Ocean Race Atlantic: What the tracker data reveals about ‘Malizia 4’

The new ‘Malizia 4’ is leading the Ocean Race Atlantic after around 40 hours – and this is its very first regatta. At 8.35 am CEST on 4 September, Boris Herrmann’s team was in PredictWind Tracker 13.4 nautical miles ahead of United by the Ocean, 22.8 nautical miles ahead of 11th Hour Racing and 37.4 nautical miles ahead of DMG Mori. The fleet still has around 2,475 nautical miles to go to Lorient.

However, the following interim assessment is by no means an early prediction of victory. It is an initial tracker check: what can we actually glean about the new boat’s performance from its positions, speeds, wind data and manoeuvres?

What we analysed

For the analysis, we compared the available track data and telemetry data from all six boats. Among other things, these provide speed over ground, course over ground, true wind, wind angle and, in some cases, other on-board readings. This makes it possible to determine when a boat accelerates, encounters lighter winds or performs a manoeuvre.

The data has its limitations. It does not represent a controlled boat test under identical wind and sea conditions. The crews sail different courses, make tactical decisions and often find themselves in different wind fields. Individual readings can fluctuate, there are gaps in the data transmission, and a faster boat may simply be catching more wind. For this reason, any unusual readings were always cross-checked against the smoothed position track.

After all, a single high speed reading proves very little. Longer, comparable periods and the interplay of speed, angle and position are more telling.

The strongest clue: fast on the cross

The first nine hours of racing provide the best comparison so far. After the start on 2 September at 14:00 UTC, the fleet sailed south-east on a port tack in 17 to 18-knot north-easterly winds and waves of around 0.8 metres. Team Malizia was the first to cross the virtual start line; all six IMOCs started within 30 seconds.

During this relatively similar close-hauled phase, ‘Malizia 4’ achieved an average speed of around 17.0 knots over ground, according to our analysis. 11th Hour Racing clocked up around 16.4 knots, United by the Ocean around 16.1 knots, and DMG Mori around 15.5 knots. At times, Malizia was even sailing slightly closer to the wind.

This is the clearest positive result for the new boat so far. It is in line with the team’s expectation that the Koch-Finot-Conq design could be particularly strong upwind. Before the start, Herrmann had described precisely this comparison as exciting: Malizia 4 versus the new DMG Mori and the upgraded older foilers and this was also confirmed yesterday: “The boat really has power when sailing close to the wind”.

The first Super Sprint also reinforces this impression. Malizia covered 6.75 nautical miles within the 20-minute window, averaging 20.25 knots. The team won this special classification. However, the second sprint was won by 11th Hour Racing, ahead of Malizia and United by the Ocean. So there is no clear-cut trend.

What is the Super Sprint?

In the Ocean Race Atlantic, a ‘Super Sprint’ is a short scoring race held as part of the ongoing offshore regatta. The teams cannot choose the time slot freely: all boats are scored simultaneously over the same 20-minute period, as determined by the regatta organisers. The timing is fixed during the regatta: the sprint is linked to the daily live on-board show (Broadcast times and player at the bottom of the article) and begins at 5.00 pm CEST or 3.00 pm UTC on each race day. The decisive factor is the greatest distance, as measured by GPS, between the start and finish points, regardless of the direction sailed. The classification has no bearing on the race result: a separate daily and overall classification is maintained using points, but this does not affect the overall standings of the Ocean Race Atlantic.

Not just speed, but also position

The tracker also clearly shows that the current lead is not down to boat speed alone. After the long south-easterly leg, Malizia was the first boat to tack north. The data indicates that this took place on 3 September at around 1.07 am CEST. Official race communications confirm Team Malizia as the first boat in this series of tacks.

This early decision initially took the crew through a distinct light-wind zone. True wind speeds were at times as low as five to eight knots in the morning, with some telemetry readings even lower than that. The fleet stayed close together before heading north-east and later east into stronger south-easterly winds.

