22
Aug 23
Best Of Ocean Race: Aarhus, Kiel Fly-By, Leg 6 & The Hague, European Madness
The Ocean Race came to an end at the beginning of July and the team is taking a well-deserved rest but this doesn’t mean that you have to miss us over the summer! We have prepared a series of photo articles that we will share one by one in the coming weeks - so that you can relive the last 6 months of incredible racing around the world with some of the most memorable images!
by Hélène Katz
The first stop back in Europe did not disappoint: Thousands of fans came to Aarhus to see the boats and crews, some having travelled from far away!
© Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race
Boris Herrmann spoke at The Ocean Race's Ocean Summit in Aarhus, along with Toste Tanhua from Geomar, a chemical oceanographer that Team Malizia has been working closely with for many years to collect data and understand the role of the Ocean in climate change.
© Marie Lefloch / Team Malizia
At every stopover, we had an activation area where we welcomed the public to present our team, our mission, talk about the data we collect, our My Ocean Challenge educational programme, and our Malizia Mangrove Park. Fans could also see our merchandise and enjoy a La Marzocco coffee in exchange for a donation to our mangrove park!
© Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race
Our Malizia My Ocean Challenge educational materials are available for free in 12 languages! Of course, we also hosted a kids event in Denmark.
© Marie Lefloch / Team Malizia
Axelle Pillain, who has been working in the technical team for over a year and had sailed the Mini Transat herself, joined the crew in Aarhus for Leg 6 to The Hague.
© Marie Lefloch / Team Malizia
Women in action! Rosalin and Axelle giving it their all on the coffee grinder during the Aarhus In-Port Race on 4 June 2023.
© Ricardo PInto / Team Malizia
Meanwhile Boris and Will were on deck steering and being on the lockout.
© Ricardo Pinto / Team Malizia
Four of the boats racing in Aarhus: Biotherm had just rejoined the fleet the night before after their shortened Leg 5 and outrigger repairs in Norway. Even though Team Malizia finished in fourth position, this was a great day as the French team ended up winning the In-Port race, their first win in this Ocean Race.
© Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race
Three days later, all the teams welcomed GUYOT environnement - Team Europe, who finally rejoined the fleet after their dismasting towards the end of Leg 4, transport to Europe, and repairs in Kiel.
© Ricardo Pinto / Team Malizia
A sight we had all missed: the IMOCA fleet back together with 5 boats on the start line.
© Ricardo Pinto / Team Malizia
After a challenging inshore course in almost no wind, the five IMOCA race yachts departed on 8 June 2023 from Aarhus, Denmark for the 800 nautical mile-long Leg 6, racing in the shortest but also of the most complex and coastal legs which saw them sail to Kiel for a fly-by before heading to The Hague, Netherlands. Team Malizia got off to a tricky start in very light wind conditions, not being able to bear away enough and being pushed by Team Holcim-PRB over the line early and having to restart the race. As the conditions dropped to “zero wind”, the race committee decided to shorten the inshore section of the painfully slow drag race to a one-lap course, with Malizia passing the leaving gate in fifth position.
© Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race
Drone shot of the fleet sailing towards Kiel in very light wind conditions.
© Antoine Auriol / Team Malizia
After having departed Aarhus, the boats had a long first night, with light winds and numerous manoeuvers on their way south to Kiel. Axelle, like the rest of the crew, got maybe only 20 minutes of sleep here and there.
© Antoine Auriol / Team Malizia
A huge amount of spectator boats welcomed the fleet, and especially the German team, even before their entered the Kiel Fjord. Seeing them already in the night and early morning really kept the crew motivated and excited to reach Kiel as fast as possible.
© Antoine Auriol / Team Malizia
What a show! Thousands of spectators boats had come to see Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia round the mark in the Kieler Fjord.
© Jan-Eric Winkelmann / Funkhaus
Malizia - Seaexplorer coming in hot on her foils into Kiel, a true spectacle for the fans.
© Ricardo Pinto / Team Malizia
Antoine and Rosalin waving to the crowds as they approached the turning mark in Kiel.
© Ricardo Pinto / Team Malizia
Over a 100,000 people had come to the Kiel Fly-By, all bringing an incredible energy! And it wasn’t only the Malizia sailors that received a warm welcome - the Malizia shore team were also on site and warmly welcomed by the many German fans sporting Malizia-branded hats and T-shirts. The team took selfies and signed T-shirts with the strong German crowd.
© Moritz Becker / Team Malizia
Rounding the mark in fifth position didn’t stop the crowds and the team from enjoying a very emotional moment. For Boris, the Fly-By in Kiel was such a special highlight, like the passage of Cape Horn, saying he would never forget this and thanking everyone that came to Kiel. So many people, so much energy, the crowds cheering for the teams… The conditions were quite challenging, quite gusty, and of course a narrow passage which is unusual for IMOCA race yachts with lots of manoeuvres.
© Ricardo Pinto / Team Malizia
Was this a Vendée Globe arrival or the Kiel Fly-By? The German fly-by was a great success with an incredible amount of spectators both at sea and on the shore, and some great sailing action only a few hundred meters from the shoreline.
© Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race
After the Kiel Fly-By, Malizia - Seaexplorer raced north to pass Aarhus, sail around Skagen and head back into the North Sea. The crews then had to avoid area with many wind farms and cargo ships as they raced towards The Hague, Netherlands.
© Antoine Auriol / Team Malizia
Team Malizia finished Leg 6 in third place on 11 June 2023, after an incredible intense battle with runner-up Team Holcim-PRB. Team Malizia kept their hopes alive and arrived only 1 minute and 20 seconds after their Swiss competitor, and 13 minutes and 43 seconds after Leg 6 winner 11th Hour Racing Team.
© Antoine Auriol / Team Malizia
“It’s incredible to come into The Hague like this, we pushed, we pushed…”, said hometown hero Rosalin. “It was such an intense fight, especially in the last hours. We sailed about three days but slept only 8 hours or so. However, having my friends, my family, our team, and all the Dutch supporters that follow the race and are present here today is an incredible feeling. I cannot even begin to explain how I am feeling right now!”
© Marie Lefloch / Team Malizia
Just after the finish line, our crew received a very special welcome by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of The Netherlands who stepped onto our boat to congratulate Rosalin and the Malizia crew. Thousands of people had gathered on the shoreline, cheering for the team and ready to start festivities.
© Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race
Welcome to Rosieland! Hundreds of Dutch fans had come to cheer for Rosalin, the only female sailor who would sail all the legs of this edition of The Ocean Race.
© Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race
Arriving in The Hague in third place, Team Malizia had secured a podium place in the overall ranking of The Ocean Race with 27 points. Leg 6 winner 11th Hour Racing lead the overall scoreboard with 33 points, and Team Holcim-PRB is second with 31 points. At this point in the race, a first place finish wasn't possible anymore but there was still a tiny chance to get second place.
© Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race
The VO65 and IMOCA fleet together in The Hague. This stopover was very short, with only 4 days before the start of Leg 7, and very intense with many commercial commitments to fulfil.
© Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race
Rosalin got to participate in our Dutch kids event, she also took part in the Malizia Sustainability Panel Debate on women empowerment, meet fans, partners, as well as spend a bit of time with her family and friends.
© Felix Diemer / Team Malizia
The Hague's In-Port Race: The boats flew in fantastic racing conditions with sunshine and winds reaching almost 20 knots. GUYOT environnement - Team Europe took their first win in one of The Ocean Race's most exciting In-Port Races, only a week after having repaired their boat and rejoined the race.
© Marie Lefloch / Team Malizia
Nico back onboard: Team Malizia crossed the finish line of The Hague's In-Port Race in third place, still being second in the In-Port series. Little did we know that two days after some fantastic inshore racing, the fleet would be struck by a dramatic turn of events...
© Marie Lefloch / Team Malizia