"Malizia - Seaxeplorer": Virtual tour through Boris Herrmann's new Imoca 60

Last week, Boris Herrmann's new Imoca 60 was launched for the first time and presented to the public. Now the German offshore professional and his team are inviting you on a virtual tour. He will be giving a tour of the racing yacht tomorrow at 6 pm together with his co-skippers Will Harris and Rosalin Kuiper.

The one-hour tour will be broadcast live on Team Malizia's Instagram channel. Team Director Holly Cova will take questions and host the tour. If you miss the livestream or don't have an Instagram profile, you can still watch the tour afterwards for free on YouTube.

The first launch of the new "Malizia - Seaexplorer" could also be followed live last week. It quickly became clear that the design stands out from the competition. The hull is relatively unique. It towers high above the water; the freeboard is a good 40 centimetres higher than on boats of the previous generation, particularly at the stern - and this despite the fact that it has a negative deck step, meaning that it slopes visibly at the front and stern.

However, the differences are even more significant in the underwater hull. Boris' boat has been rethought from the outset, "out of the box", as British Imoca skipper Samantha Davies emphasised during a brief visit to the dock.

It has more keel jump than any other boat in its class. What others call courageous, Herrmann describes as "only logical". He became convinced of this in the Southern Ocean, when he was never able to take the old "Malizia" out in heavy weather, but always had to slow down to avoid constantly falling off the foils and crashing into the back of the waves ahead.

Anyone who wants to see the boat with their own eyes and is afraid of the long journey to Lorient should mark 6 and 7 September in their diary. That's when Boris Herrmann will be honouring his home town. The official naming ceremony will take place on the Elbe, complete with an attractive supporting programme.

Highlights from the launch of the new "Malizia - Seaexplorer"