"Malizia Explorer": What it's like on board Boris Herrmann's research vessel
Andreas Lindlahr
· 14.12.2025
There she lies, the "Malizia Explorer", waiting. It is the end of July and she is due to start her journey to South America in the brutally hot town of Almerimar. The impressively huge yacht still needs a spare engine part. The view of the stern from the pier is awe-inspiring. The ship is almost 7 metres wide and 26 metres long. Over 60 tonnes of aluminium tug at the fat mooring lines. The 36 metre high mast would even make an Imoca look dainty next to it. Boris Herrmann's Malizia team has been sailing with the "Climate Action Now" label on its sails from the very beginning. Now, however, the racing team is taking a truly consistent step towards marine conservation.
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Anyone who has experienced Boris Herrmann in person knows that marine and environmental protection are very important to him. The Hamburg native: "This research vessel is a logical development of our team mission. It enables us to expand our sphere of influence, explore new regions, work together with scientists and convey the urgent message about the state of the oceans and climate change."
Not only a research vessel, but also a great sailor
For the sake of the environment and science, it may sail a little slower in future. The impressive ship was handed over in Lorient in Brittany in spring 2025, turning a dream into reality. The new ship, a Garcia 85, was launched in 2005 as the "Beniguet" and later sailed luxury charters worldwide as the "Fani". Pierre Casiraghi, co-founder of Team Malizia, and his uncle, Prince Albert II of Monaco, are also behind the project. For years, they have not only been committed to sailing, but also to protecting the oceans. Their commitment gives the project a tailwind and additional appeal beyond the sailing and scientific cosmos.
Despite its impressive size, the Garcia 85 surprises with its pleasant sailing characteristics. In the port of departure, Almería, the 19-tonne lifting keel is still up. As soon as skipper Jonathan gives the command to cast off the mooring lines, crew member Calum starts the generator: the system needs power, as the keel is lowered hydraulically shortly after leaving the harbour. The huge 19-tonne counterweight drops into position with a resounding rumble. A short time later, one of the mighty headsail furlers hums, and the huge J1 roars out at the push of a button. With the fresh breeze from the north-east, the 26-metre-long ship accelerates to a comfortable nine to ten knots. The mainsail remains on the boom for the time being; the aim here is not to set records, but to achieve a fast, comfortable average speed. The autopilot benefits from the stable twin rudder system with its powerful, solid aluminium cokers; it holds its course, gently rocking through the long waves of the western Mediterranean.
The main halyard is guided below deck via an electrically operated drum, a technical measure that is primarily intended to make handling 80 metres of halyard easier. Before each manoeuvre, one of the generators must be started and the magnetic clutch switched on so that sufficient energy is available. After that, everything is done at the touch of a button.
Almost the same name, very different boats
With the transition into the Atlantic, the wind picks up, the waves get higher and the ship reaches speeds of over twelve knots under J1 and J2. Despite her size, the "Malizia Explorer" reacts to wind and waves like any other sailing boat. On rough courses, she begins to yaw, and the crew on free watch must secure themselves well to avoid rolling out of their berths. But there is always a place in one of the 14 berths in five cabins.
Almost the same name, very different boats. As the (almost) racer's big sister, the Explorer sets completely different standards: 60 tonnes of ice-resistant aluminium over a length of 85.3 feet, a 19-tonne lifting keel instead of foils, plus a 36-metre carbon fibre mast. Built for independence, robustness and long, fast research voyages to remote regions.
Those who are used to normal-sized yachts will have to rethink. On board the "Malizia Explorer", everything is one size bigger, heavier, higher and more powerful. Her stately 36-metre carbon fibre mast was salvaged from the "TAG Heuer", a 45-metre schooner that was designed for Titouan Lamazou in 1992 to break records in the Jules Verne Trophy, but was unable to sail far due to structural defects.
There is rarely a hectic pace on board like on an Imoca, as manoeuvres take more time here than on conventional yachts. What particularly characterises an Explorer yacht is its ability to be completely self-sufficient - both in the tropics and in the ice. Large fresh water and fuel tanks, a powerful seawater desalination system and two power generators ensure that the scientific instruments, computers and on-board hydraulic systems are supplied with power. Air conditioning and heating ensure temperature stability in all zones. Up to 14 people have to be catered for on board - several freezers, refrigerators, a cooker, microwave, dishwasher and, of course, a coffee machine are available for this purpose. There is no luxury, but there is the necessary comfort to provide the crew and researchers with a functional working environment.
