Vendée Globe: Boris Herrmann's new "Malizia" - the most important details

It's like an anthill: 30 boat builders - ten from the Malizia team, 20 from the Multiplast shipyard - are scurrying around. Two men are fitting the rudder system with its saucer-sized bearing shells at the stern. One of them places the vacuum pump on the fresh laminate of the connection between the huge bowsprit and the hull. Three men, like convicts in shackles, use a huge sanding board to remove filler from the outer skin. In the heart of the boat, the completely enclosed control centre, four or five men are laminating around the platform that will later accommodate the trim lines, winches and grinder.

Otherwise, however, the hull is still yawningly empty: no cables, no electronics, no keel hydraulics, no foils, no lines and fittings. A hull made of carbon fibre, sober, naked - and yet already deeply impressive.

In the meantime, hatch covers for the watertight bulkheads are being fitted with closures next to the boat and the upper-arm-thick branches of the pipe system for the four ballast tanks are being laminated. On deck, the painter is already starting to mask off the first components; the first coat of primer is to be applied tonight. Everywhere, really in every corner of the boat, someone is working. It's dizzying to look at.

It is a minor miracle that the boat was completed on schedule, especially at a time when almost all sectors of the economy are suffering from delivery bottlenecks and delays. After all, "Malizia 3" is one of the most complex high-tech boats ever built - a construction somewhere between aviation and Formula 1.

Anyone standing in front of it must first readjust their usual viewing habits. Because what has taken shape here is nothing less than brutal. The entire bow section appears massive, voluminous and visually overwhelming. The eye expects a fine, sharp stem that drops almost vertically for a long waterline. The new "Malizia 3 Seaexplorer" is different. The bow is very strongly rounded towards the stern and juts out incredibly far over the sea. The actual waterline only begins three and a half, four metres behind the flat-bowed stem. Boris Herrmann, who is unable to attend the on-site visit, explains this later:

"The boat has an enormous amount of rocker (keel jump; editor's note). This is to prevent it from drilling into the waves or even undercutting in high seas and at speed on deep room sheet courses."

800,000 euros for a set of foils, 60,000 euros for one of the two compasses

This should avoid load peaks and increase the average speed by up to 20 per cent - especially in the Southern Ocean. Instead of 18, the professional skipper hopes for an average speed of 20 to 22 knots. That would be a "game changer", he says. With the old "Seaexplorer", he only managed 70 per cent of the calculated potential at times.

But the new boat has even more innovations to offer. It looks less radical at the stern than at the front. "But it only seems that way," explains Will Harris. "Kneel down and take a bearing along the keel line from the side." "Malizia 3" also has a noticeable jump there; the hull floor rises by 30 to 40 centimetres. "This makes it easier to use water ballast to push the stern deeper into the sea and raise the bow." Another trick to optimise the boat for rough terrain.

The rudder system has also been redesigned. It can be folded up completely so that the blades not only point aft, but also upwards. This, says Will Harris, makes it easier to replace after damage, for example if flotsam destroys one of the profiles.

For Boris Herrmann, the carbon-fibre trimaran is a dream come true: a customised Open 60 for his second Vendée Globe. He finished fifth in the first regatta in 2020/21; a collision with a fisherman on the last night cost him an otherwise safe podium finish.

The team, equipped with an ideal budget, is no longer a newcomer. The Hamburg-based team is now one of the top favourites for the new edition in 2024/25. Team Malizia will also be competing in the Ocean Race starting in January 2023 and is also expected to be among the front runners.

The cordage is 3.5 kilometres long and contains 160 splices

Boris' entire experience was channelled into the extremely complex development. This is evident when walking across the deck, where two friendly looking frog eyes interrupt the otherwise largely smooth surface. The two Plexiglas domes are located on the outside of the cabin roof, which will later have many more viewing windows. They give the skipper a perfect all-round view of the sails, foredeck and the sea space around him.

"We didn't want camera systems like those used by 'Hugo Boss' (now 'Hublot') or 'Apivia'. The quick all-round view is important," Boris is convinced. "I want to see the waves coming from astern, check for gusts, keep an eye on changes in the weather or dark clouds." But it wasn't possible to be completely open.

A second, box-shaped cabin roof component is already lying on the floor next to the hull, which will later close off the cockpit aft. There are only two narrow passages to the left and right of it so that you can move around on deck. Instead, the deckhouse has two side hatches.

