Kieler Woche: A home game for Boris Herrmann – first Kiel, then the launch

Boris Herrmann will not be taking part in the sporting programme of the 132nd Kieler Woche this year. Nevertheless, the six-time round-the-world sailor is the star of the world’s largest nine-day regatta week. The 45-year-old and Team Malizia have brought their research vessel, the ‘Malizia Explorer’, and their GC32 racing catamaran, the ‘Malizia 1’, to Kiel. There are plans for a range of activities for guests, interactions with fans and, according to an NDR report, a sailing trip with Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday, before the Federal President opens Kiel Week in the city centre this evening .

The best result at the Kieler Woche: second place in the 505 class

When Boris Herrmann is in Kiel, you’ll find him at the heart of the sailing scene: “I really like Schilksee and Strande. Strande, in particular, feels like a home from home to me. But I also find the whole of Kiel Week, with all its events stretching right into the city centre, really exciting. There’s such a special energy here during Kiel Week.”

In the late 1990s, Boris had spent his first few weeks in Kiel with friends from the Bad Zwischeahner Sailing Club. After completing his A-levels in 2000, he went on to compete in the 470 class, and later on larger boats such as the GC32 catamaran, with which Team Malizia had already competed at Kiel Week in 2021 and which is now back for another visit.

“For me, Kiel Week is my home waters, a tradition and also an opportunity to have our research vessel, the ‘Malizia Explorer’, docked at Geomar in Kiel during its voyage,” says Boris Herrmann, who has taken part in Kiel Week around a dozen times in various boat classes. He remembers his best result at Kiel Week very well: in 2006, he and Julian Kleiner came second in the 505 class behind the Danish winners, managing to finish ahead of record-breaking champions Wolfgang Hunger and Holger Jess.

Boris Herrmann: “We’d love to host the Olympics in Kiel”

Given his long-standing ties to Schleswig-Holstein’s “Sailing City”, Herrmann has also taken a clear stance in the competition among bidders for the nomination as Germany’s candidate to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036, 2024 or 2044: “Wherever the Olympics take place in Germany, sailing should definitely be held in Kiel. We would all be delighted and proud.”

Sport brings people together, creates memories, shapes identity and creates a great atmosphere. We used to have that here. That’s why I’d be absolutely delighted if the Olympics came back to Kiel.” Boris Herrmann

He himself changed disciplines some time ago and has been competing in the IMOCA class for almost a decade now. He has competed in two Vendée Globes and one Ocean Race round the world, both solo and as part of a team. In Team Malizia’s tenth anniversary year, a new five-year chapter has now begun. To mark this, Team Malizia has built a new IMOCA, which is nearing completion in Lorient.

What Boris Herrmann and big-wave surfer Sebastian Steudtner have in common

But first, there are the Malizia events for Kiel Week. “We want to share all our projects and plans for Kiel Week with guests and fans,” says Herrmann ahead of the opening weekend of Team Malizia’s XL appearance at Kiel Week. Even before the official opening, Boris Herrmann will take to the stage at the Sailing Arena in the Kiel-Schilksee Olympic Centre for a chat with big-wave surfer Sebastian Steudtner.

Herrmann says of Steudtner: “Sebastian and I are friends. We met in Monaco at the launch of the Explorer. We’ve also noticed quite a few parallels between our activities, life paths and personal outlooks – what we’re looking for, what matters to us. To me, Sebastian is a fascinating and charismatic figure in the world of sport. His film is brilliant too. I’m delighted that we’re working on various projects together, including this one here in Kiel.”

The two extreme sports athletes are expected at the Sailing Arena in the Kiel-Schilksee Olympic Centre this Friday evening (19 June) from 6.30 pm. “We want to talk about safety on the water. This includes the risk of hypoxia and the fatality we experienced in Brazil on board the ‘Malizia Explorer’,” says Boris Herrmann. During an expedition on the ‘Malizia Explorer’ on 22 April off the Brazilian archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, 32-year-old fellow sailor Lukas Wehage died in a diving accident.

The date for the launch of “Malizia 4” has been set

On the Saturday of Kiel Week, Boris Herrmann and his co-skippers Cole Brauer and Will Harris will be at the Sailing Arena from 6 pm for a meet-and-greet and autograph session. By the time the Olympic sailors’ medal races take place on 24 June, halfway through Kieler Woche, Team Malizia’s research vessel will already be on its way to Sustainability Week in Hamburg.

For Herrmann, there are now just twelve days to go until the launch of “Malizia 4” in Lorient, the date for which has now been confirmed: the new yacht will be launched for the first time in Lorient, France, on 6 July. With “Malizia 4”, they intend to Boris Herrmann and his team will be taking part in the Ocean Race Atlantic from 1 September. In the medium and long term, the Ocean Race 2027 and Herrmann’s third Vendée Globe in 2028 are set to be the highlights.

With the new racing yacht Boris Herrmann links in Team Malizia’s tenth anniversary year high hopes. The six-time round-the-world sailor said: “I hope to lead ‘Malizia 4’ to victory in the Ocean Race, be right up there at the front in the Vendée Globe and deliver a top-class campaign.” The first real test for “Malizia 4” begins with the Ocean Race Atlantic team race, which starts on 1 September and runs from New York to Lorient.

Little time, many challenges for Team Malizia

Before that, “Malizia 4” will be transferred to New York. Boris Herrmann is looking forward to his new boat with optimism and excitement: “I think it’s going to be a brilliant boat!” Herrmann knows that they’ll need to make the most of the short time available before the first regatta after the launch. “We’re relying on it to sail well; otherwise, none of this would work. The crossing to New York will also serve as another good training run. It’s all coming at us very quickly now.”

An unconventional team – Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia have released this clip to mark the team’s tenth anniversary: