This is supposed to be an Imoca? This question was asked by some curious onlookers at the first presentation of the new "DMG Mori" for the team of the same name led by Japanese skipper Kojiro Shiraishi. Friends, family members and media representatives were impressed by the premiere of the black and red boat. The design differs greatly from the designs of previous Imocas, both visually and in terms of content.
A different kind of Imoca: "DMG Mori Global One"
For 59-year-old Kojiro Shiraishi, the final chapter of his Imoca career is set to begin with the new build created at Multiplast. The Japanese said at the presentation: "This will be my last boat, so I want to make it something special." At first glance, he has succeeded. Active on the Imoca stage since 2016, three-time Vendée Globe participant Kojiro Shiraishi is now attacking once again with an extraordinary design.
The first race for Shiraishi's team, as for Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia, will be the Ocean Race Atlantic from New York to Lorient, Six four-person teams have so far registered for the start on 1 September. The hull shape of "DMG Mori Global One", said Shiraishi at the presentation, "is definitely very different from the other boats. I asked Guillaume Verdier and his team to think freely, to develop ideas freely - without limits. And that's how we ended up here."
Team DMG Mori are convinced by the new design. The statement on the first presentation reads: "At first glance, the shape of the hull of the new Imoca is reminiscent of the centre hull of a trimaran, which is designed in such a way that the boat comes onto the foils more easily, hits the waves less violently and reduces the wetted surface and drag."
Bold design decision for a new path
Also Design maestro Guillaume Verdier knows that his team is breaking new ground in the Imoca world with this design. The man who won the America's Cup, flying objects like the new "Gitana 18" or mega yachts like Lindsay Owen-Jones 100-foot maxi "Magic Carpet e" said: "It's completely different, which is always a bit scary." This new building can be credited with the courage of its fathers.
Attentive observers of the new "DMG Mori" immediately thought of the "bustle" theme from the America's Cup: the moulding of the hulls on their underside, which is intended to optimise the boat's immersion in the water and, above all, its take-off. Verdier says: "We worked a lot on the moulds and thought there was a new possibility, as in reality the boats don't tilt much most of the time."
Verdier elaborates on this idea and explains: "We designed boats to lean, but that's not how we sail when we sail around the world. So we pushed in the other direction. We designed a foil that is more upright. It's not just the hull. Everything is integrated - the foil, the aerodynamics, the rudder..." The visionary mastermind Verdier sees the DMG Mori project as a stroke of luck.
We are so happy that people trust us to try this new approach. It's exciting. A bit scary, but very exciting!" Guillaume Verdier.
According to Verdier, Kojiro Shiraishi was very open and supported his team in trying out something new: "It's incredible that he trusted us so much during this process." The new design also has a pleasant side effect. Verdier says: "The sailors suffered so much under the previous boats. We hope that it will now feel more like sailing on a multihull. Only with much less wetted surface. It should be very different. We think that's very promising."
A new chapter in Imoca's design history
Team manager Jacques Caraës is confident about the new "DMG Mori Global One": "It is a new chapter in the Imoca design. The boat should be very stable and get on the foils sooner. At least we hope so!" Samantha "Sam" Davies, who supports the racing team and is part of the sailing team for the Ocean Race Atlantic, has a similar view. The British Imoca expert, who lives in France, said: "We can immediately see the new development in the hull shape, which is different from all Imocas sailing today."
It will be fun to learn to sail with her. In theory, it's a hull shape that hits the water much less and foils much earlier." Samatha Davies
The new "DMG Mori Global One" will be further optimised in Lorient for another month or so before it is expected to be launched for the first time at the end of June. The Ocean Race Atlantic will then be the first major race on the programme from 1 September. The transfer to New York is expected to begin at the beginning of August.
The participating teams, which include Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia with the then also almost brand new "Malizia 4" and Francesca Clapcich's crew will be counting on "11th Hour Racing" (ex-"Malizia 3"), see the team transat under the Ocean Race umbrella as the first valuable reality check on course for the most important team race around the world: The 15th Ocean Race starts on 17 January 2027.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