On the afternoon and evening of 3 September, United by the Ocean was faster at times. The boat closed the gap, took the lead on paper at around 8.10 pm CEST and was at times just under four nautical miles ahead of Malizia during the night. 11th Hour Racing, Embrace the Challenge and DMG Mori also posted strong speeds during this fast reach leg.

Malizia did not counter with a striking top speed, but rather by her position. The boat was sailing around 0.4 degrees of latitude – roughly 24 nautical miles – further north than United and 11th Hour Racing. During the night of 4 September, this positioning paid off: whilst the competitors further south experienced longer periods of slower sailing, Malizia maintained a better average pace. At around 2.20 am CEST, the team retook the lead.

So, the fair assessment of the change in the lead is this: Malizia was quick enough to defend and capitalise on its more northerly position. However, the lead is as much a tactical success as it is a testament to the boat’s performance.

Where the new building has yet to show any benefits

In 39 ten-minute windows during which ‘Malizia 4’ and 11th Hour Racing had approximately the same reported wind speeds and wind angles, the average speed over ground is practically identical. Particularly during transitional phases and in light winds, the new boat has so far shown no clear advantage over the earlier ‘Malizia – Seaexplorer’, which now sails as 11th Hour Racing.

The foiling boats are also closely matched in terms of the top speeds reported so far: Malizia reached around 26.8 knots, United 27.3 and DMG Mori 27.9 knots. Such peak speeds are, in any case, merely snapshots. They say little about which boat can maintain the highest average speed over several days in changing conditions.

The frequently cited target of a ten per cent increase in performance cannot be confirmed after the first few hours of racing. In any case, it should not be interpreted as a constant two-knot lead. The ‘Malizia 4’ has been designed as a versatile new vessel: competitive downwind, closer to the very fast light-wind designs, whilst also performing well on the reach.

The initial assessment is positive

“Malizia 4” is immediately competitive in racing. In rough upwind sailing, she delivered the most convincing display of speed seen so far in the regatta. She weathered the light-wind phase without suffering any major tactical setbacks and was later able to capitalise on her more northerly position to take a clear lead.

Around two months after its launch, the brand-new IMOCA is competing in its first regatta, with no major technical problems having emerged so far. This is an important sign for a newly built yacht. Before the start, YACHT magazine had ranked the six teams and their very different boats in its favourites’ round-up. The course of the race so far confirms one thing above all: the year of manufacture alone does not decide this race.

United by the Ocean remains the most dangerous rival at present. The tried-and-tested former ‘Biotherm’ sailed consistently enough to take the lead on one occasion already. 11th Hour Racing, formerly known as ‘Malizia – Seaexplorer’, is the most direct point of comparison – and, having won the second sprint, remains very close to the lead. DMG Mori has also shown high speeds, but has so far failed to translate these into an equally favourable overall position.

The next real test is only just beginning: several days of high speeds, rougher seas, few manoeuvres and constant strain on the boat and crew. On the morning of 4 September, Malizia, in the lead, reported a true wind speed of just under twelve knots, whilst some of the boats further back were experiencing winds of 19 to 25 knots and were consequently sailing faster. This could bring the gaps between the boats back together.

Our Trackercheck thus provides a cautious but interesting initial indication: the new ‘Malizia 4’ is living up to high expectations on the cross and appears remarkably robust in its first regatta. The data available so far does not suggest that it is, in principle, ten per cent ahead of its older rivals. Not yet, at any rate.

The broadcast times of the live shows

Book recommendation

Boris Herrmann, seaexplorer uses photographs and personal accounts to introduce readers to the world from which Team Malizia hails: high-seas races under pressure, decisions made far from the coast, and coping with the unique conditions at sea. The book complements the technical, tracker-based perspective of this race report with a human insight into Boris Herrmann’s previous regatta experiences and his commitment to ocean conservation.

How do you assess Malizia’s lead so far: primarily as evidence of speed, or as a result of its more favourable northern positioning?