First launch of "Malizia Seaexplorer": Race against the clock for Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia

Tomorrow morning, the 18.30 metre long and brightly painted carbon fibre hull is due to take to the water for the first time. But anyone who has followed the goings-on around, in, on and under the "Malizia Seaexplorer" over the past few days might have started to wonder.

Around 50 employees are scurrying around Boris Herrmann's new boat, the first and only Imoca 60 of the latest generation from a German skipper - and one of the most technologically exciting ones at that. Until this afternoon, the port foil was still at the painter's, a few hundred metres away from the Malizia base in Lorient.

To lift it off the trestles and onto a transport trolley, team director Holly Cova quickly organised half a dozen helpers, including Hamburg sailing pro Tim Kröger, who will be one of the guests at the official launch tomorrow. He lent a hand several times today - loading the drinks for the team party planned for tomorrow evening and securing the 200,000 euro hydrofoil.

This coexistence of workers and Boris' friends and family network is one of the special features of the campaign. Even now, equipped with a large budget, the hands-on principle of the deep-sea hero, who started four years ago with a comparatively tiny but close-knit team and achieved worldwide recognition with his fifth place at the last Vendée, still applies.

So it comes as no surprise when Holly Cova swings the broom herself in the evening to clean the hall floor, when Head of Finance Kerstin Hainke primes hatch covers or team photographer Ricardo Pinto drives the forklift truck to lift the foil.

Yesterday, Otto Schacht, Executive Vice President Sea-Logistics at Kühne+Nagel and one of the team's most important partners, was also seen helping out in La Base's hangar. The atmosphere is somewhere between high-end shipyard operation and youth camp. And despite 37 degrees in the shade, everyone here goes about their work with admirable dedication and concentration.

Will Harris, Boris' British co-skipper, looked tired and pale this morning. You can see the 28-year-old's exertions over the past four weeks. But when asked where he lost his sailor's tan, he answers in a good mood, downright relaxed: "There was a lot to do," he says. "There was always something being laminated or painted on the boat. But now comes the fun part." Will is in charge of all the on-board electronics and the 320 load sensors that will monitor the entire hull, foils, rudder and keel.

Yesterday, when the boat hanging from three chain hoists was lowered onto the transport trolley, he simply remained sitting below deck and continued working unperturbed with his team colleague, while one of the four rotating rollers broke underneath them. Cause for panic or at least concern? Nope!

Meanwhile, the technicians on the ground demonstrated their talent for improvisation. In just a few minutes, they retrieved four transport trolleys from one of the containers stacked in the hangar. Boat back up into the crane, rollers off, trolley underneath - and off they went. It would be even better if the first launch failed because of a DIY store item costing 29.90 euros.

However, there have also been more difficult problems to solve in the last few days. Until recently, the bolts for the keel assembly were missing. They had to be specially transported from England. As the mount for the keel fin only has a tolerance of 0.1 millimetres, it had to be reworked slightly. These are tasks that are not listed in the meticulous, metre-long schedule for the launch, but which require time and attention. Typical for a prototype build, and no reason for the team to rush.

Yesterday, a good 25 team members were still whirling at half past ten in the night, and the early shift started at five this morning. Even now, Monday evening at 10 p.m., it's far from over. Boris Herrmann was on site from eight o'clock. He had already set tomorrow's date for the first launch almost a year ago.

During YACHT's last visit to the Multiplast shipyard in nearby Vannes six weeks ago, it seemed foolhardy to the point of being almost inconceivable that the deadline could be met (report in YACHT 15/2022). But even if the clock is ticking, and even if a cold front tomorrow could disrupt the crane date: There is no longer any doubt that "Malizia Seaexplorer" will take to the water. The solemn moment will be broadcast live on YouTube from 8.45 a.m. ( click here for the stream, please! ).

We will of course also be on the quay tomorrow and later on board. We will be reporting on the launch from 1 p.m. and showing the development and exciting details of the new building in a photo gallery!