The reason for the rear dome is constructive, as Boris explains. "The volume of the roof helps to save righting moment in the keel bomb during the capsize test. This allows us to reduce the weight by almost half a tonne." A quarter of the water resistance comes from the ballast body. "So it makes sense to take a close look at it."

The team will even develop another bomb before the Vendée. "Malizia 3" is to be fitted with the smallest lead torpedo permitted by class rules; this weighs 2.2 tonnes. The top of the deckhouse, on the other hand, is as light as a feather. Will Harris demonstratively lifts it with just one hand.

The importance of weight is illustrated by the pinboard right next to the hull, where the boat builders enter the amount of material they have used. Every quantity, no matter how small, is recorded precisely - to the nearest (!) gram. This makes troubleshooting easier if there are problems with the capsize test later on or if the boat becomes twisted in the water.

300 sensors are installed in the boat, 53 trim lines end in the cockpit

What is hidden under the glazed dome that protrudes from the deck is another special feature of the ocean-going vessel: the control centre of "Malizia 3". It is located very low and directly behind the wing rig. The standing height of this fully enclosed cockpit is adapted to Boris' height. He should be able to stand, crank, trim and navigate here without having to contort himself.

The rest still requires imagination. Four bucket-sized Harken Air winches are placed on the table in the centre. No fewer than 53 lines run through it. A grinder in front of it, whose power can be directed to each of the winches via a foot switch, serves as the drive.

For the skipper, there is a comfortable seat in front of the grinder, which can also be adjusted to a reclining position. A central computer screen hangs above it and an iPad on each side for boat data and navigation. The extensive alarms for the load limits of foils, mast, deck spreaders and much more will also be displayed here later. Exciting for fans: the team will put some of these measurements live online, as they did with "Malizia 2".

Many of the systems on board are redundant. There are two GPS receivers, two AIS and radio devices, two autopilots and two separate 24-volt power circuits. Pixel's electronic self-steering system alone is a small marvel. It processes a huge amount of data. "We have installed over 300 sensors on board," says Boris Herrmann - from the hull to the rudder.

Together with the data from the 60,000 euro fibre gyro compass and an infrared camera in the bow, which measures the flight altitude over the water, the autopilot can be used to create various modes that are suitable for all possible wind and wave situations. The German is sure to be at the forefront with this.

The battery bank has 290 ampere hours in 24 volts, 52 tonnes of pressure are exerted on the mast base

As much innovation as he has on board, he still had to say goodbye to one idea: using an electric motor as an auxiliary drive proved to be incompatible with the class rules. These require all boats to be able to motor at five knots for five hours - for example, to get out of a tricky leeward wall situation or to help another skipper. This would have required a fuel cell. Supplying them with hydrogen was considered too delicate.

"But we only need the engine as an emergency back-up anyway, not for power generation," says Boris. "With the two folding hydrogen generators at the stern and the new solar cells on the roof and side decks, we are self-sufficient when sailing."

The area of the solar park has tripled compared to the old "Seaexplorer". In addition, the cells are even more efficient, especially when partially shaded. Their surface has also been further developed; it is now significantly more slip-resistant.

One thing immediately catches the eye below deck: "Malizia 3" has an enormously pronounced structure. Every ten or twelve centimetres, a longitudinal stringer as thick as a forearm runs through the entire ship. The bulkheads are also installed at very short intervals.

Later, in an interview with YACHT, VPLP designer Quentin Lucet explains the reasons for the strong backbone of the design (see interview at the end): "Boris wanted to have a very safe, solid boat to avoid potential structural problems. It has four more bulkheads than other designs of this type and an enormous number of stringers. The bottom can withstand twice as much pressure as before. There is almost 40 per cent more structure overall."

The team has a clear opinion on this, as Will Harris and Team Manager Louis Viat confirm. If damage were to occur due to insufficient dimensions, it would be necessary to visit the shipyard. This would be an enormous logistical and financial undertaking, which could also disrupt the training, regatta and development schedule to such an extent that the project would get out of hand.

26 tonnes weigh on the upper foil bearing, 30 boat builders were at work, some at the same time

This is exactly what probably cost Herrmann's friend Alex Thomson the victory he had hoped for after problems with his "Hugo Boss" in the last race. His boat developed cracks in the bow area in the South Atlantic. He laminated for days, which cost him the lead. This is probably the reason for Team Malizia's caution.

The boat will therefore be at the heavier end of the Imoca field, despite the small keel bomb and all the other refinements. The old "Malizia" weighed 8.6 tonnes; the new one won't be much lighter. However, Boris isn't too worried about this: "To be honest, once the boat is foiling, the 200-kilo difference won't matter." He and Will Harris agree that the performance disadvantage for the few weak-wind sections of a typical Vendée Globe is bearable.

We want to know from Team Manager Viat what the biggest challenges were during construction, which was completed extremely quickly, in just around ten months. "The biggest problem was actually the availability of materials and labour. We needed almost 20 per cent more working hours than initially planned." And then there were unpleasant surprises. "Shortly before production of the foils began in January, we received the news that the material ordered last autumn was not available due to the supply chain disruptions. There were similar replacements, but the production process had to be reorganised and recalculated."

For the first time, the two highly stressed aerofoil profiles were manufactured by a robot. The team hopes that this will result in extreme precision and, in turn, better technical properties. With hundreds of layers of carbon, the alignment of the fibres and homogeneous contact pressure are important.

Just how much precision and coordination such a complex new build requires and how minimal deviations can trigger an entire chain of reactions becomes clear at the daily technical team meeting. The boat builders report that the guides for the rigging in the hull, milled metal eyes, are too narrow.

Re-routing is not possible, but replacing the lines is also impossible, as chief rigger Edwin Delaat explains: "There are almost 3.5 kilometres of ropes in the boat. The cover has often been partially removed to save weight, or thinner ropes are spliced with thicker ones. All in all, 160 splices would have to be redone, which would take 300 hours of labour." In addition, thinner ropes would probably not be able to carry the necessary loads. The team set about solving the problem immediately after the meeting. Just another day in the madness of a new Imoca building.

7,000 hours of work went into the design alone, a replacement rudder is being built and will also be on board

The boat's sails have already been completed. Once again, they come from North Sails, and here too the team is breaking new ground, as Boris reports. "We have built the two most important headsails, the J2 and J3, as deck sweepers." This means that they are flush with the deck and have a batten at the bottom. This reduces visibility under the sail to leeward, but the team is relying on the aerodynamic advantages of the so-called end plate effect due to less turbulence. "We are excited to see how they will prove themselves."

The main was also modified. "We now sail the boat with more mast drop and have reduced the sail area slightly. We believe that sailing in the first reef with the free-standing masthead brings more disadvantages than can be compensated for by the larger surface area in light winds." Now the boat has to be reefed later. This is an optimisation in the percentage range, but it can add up over days and weeks.

You can tell: Boris Herrmann can hardly wait to sail his dream boat for the first time. The day of the shakeout sail has already been set in the team calendar.

Interview with the designers

What were the challenges for the new "Malizia 3"?

It is still difficult to develop perfectly fitting foils for a particular hull, especially for heavy seas. The learning curve is still steep. The last Vendée, for example, showed that in some situations skippers want more lift, but not much righting moment from the foil. That was not so clear before.

Why?

We didn't anticipate enough how complex it is to sail a boat with long foils, especially on the beam in heavy seas, when the bow is digging into a wave and the speed drops abruptly from 35 to 15 knots. The focus of "Malizia 3" is therefore on a versatile hull/foil configuration.

What is different about the aerofoils?

The foils can now be ridden much deeper in the water, so they don't surface so quickly in rough seas. However, they still generate lift earlier in light winds. The old "Seaexplorer" started foiling at 15 to 17 knots, the new one starts at 12 to 14.

Many Open 60s had to be reinforced due to structural damage. Several rigs also broke. Are the boats too fragile?

The rigs were actually not developed for foilers. But you simply have to accept their limits. You can unmast any Imoca in 15 knots of wind if the skipper is sailing the boat the wrong way round. It is becoming increasingly important to take your foot off the gas at the right moment - and to keep an eye on the structure. Minor problems can often be repaired with simple means. Ignoring them can lead to chain reactions. Boris' approach with the pronounced rocker is exciting. The bow acts like a kind of shock absorber.

How complex are the latest Imocas now?

The large foils require more effort in design and construction, and the many sensors also increase the development time. To give you a figure: Our first Open 60, "Safran", required 3,500 hours of design work. For "Malizia 3" it was now 7,000.