boris Herrmann was well-supported by several sailors well-known to the project, namely Will Harris, Cole Bauer, Julien Villion, Oakley Marsh and Louis Viat. This race was important as it saw the group back out on the water together. Coming between two development phases of the future IMOCA boat, the crew took full advantage of the race to regain automatic reflexes by sailing together and getting back into race mode in a competitive setting.
Despite its open to all accessible format, the Tour de Belle-Île is a demanding race that this year attracted 270 crews. Currents, tidal effects, significant wind variations and heavy boat traffic often make positioning difficult. On this type of course, speed by itself is not enough. Fluid manoeuvres and understanding the race area is key. In a fleet of 51 boats in the Open Class, Malizia was in contention with the leaders throughout the race to finally clinch 2nd place.
It’s not just about results, as this outing marked a significant stage in the Malizia project preparations. The team’s new IMOCA is due to be launched in the coming weeks, beginning a new work phase for Boris Herrmann and his team. Hence why Malizia and Boris Herrmann were returning to competition, eager to get back into their rhythm and fine-tune reflexes by sailing together ahead of the upcoming trials.
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