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Boris Herrmann

We compete on the highest level in the toughest races, inspire action & create awareness and highlight solutions to the climate crisis.

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Team Malizia in Aarhus at the finish of Leg 5 of The Ocean Race

Team Malizia in Aarhus at the finish of Leg 5 of The Ocean Race © Ricardo Pinto / Team Malizia

 - This race is one for the books! Two days after breaking the 

 at 07:27:50 UTC (09:27 local time CEST) in a nail-biting finish. Skippered by 

, Team Malizia sailed 3,868 nautical miles from Newport, USA, to Aarhus, Denmark, in 

7 days, 13 hours, 12 minutes, and 50 seconds

, during the race they also broke the 24-hour distance record for a monohull along the way. 

In the final hours of the race, the team closed the gap to 

. Pushing until the end, Team Malizia sailed neck and neck with their Swiss competitor, finally crossing the line in third position

 won the leg by arriving 4 hours and 31 minutes earlier, whilst 

 is currently still racing. Team Malizia collected valuable points in the double-counting leg, now holding 24 points in the overall ranking and with only 4 points separating them from the American leader.

 commented: “What a race! I am incredibly proud of our team and of our boat. This boat is now the fastest monohull in the world. That is unbelievable, I want to put a big sticker on the boat! The racing in this leg was amazing, especially at the end with the other boat in view, flat water, sunshine, the Danish coast, a bit of homewaters for me, that was one of the most beautiful days.”

, Team Malizia soon encountered tricky upwind conditions and had to face a major issue on day 2 of the race. “

 very early after the start of the race”, explained 

 at the arrival in Aarhus. “This is our most important sail, it is one that we use all the time, it was quite a blow especially so early in the leg. We didn’t reveal the loss of our J2 in order not to give a knowledgeable advantage to the other teams. The sail had ripped off and we knew we wouldn’t be able to fix it on board. However, the crew did a great job at keeping the spirits high, fighting their way and keeping the pace up”. 

world 24-hour distance record for a monohull

. Team Holcim-PRB had extended the record previously held by 100-foot maxi-monohull 

 from 618 nm to 640.9 nm earlier that day. Enters Team Malizia. Less than 24 hours later, the crew onboard 

. “I would never have thought we would break the Comanche record, and by such a margin”, added the

. “I also think this record might outlast the next Ocean Race and be set for 10, 12 years maybe.”

“I feel that I experienced something that will remain engraved in my memory for a long, long time”, says 

. “First, we crossed the Atlantic Ocean in only seven and a half days, I don’t think many people have achieved this. Secondly, we beat the 24-hour distance record, on an IMOCA race yacht, and thirdly, we finished within sight of Team Holcim-PRB, we could almost touch them. This has truly been an incredible leg.”

“This leg wasn’t easy in terms of strategy because there weren’t many moves to play and it was important not to miss them”, added 

. “We missed one upon leaving Saint Pierre and Miquelon, where the fleet had to cut a weather front in order to be in front of it and then sail in a regular wind flow with a nice sea state. Unfortunately, we timed our manoeuvre a bit wrong, by an hour or so… Hats off to 11th Hour’s navigator who went against what the computer predicted and made the right move. In the end, I’m still very happy about the performance of the team and the boat. Sailing for the first time with Boris was great too, straight from the beginning, during the In-Port Race we felt exactly the same way about how we wanted to sail this boat, 

we were very much in sync from the get-go.

“It was also unfortunate that we had to sail a detour in the North Sea when we encountered a 

 towing about 8 kilometres of scientific equipment”, added co-skipper 

. “We really wanted to grab these points, nevertheless, this leg was quite epic and I am very happy because I think we will carry this record-holder energy into the next leg! The welcome in Aarhus is fantastic, our boat is fast, our team is efficient and always smiling. We fought until the finish and 

Leg 5 of The Ocean Race was not only marked by 

 for the fleet and team members, those such as 

 and many of the shore crew that left Alicante, Spain, over four months ago are now back. Briton 

 re-entered his home waters of the Baltic Sea. Soon, 

 will be able to race in the waters she knows best in 

. “We can still win this race. It will never be over, the final score will be made at the finish in Genoa and we fight until the 1st of July. That’s what we enjoy.”

A Race We Must Win – Climate Action Now!

mission is only possible due to the strong and long-lasting commitment from its 

: EFG International, Zurich Group Germany, Kuehne+Nagel, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz, and the Yacht Club de Monaco. These partners band behind Team Malizia to support its campaign, each of them working towards projects in their own field to 

Onboard reporter Antoine Auriol and skipper Boris Herrmann as they approached the finish line of Leg 5 of The Ocean Race in Aarhus, Denmark

Onboard reporter Antoine Auriol and skipper Boris Herrmann as they approached the finish line of Leg 5 of The Ocean Race in Aarhus, Denmark © Ricardo Pinto / Team Malizia

Boris Herrmann, skipper of record-breaking the Malizia - Seaexplorer race yacht

Boris Herrmann, skipper of record-breaking the 

Overall scoreboard at the arrival of Leg 5 in Aarhus:

Team Malizia fighting neck and neck with Team Holcim-PRB in Aarhus, Denmark

Team Malizia crossed the finish line of Leg 5 of The Ocean Race in third position at 07:27:50 UTC (09:27 local time, CEST) this Monday 29 May 2023 after an incredibly tight finish.