Half a dozen teams are taking up the challenge of the Ocean Race Atlantic in its inaugural edition. On paper, Boris Herrmann’s “Malizia 4” and Kojiro Shiraishi’s new “DMG Mori Global One” are the favourites. The two new speedsters, flying the German and Japanese flags, belong to two powerhouses of the IMOCA world based at La Base in Lorient: Team Malizia and the DMG Mori Sailing Team.
How will the newcomers fare in the Ocean Race Atlantic?
Both launched their new boats this summer. Team Malizia launched its Koch-designed boat, built as part of a three-way partnership with Thomas Ruyant Racing and Team Banque Populaire, whilst the DMG Mori Sailing Team launched its Verdier-designed boat. At present, ‘Malizia 4’ and ‘DMG Mori Global One’ are on the water the spearhead of IMOCA development, are the latest generation in the evolution of this class, who will be taking part in their first regatta on 1 September. The NDR livestream for this event starts here on 1 September at 5.55 pm.
Ahead of the 2028/2029 Vendée Globe, further new builds for big-name sailors such as Seb Simon, Yoann Richomme and Loïck Berrehar are set to be delivered this year and next. For all of them, the Ocean Race Atlantic comes too soon. Other IMOCA teams with newer or older designs are not taking part in the Atlantic premiere because they lack the time or resources, or because their partners and sponsors wish to focus on the classic French solo and shorthanded races.
The perspectives of Francesca Clapcich and Paul Meilhat, winner of the Ocean Race Europe. Like Boris Herrmann and the other skippers, they too embrace the Ocean Race formats, seeing the history and ethos of The Ocean Race and its sister races as challenges that offer great added value and a deliberate emphasis on teamwork. Clapcich’s ‘11th Hour Racing’ is Boris Herrmann’s ‘Malizia 3’, built in 2022. Paul Meilhat’s “United by the Ocean” is the 2022 ex-“Biotherm”, built in the same year.
Battle in the North Atlantic: two favourites, three challengers, one outsider
Oliver Heer’s “Embrace the Challenge” dates back even further. The VPLP foiler was launched in 2018 as ‘Charal’ for Jérémie Beyou, and then served Justine Mettraux admirably as ‘TeamWork – Team Snef’ in the last Vendée Globe. Now the eight-year-old IMOCA – overhauled and sporting a new look – is firmly in Swiss hands.
These three well-seasoned boats form the midfield of the ambitious contenders in the Ocean Race Atlantic, with the potential to challenge even the new builds for their positions. These three boats, with their solo sailors at the time, finished the 2024/2025 Vendée Globe in the following order: 1. “United in the Ocean” (5th as “Biotherm” with Paul Meilhat), 2. ‘Embrace the Challenge’ (8th as ‘TeamWork – Team Snef’ with the top female solo sailor, Justine Mettraux), 3. ‘11th Hour Racing’ (12th as ‘Malizia – Seaexplorer’ with Boris Herrmann).
Will it turn out the same way again in the Ocean Race Atlantic, covering around 3,200 nautical miles, or might things be quite different for the team? Good to know: the former ‘Malizia – Seaexplorer’ has achieved outstanding results in rough conditions, both in Atlantic races with Boris Herrmann prior to the last Vendée Globe and under her new skipper, Francesca Clapcich. In both the Transat CIC and the New York Vendée – Les Sables-d’Olonne in 2024, Boris Herrmann secured two very strong second-place finishes on the Atlantic.
A force on the Atlantic for many years: Boris Herrmann’s former ‘Malizia – Seaexplorer’
Even after Francesca Clapcich took over last year, ‘11th Hour Racing’ continued to perform strongly. With co-skipper Will Harris, a healthy dose of ambition and a high proportion of manual steering, she stormed to second place in the Transat Café L’Or, demonstrating in her first major IMOCA race as a new skipper on the Atlantic just what the former ‘Malizia – Seaexplorer’ (‘Malizia 3’) is capable of. Such a performance would put the team, which is once again reinforced in ‘Anleihe’ by Team Malizia through Will Harris, and would love to do it again in the upcoming Ocean Race Atlantic.
“It’s the North Atlantic in September. You can encounter some pretty severe storms. You have to cope with the Gulf Stream. It’s one of the most challenging sailing areas in the world.” Will Harris
For Swiss “Embrace the Challenge” skipper Oliver Heer, the Ocean Race Atlantic marks a change from the IMOCA discipline, which has so far been contested mainly as a solo event, to the team racing division. Having become the first German-speaking Swiss sailor to complete the Vendée Globe in February 2025, Heer now wants to find out just how far he can push his boat as part of a team.
"I have deliberately surrounded myself with people who have experience at the very highest level of the sport. Everyone brings a different strength to the table. That is exactly what we wanted." Oliver Heer
As an outsider, the ever-energetic Conrad Colman is setting off on the Ocean Race Atlantic in the VPL/Verdier-designed ‘MSIG Europe’, built in 2007. Without foils, but with boundless energy, Conrad Colman and his ‘100% Kiwi’ crew will bring their passion to the race and show that winning is important, but it isn’t everything.
The fact that the inaugural Ocean Race Atlantic also offers the chance to set records, as Boris Herrmann is not the only one to have pointed out. He – like “Frankie” Clapcich – sees the potential, under the right conditions, to beat the 641.13 nautical miles achieved even by “Malizia – Seaexplorer” on 26 May 2023. At the time, the record was set by Boris Herrmann, Will Harris, Rosalin Kuiper and Yann Eliès on leg five of the Ocean Race round the world. And that was in the North Atlantic! The average speed during the record-breaking run was an impressive 26.71 knots.
The Ocean Race Atlantic: a brief introduction to the six teams
Team Malizia (Germany)
- Skipper: Boris Herrmann (Hamburg)
- Crew: Justine Mettraux (Switzerland), Cole Brauer (USA), Julien Villion (France)
- On-board reporter: Gauthier Lebec (France)
- Boat: ‘Malizia 4’, launch: 6 July 2026
DMG Mori Sailing Team (Japan)
- Skipper: Kojiro Shiraishi (Japan)
- Crew: Samantha Davies (Great Britain), Nicolas Lunven (France), Arisa Moriya (Japan)
- On-board reporter: Anne Beaugé (France)
- Vessel: ‘DMG Mori Global One’, launch: 2 July 2026
11th Hour Racing (Italy/USA)
- Skipper: Francesca ‘Frankie’ Clapcich (Italy/USA)
- Crew: Will Harris (United Kingdom), Alberto Bona (Italy), Elodie-Jane Mettraux (Switzerland)
- On-board reporter: Julien Champolion (France)
- Yacht: ‘11th Hour Racing’ (2022)
United by the Ocean
- Skipper: Paul Meilhat (France) and Mariana Lobato (Portugal)
- Crew: Benjamin Ferré (France), Sara Stone (USA)
- On-board reporter: Marin Le Roux (France)
- Film: “United by the Ocean” (2022)
Embrace the Challenge (Switzerland)
- Skipper: Oliver Heer (Switzerland)
- Crew: Lincoln Dews (Australia), Marie Riou (France), Liz Wardley (Papua New Guinea/Australia)
- On-board reporter: Patrick Condy (United Kingdom)
- Boat: ‘Embrace the Challenge’ (2018)
Team MSIG Europe (New Zealand)
- Skipper: Conrad Colman (New Zealand)
- Crew: Anna Merchant, Aaron Hume-Merry, Megan Thomson (all from New Zealand)
- On-board reporter: Georgia Schofield (New Zealand)
- Vessel: ‘MSIG Europe’ (2007)
These are the six challengers for the inaugural Ocean Race Atlantic:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter