Team Malizia Sets Sail on Final Leg of The Ocean Race Europe 2025
by Team Malizia 7 Sep 21:41 BST
7 September 2025
Team Malizia leaving Genova - Skipper Boris Herrmann © Jean-Louis Carli / The Ocean Race Europe
This Sunday afternoon, Team Malizia set sail on the fifth and final leg of The Ocean Race Europe 2025. At 15:00 local time, the crew onboard Malizia - Seaexplorer crossed the Leg 5 start line in Genova, Italy, and are now racing against six other boats to Boka Bay, Montenegro, in a pure Mediterranean stage.
The ultimate leg promises to be challenging, covering approximately 1,600 nautical miles, rounding numerous waypoints, and navigating unpredictable conditions. With the overall ranking still open, skipper Boris Herrmann (GER), co-skippers Will Harris (GBR), Francesca Clapcich (ITA/USA), Cole Brauer (USA), and onboard reporter Flore Hartout (FRA/NED) are focused on scoring as many points as possible, with the fleet expected to reach Boka Bay in around eight to nine days.
For this leg, the Malizia sailors have organised themselves differently: "Francesca, Cole, and I are sailing in a watch system, while Will is free from the watches and fully focused on navigation, taking short naps like in solo sailing," explains Boris Herrmann. "This way, he can keep a constant eye on the weather without the stress of missing key moments due to sleep. We think this could be a better method for these Mediterranean conditions."
Francesca Clapcich adds: "We really want more points on the scoreboard, so we're pushing for a strong result. The Mediterranean and Adriatic are tricky places, especially for boats like ours, so it won't be easy. Will won't have an easy life as the navigator but we are all there to support him and try to sail the boat as fast as we can, trim the sails properly, and keep a good vibe on board."
"I love navigation and being responsible for strategy. I've just come off the Admiral's Cup, where I was sole navigator on a much bigger crew, and I'm looking forward to taking on that role again here with this team", comments Will Harris. "Normally that's been done by other sailors like Justine, Lois or Francesca but since I sat out two legs, I had more time to prepare. It's going to be long and intense but I also think we are really good at finding our rhythm onboard Malizia - Seaexplorer. That usually plays to our advantage on longer races. I also had the chance to recharge my batteries and come back strong and full of energy for this final one. It's been a tricky race so far for us results-wise, we knew it would be tough with such a strong fleet, but it would be nice to end on a high note. We'll give it our best and see what we can do."
The course, revealed on Friday morning, sees the fleet leave Genova and race south, rounding Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily before heading down to the south of Greece and turning north into the Adriatic Sea. To make things even more interesting and to manage the ETA aimed for Monday 15 September, Race Control team has added a series of waypoints along the way.
"Quite often, people tell us "good passage" when we head out", notes Boris Herrmann. "But in this case it's not really a passage or a crossing, it's more of an eight- to nine-day zigzag through the Mediterranean. The downside of that is there aren't many strategic options. If someone falls a little behind tonight, they could end up much further behind by the end. But who knows, there could be surprises. The beginning will already bring a big decision: do we go offshore, or do we stay along the coast? That might well be the key question of the whole race. So once again, it all comes down to the next couple of hours."
While conditions later in the leg are uncertain, the first 48 hours are clear. "We are going to have extremely very light winds from the start this afternoon until Tuesday", says Francesca Clapcich. Starting in winds sometimes less than 5 knots, the teams crawled off the start line, trying to make their boats move forward in sunny but difficult conditions. "We'll be fighting for every gust and bit of acceleration, and it will be tough to get out of the Bay of Genova. Hopefully, we can catch some wind in the Gulf of Lion that will help us build speed."
According to Will Harris, another key moment will be reaching the scoring gate off the French coast, at the Santa Stefano Latitude (an island northeast of Sardinia): "We might touch new mistral winds there. That's a classic strong Mediterranean wind, and whoever catches it first could jump from 5 knots to 25 or 30. That could create the first big separation in the fleet. It won't decide the race entirely, but it will be a defining moment."
Francesca Clapcich adds: "Beyond the south of Sardinia, it's too far ahead to make a strong plan, the weather in this region changes constantly, and we get new forecasts every few hours. So the key is to get the most out of the first 48 hours, stay with the front pack, and not lose distance, and do what we think is right. We'll also fight for the scoring gate, it's worth two points, and we need all of them. It's going to be very interesting."
When asked if the crew onboard Malizia - Seaexplorer will approach this leg differently, Cole Brauer says: "I think we'll treat this leg as if we were crossing an Ocean, which means thinking more carefully about sleep and nutrition. We can't just run at the end of our rope all the time. We really need to take care of each other and ourselves. We'll focus on eating better and getting more rest, because the leg is longer and we'll need to stay sharp until the end, where conditions could be tough again."
She adds: "Also, this is the final leg. It's going to feel strange when it's all over. I really want to appreciate the time with the team. We've gotten to know each other so well, and the atmosphere on board is something I've been looking forward to for years. Now that I'm here, I want to enjoy every moment with these people."
Even though the Leg 5 finish in Boka Bay could decide the overall race winner of The Ocean Race Europe 2025, the rest of the ranking remains open. During the Final Coastal Race, a short inshore event on 20 September, points equivalent to a full offshore leg will still be awarded.
"This is my final offshore race with this boat, and I want to finish on a high," says Boris Herrmann. "We'll hand over the keys to Francesca after this, so my biggest wish is to get back on the podium and sail a strong leg. We'll give everything, as always. Of course, it would be extra special to close the offshore campaign with a great result. But if not, there's still one last chance at the Final Coastal Race. But first things first, our focus right now is on the race to Montenegro." The fleet is expected to arrive in Boka Bay on Monday 15 September 2025.
Team Malizia's A Race We Must Win - Climate Action Now! mission is only possible due to the strong and long-lasting commitment from its eight main partners: Schütz, KPMG Germany, the Yacht Club de Monaco, EFG International, Zurich Group Germany, Kuehne+Nagel, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, and Hapag-Lloyd. These partners band behind Team Malizia to support its campaign, each of them working towards projects in their own field to innovate around climate solutions.