Making the invisible visible
We sail along the Moroccan coast, with a short anchor stop on Lanzarote, then further south along the West African coast, Western Sahara and Mauritania. The nights glitter bright and silver in the light of the full moon. Flying fish suddenly shoot out of the water like arrows. The sea looks like a stage from another world. Only the occasional position light from merchant shipping or fishing appears on the horizon. Dolphins of all sizes, colours and moods accompany the "Malizia" day after day, as if they were part of the ocean's official welcoming commission.
Just how much life there is in the sea will be revealed later when the researchers from Senegal board the ship in Dakar and regularly take and catalogue plankton water samples in the waters off the coast using a kind of maritime butterfly net. The moment the plankton, barely recognisable to the naked eye, is pumped through the fine tubes of an inconspicuous measuring instrument, past an optical system that makes even the slightest flicker in the water visible, a silent spectacle begins on the monitor. Tiny organisms, just a moment ago part of an invisible world, now appear: single-celled organisms, plant creatures, something in between. Some are vaguely reminiscent of shrimps, only the size of a comma. And all of this comes from a single three-minute sampling. A fleeting sip of ocean in which an entire encyclopaedia of life is already cavorting.
Young, capable crew - and above all likeable
After several days at sea and arriving in the sprawling industrial harbour of Dakar, the first thing to do is to get used to the new conditions of a large African city. An oppressively humid heat hangs over the harbour basin and the berth of the "Malizia Explorer" is located in a particularly rough and less inviting area.
The crew of the "Malizia Explorer" consists of two to three full-time professionals, including skipper Jonathan. Jonathan has spent his life on the world's oceans: his French parents took him on long voyages as a child. In his early to mid-thirties, he has already seen half the world, knows more harbours than street names, speaks fluent English as well as his mother tongue and is an outstanding sailor.
The rest of the crew is also impressive: average age around 28, many thousands of nautical miles in the wake, multilingual, calm, approachable and highly professional, almost all of them have diving instructor licences and good nautical training. It is almost Boris' trademark to always gather exceptionally likeable and capable people around him.
A desire to research
While the ship now lies quietly on the quay, the everyday life of a research expedition begins on board with all its challenges, routines and little surprises. The nine researchers from Senegal find pleasant living and working conditions on board. The crew of the "Malizia Explorer" provides good, varied food. The cabins - each for three to four people - are equipped with their own toilets and showers. The spacious saloon amidships offers enough space to open up laptops, work together, hold discussions or discuss research results and images on the monitor. Some of the guests had no experience at sea before the expedition. The swell and unfamiliar movements were particularly noticeable in the first few days. Seasickness was part of the daily programme for some. But over time, routine set in and the mood on board remained focussed and positive. The desire to explore soon outweighed the physical discomfort.
The dinghy can be used for excursions to coastal areas, dives or sampling. The Explorer version is more than just a sailing ship, it is a mobile research station. With its own instruments such as the OceanPack, which is constantly at work in the foredeck. Proven by the Vendée Globe, the system operates a seawater pump around the clock, analysing physical and chemical parameters and automatically sending the results to the participating research institutes as soon as the yacht is out of port. With additional underway measuring systems such as the planktoscope or the CTD rosette and enough space for scientists, the "Explorer" offers ideal conditions for research at sea. Whether Argo floats (drifting measuring buoys) or water samples, knowledge is created on board through data collection.
The collected results flow into international, freely accessible databases such as SOCAT and thus contribute directly to the global understanding of oceans and climate. The spacious rear garage serves as an ideal workplace from which to lower probes into the water or retrieve equipment. A compressor for filling the diving tanks is also on board, as well as sufficient PC storage, computing power and the appropriate infrastructure to turn a sailing ship into a real floating research laboratory.
After eight days, it's time to shake hands, hugs and cast off. Set course for Mindelo. Next stop: Fernando de Noronha in Brazil. Then onwards via Uruguay and later to Tierra del Fuego - and finally to Antarctica, the preliminary highlight of the first season.
Technical data of the "Malizia Explorer"
- Shipyard/year of construction: Garcia/2005
- Design: Berret Racoupeau
- Total length: 26,33 m
- Torso length: 25,99 m
- Width: 7,00 m
- Draught/alternative: 2,5/4,2 m
- Mast height above WL: 36,00 m
- Weight: 69,0 t
- Motor: Volvo, 318 hp
