Vendée Globe: Boris Herrmann's boat in new hands - Francesca Clapcich takes over

"Malizia - Seaexplorer" has mastered two circumnavigations, six Atlantic crossings and around 100,000 nautical miles for her team almost without a hitch. Now the Imoca, which was developed by Boris Herrmann in close collaboration with VPLP and launched in Lorient on 19 July 2022, is coming into new hands. The long-term goal for the boat in new hands is once again the Vendée Globe. The racing yacht built by Multiplast will be taken over by Team Francesca Clapcich Powered By 11th Hour Racing. Team Malizia remains the technical partner.

Roots in Trieste, life in the USA

Born in Trieste and married to top US sailor Sally Barkow, the 2023 Ocean Race winner lives in Park City in the US state of Utah. Today, she is one of the most successful female sailors of her generation.

In 2015, Francesca Clapcich won both the European Championship and the World Championship with Italy's Women's America's Cup star Giulia Conti in the Olympic 49erFX and took part in the Olympic Games twice in different boat classes. In 2012, she sailed to 19th place in the Laser Radial in Weymouth. In 2016, she finished fifth in Rio de Janeiro with Giulia Conti. She competed for the American Magic women's team at the premiere of the Women's America's Cup in Barcelona last year.

Francesca Clapcich has already been extremely successful on the high seas, winning the Ocean Race, and is now setting course for her Vendée Globe premiere in 2028 with the support of 11th Hour Racing, with Boris Herrmann's loyal Imoca serving her under a new name. Her team will take over the racing yacht after the Ocean Race Europe 2025, which will be a farewell tour for Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia.

Vendée Globe and "quadruple coronation" in sight

The 37-year-old Francesca "Frankie" Clapcich will then embark on a journey lasting around three and a half years, during which she wants to qualify for the Vendée Globe 2028/2029, get in shape and then attack around the world in a solo race.

One of the Italian-American sailor's goals is to be the first female sailor to have taken part in all four major sailing events, three of which she has already competed in: the Olympic Games, the America's Cup and The Ocean Race. Now she wants to write the fourth chapter with the Vendée Globe. No man or woman has ever achieved this in the history of sailing.

'Malizia -Seaexplorer' will always be the most important ship in my life." Boris Herrmann

Boris Herrmann commented on the imminent departure of his boat and the handover to Francesca Clapcich: "I am incredibly proud of this boat and what we have achieved together. It will be sad to say goodbye after all the time, energy and work we have put into her. On the other hand, I'm looking forward to passing her on to a sailor like Frankie, someone with so much drive, passion, ambition and a strong sponsor like 11th Hour Racing behind her."

The 43-year-old Boris Herrmann is accompanying the transition with a mixture of wistfulness and curiosity, saying: "I can't wait to see what she will achieve with 'Malizia - Seaexplorer' at the Vendée Globe 2028. In addition, we will work together in the technical area to ensure Frankie has the best possible boat for her races!"

Team Malizia and Team Clapcich join forces

The future collaboration includes overlaps in both the technical and organisational areas. At the recently concluded Vendée Globe, "Malizia - Seaexplorer" was not quite able to show off its well-known strong wind qualities in generally lighter conditions with twelfth place as hoped and, as in the two Transat races in the Vendée Globe start year 2024, with two second places.

But it remains to be seen how Francesca Clapcich and her team will handle the boat and how they will develop it further. "Today is the first step of a long journey to the Vendée Globe 2028. To have 11th Hour Racing's trust on my side is an incredible honour. My team and I are deeply proud to carry their mission around the world," said Francesca Clapcich on this 20th March.

She doesn't just sail - she leads." Jeremy Pochman

This also applies the other way round, as Jeremy Pochman explains. The CEO of 11th Hour Racing said: "Francesca's vision for the sport is bold and necessary. Her relentless drive and passion have made her a respected figure in the sailing world, and her commitment to promoting equity and sustainability aligns perfectly with our mission. By expanding this partnership, we are not only supporting a world-class sailor, but also a movement that is redefining who gets to compete, lead and shape the future of the sport."

Commenting on the sporting programme, the Italian-American sailor said: "The Vendée Globe is the ultimate sporting challenge for a single sailor. Over the next three and a half years, my team's goal will be to take part in several sailing events in the Imoca Globe series, while I immerse myself in the world of solo ocean sailing."

Same destinations away from the Vendée Globe

The cooperation between the two teams also makes a lot of sense for Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia. Herrmann says: "We share similar goals in terms of sustainability and the ocean. Working together in these areas will be the next adventure." Beyond racing, the "Malizia - Seaexplorer" also served its skipper Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia as a platform for climate protection and marine conservation.

Belief and belonging are crucial for success." Francesca Clapcich

The dual mission - sport and environmental commitment - will continue as part of Clapcich's "Believe, Belong, Achieve" campaign, which aims to bring more justice and climate protection to sailing and beyond. "If my parents, coaches and teachers hadn't believed in me, I wouldn't be here today to announce my Vendée Globe campaign. I want to make sure that others have the same opportunities," said Clapcich.

On course for the Vendée Globe: more opportunities, more performance

Clapcich won The Ocean Race with 11th Hour Racing Team as the first Italian woman in the 50-year history of the race. She has been skipper of UpWind by MerConcept, the first all-female team in the Ocean Fifty Series, for a year now. Together with her title sponsor 11th Hour Racing, she is committed to more inclusion in sailing.

"Belief and belonging lead to better performance, both individually and as a team. In addition to my athletic campaign, I work with academics, experts and creatives to promote solutions that help people achieve their lifelong goals," she added. The work and goals of her campaign include education, advocacy and collective action. Last week, the team announced a research partnership with the Carnegie School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University in the UK.

Although the boat is changing hands, the "Malizia - Seaexplorer" will continue to be associated with Team Malizia, which, as the technical partner of Clapcich's team, will continue to work on the organisational side on land for the new racing team in its own racing team. Team Malizia will not comment on its own new building plans until April. Agreements with partners also play a role here.

Why Clapcich opted for Team Malizia

"For this first attempt at the Vendée Globe, I need a boat that has proven to be fast and reliable. We chose Team Malizia as our technical partner because they know the boat inside out and can best prepare me for solo offshore sailing with Imocas. Their commitment to ocean health and sustainability is also in line with our mission," Clapcich explained the new team partnership from her perspective.

"Malizia - Seaexplorer" fans will also be able to follow the further development of the racing yacht at close quarters in the future, when a new skipper, Francesca Clapcich, will be at the helm. Her team will take over after the Ocean Race Europe and work hand in hand with Team Malizia. Clapcich's first Vendée Globe cycle begins in sporting terms with her participation in the Transat Café L'Or.

The starting signal for the two-handed transat, in which Melwin Fink and Lennart Burke, for example, are also taking part in the Class40, will be given on 26 October this year in Le Havre, France. The race will take its challengers to Fort-de-France in Martinique.

A new chapter for "Malizia - Seaexplorer" and Francesca Clapcich:

Believe. Belong. Achieve. Francesca Clapcich introduced herself and her team's goals in the video clip a few months ago: