Team Malizia: Cole keeps his cool – Brauer christens Boris’s rocket ‘Malizia 4’

The best present to mark the tenth anniversary of Boris Herrmann’s Team Malizia is the new boat. The “Malizia 4”, which was launched on 6 July at La Base in Lorient took centre stage at her christening this Saturday. The Breton sun provided the spotlight for her. Co-skipper Cole Brauer christened the boat that evening at the jetty, to loud applause and cheers from the guests.

All aboard: sailing trips with the “Malizia 4” and the volunteers

The celebrations had already begun that afternoon. The team shared their joy and excitement about “Malizia 4” with everyone who had contributed to the creation of the new IMOCA rocket: team members, partners, friends and all those involved in its construction. They were invited aboard for sailing trips off the coast of Lorient. In glorious summer weather, with calm seas and perfect foiling conditions, they had the opportunity to experience the new racing machine first-hand.

The main focus of the celebrations that day was the XXXL team’s achievement. The design, construction and completion process had taken two years. More than 120 people were involved, contributing around 85,000 working hours. When ‘Malizia 4’ returned to its home port of La Base on Saturday afternoon, all the guests and the team gathered on the pontoon to witness the christening together.

"This is a very exciting day for us, and we are incredibly happy to be surrounded by all of you to celebrate this important milestone." Boris Herrmann

Together with his co-skippers Will Harris (Great Britain), Cole Brauer (USA), Justine Mettraux (Switzerland) and Loïs Berrehar (France), Boris Herrmann had gathered on deck of the “Malizia 4” before addressing his team and the guests. The 45-year-old said: “I am deeply grateful to our team, our partners, supporters and everyone who has helped bring this boat to life.”

"It’s a spectacular boat. And seeing it perform so well already is a fantastic feeling for all of us." Boris Herrmann

Boris Herrmann then looked over at his 32-year-old co-skipper, Cole Brauer, who has herself sailed solo round the world in a Class 40. Boris Herrmann said: “Now it’s up to Cole to play the crucial part in today’s proceedings: she’s to smash the champagne bottle as hard as she can to officially christen the boat!”

Superlatives for “Malizia 4”: “fantastic”, “magical”, “spectacular”

The petite yet tenacious sailor didn’t need to be asked twice. As the guests counted down loudly from ten, the dynamic Cole Brauer took a run-up and smashed the bottle of champagne – donated by the Yacht Club de Monaco for the ceremony – against the anchor of the new boat. As the bottle shattered against the hull, the boat was officially christened “Malizia 4” – accompanied by the traditional wishes for fair winds and success for the boat and its crew.

Even before the launch, the designers, boat builders and the whole team were impressed by the performance of the latest IMOCA were rewarded during their first week of testing. The boat passed its first tests and training runs with flying colours; it glided along so smoothly that it was a joy for Boris Herrmann and his crew. The pride and enthusiasm surrounding this have been growing since 6 July and show no sign of abating.

Boris Herrmann, who is not usually one to resort to verbal superlatives, has on various occasions described the boat as “fantastic”, “magical” and now “spectacular”. These descriptions also show just how pleased the six-time circumnavigator is at present with the initial findings following the long development phase.

Initial two-boat tests have already been completed

Since the launch, the team has made the most of every opportunity on the water; it has already moved on from its initial cautious trials to performance mode and has continued to get to know the new boat in detail, testing and optimising it. Chief designer Antoine Koch was also on board during the sailing sessions. And the new IMOCA has already completed its first two-boat tests, for example with Ambrogio Beccaria’s “Allagrande Mapei”.

Co-skipper Will Harris also paid tribute to all his fellow competitors over the past two years: “I’d just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has put their time, countless hours of work, their passion and their heart and soul into this boat. It represents an incredible team effort. We’re looking forward to sailing round the world with her in the coming years – in The Ocean Race, the Vendée Globe and many more adventures that lie ahead.”

"We’ll do everything we can to make you all proud every step of the way. Here’s to you all!" Will Harris

Later that evening, the team celebrated not only the christening of the new yacht, but also the racing team’s tenth anniversary at the Malizia hangar in La Base, Lorient, directly opposite the Maison des Skippers and the Capitainerie. In less than four weeks’ time, the boat and crew will set off for their first race. The ‘journey’ will be somewhat longer and will serve to carry out further testing and optimisation: the route takes them across the Atlantic to New York, where the starting signal will be given on 1 September On the new Ocean Race Atlantic falls.

A new boat, a new chapter in the team’s history

The Transat will take six IMOCs and their four-person crews – each accompanied by a reporter – from New York back to Lorient. Boris Herrmann will be sailing the boat in the Ocean Race Atlantic alongside co-skippers Julien Villion, Justine Mettraux, Cole Brauer and on-board reporter Gauthier Lebec.

Following a brief refit, Herrmann will then compete in his first solo race aboard the new yacht in the Route du Rhum, before Team Malizia sets sail in The Ocean Race 2027 in the new year. For “Malizia 4”, The Ocean Race will mark its first round-the-world voyage. For her skipper, Boris Herrmann, it will already be his seventh! This coincides with Team Malizia’s current transition into a new era; on 18 July, the team looked back on an eventful decade whilst also looking forward to exciting times ahead.

Team Malizia has released the seventh and final instalment of the “Born to Race” series. “Malizia 4” marks the start of a new era:

Boris Neue takes to the skies – the YACHT TV film marking the launch of “Malizia 4”: