The mood was good at the Malizia press conference three days before the start of the 2nd Ocean Race Europe in Kiel. Boris Herrmann and his crew for the first of the five legs around Europe introduced themselves at the Baltic Sailing Club right by the Blücherbrücke, where all seven Imocas that will be taking part in the European race are now moored. Crews of four plus on-board reporters will contest each leg. At least one woman must always be a member of the sailing crew. On "Malizia - Seaexplorer" there are two of them.
Ocean Race Europe: the Malizia opening crew
Vendée Globe eighth and Ocean Race winner Justine Mettraux (Switzerland) and Class 40 circumnavigator Cole Brauer (USA) as well as Boris Herrmann (Hamburg) and Will Harris (Great Britain) will form the racing quartet in the Ocean Race Europe at the start. Flore Hartout (France/Netherlands) will be on board as onboard reporter. Boris Herrmann and Will Harris know each other best, having competed together for the first time in the Rolex Fastnet Race in 2019.
If Boris Herrmann has his way, the new Malizia crew have come to stay. "They are committed. If any of them drop out, I'll be deeply disappointed," says Boris Herrmann about his new and future crewmates, of whom he has travelled by far the most nautical miles with the already well-known Will Harris and the fewest with Justine Mettraux.
Cole Brauer, who grew up on Long Island and started sailing while studying at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, received a call from Team Malizia two weeks after her solo around the world. She had just become internationally known for her participation in the Global Solo Challenge 2023/2024. As skipper of the Class40 "First Light", she finished second after 130 days and became the first American woman to sail single-handed non-stop around the world.
What Boris Herrmann has in common with Cole Brauer
Boris Herrmann says about Cole Brauer (31): "I have a lot of respect for her because of her race around the world, I found myself there a bit. To sail around the world in a 40-footer as an outsider from her own country, to pull it off like that. And also in the style in which she did it. I felt a connection and that's why I wanted to get to know her and bring her into the team."
Cole is always positive, brings a great energy on board to find the right trim and push the performance." Boris Herrmann
Boris Herrmann now knows: "Cole is interested in the long term, is committed and is qualified as a candidate. When I think about questions like why there are no Germans? Then there's nobody who says: OK, I want to sail Imoca until '32 and get involved. I don't know anyone there. It's certainly not always easy, but I don't know anyone. But that's what she said. And that's quite an announcement - with everything that goes with it."
Boris Herrmann says of Justine Mettraux (38), who impressed so much at her Vendée Globe première with eighth place as best soloist: "She is simply the best sailor, above all questions. She doesn't have any fluff in her head either - just like me (laughs). She's not afraid, always gets straight to the point. She doesn't mess around and also has this will to win. She simply has a deep professional culture."
More Malizia aces for the Ocean Race Europe
In an interview with YACHT online, Boris Herrmann also introduced the two crew members who are not yet required on board on leg one. Francesca Clapcich, 37, impresses Boris Herrmann with her broad sailing horizons: "Frankie won the last Ocean Race around the world, was at the Olympic Games and the Women's America's Cup. She is the new owner of our ship. She is part of the crew because we want to stay connected with our ship in the long term. We will stay connected, co-manage her campaign and build a bigger racing stable with two Imocas."
Like Cole Brauer, Frenchman Loïs Berrehar is also 31 years young. Boris Herrmann says: "Loïs is like family to me. His father is one of my best friends in Brittany. Without his dad, I would never have managed our Beluga campaign back then. He was the one who got it all started back then. Yann is someone who may not be so well known internationally, but he's still a sailing legend who sailed with Eric Tabarly or Eric Loiseau." As a nine-year-old, Loïs Berrehar was the godfather of Boris Herrmann's Class40, which he later sailed around the world for the first time with his friend and co-skipper Felix Oehme.
Berrehar and Herrmann met again and again, including at the kitchen table at Berrehar's family home in Brittany. "Loïs is a great surfer, a super guy, sailed the Solitaire du Figaro seven times, did Jacques Vabre, sailed a lot of Imoca. He naturally grew up in this sailing culture. They also took a sabbatical year on the Atlantic with his dad and sister when they were at school. They are simply a sailing family from the book."
Long-term two-boat test plans with Loïs Berrehar
Loïs Berrehar is the future "Banque Populaire" Imoca skipper. "We are building sister ships," says Boris Herrmann. Thomas Ruyant is the third man in this joint design and construction project. Boris Herrmann and Loïs Berrehar also have a strategic alliance.
Boris Herrmann explains shortly before the start of the Ocean Race Europe: "We want to organise a two-boat campaign for the Vendée Globe together. The first ever true two-boat campaign with two teams who trust each other, who swap budgets, people, technology, details, plans, telemetry, data, everything. We've already looked at the calendar to see which weeks we can do two-boat testing in 2028. Because it all comes down to 2028. We won't be back from the Ocean Race around the world until 2027. Then comes the two-handed transat..."
Boris Herrmann also has high praise for the onboard reporters in Team Malizia: "We've already sailed a lot with Flore (editor: Flore Hartout, 26, Netherlands/France). She has already earned her merits. She does a great job. And then there's Julien, an absolute rock star. He may not be so well known in Germany, but he was also Justine's co-skipper. Everyone in France wants to work with him. He is permanently employed by Gitana and finds the time to sail with us. He is also a foiling expert and sails the Motte a lot. There are three, four, five people like him in the world."
The Ocean Race Europe as a prelude to much more...
Boris Herrmann's outlook on the new major chapter in the Malizia team's history is positive: "Everything has been planned for many years. It's not about a single day's leg, not about a single event, but about ensuring that everything runs smoothly. Of course we want to get the best out of the Ocean Race Europe. Coming first is always great! And we've already done part of this Ocean Race Europe as part of the Ocean Race around the world. We had a really good experience in the Ocean Race around Europe back then. Who knows: maybe we can do well..."
Focus on the Ocean Race Europe:
The Malizians on course for the Ocean Race Europe:
