Boris Herrmann to take on the Route Du Rhum–Destination Guadeloupe aboard Team Malizia's new IMOCA
by Team Malizia 29 Jun 11:43 BST
1 November 2026
Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia announce the skipper's third Route du Rhum–Destination Guadeloupe campaign, which he will contest aboard the team's new IMOCA yacht © Antoine Auriol / Team Malizia
With just one week to go until the launch of their new IMOCA race yacht, Team Malizia and skipper Boris Herrmann are pleased to confirm his Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe 2026 campaign.
The iconic solo transatlantic race, which starts from Saint-Malo, France, on 1 November 2026 at 13:02 local time, will mark Boris Herrmann's third participation in the event and his first solo race aboard Team Malizia's brand-new IMOCA, following the yacht's launch in early July and a summer dedicated to qualification and training.
The 13th edition of the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe will once again bring together the offshore racing world for a unique challenge across the Atlantic. Held every four years, the race will see 117 solo sailors, potentially joined by a small number of wildcard entries, set sail from Saint-Malo in northern France to Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe in the Caribbean, covering a theoretical distance of 3,542 nautical miles (6,560 km). Professionals, leading figures in sailing and passionate amateur sailors will all line up together for the same start, racing across several classes: Ultim, IMOCA, Ocean Fifty, Class40, Vintage Multi and Vintage Mono. In the IMOCA class, the race also serves as a qualifier for the Vendée Globe 2028-2029.
For Team Malizia, the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe 2026 is an important milestone in a packed and ambitious first season for its new yacht. Before heading to Saint-Malo in the autumn, the team will first compete in the crewed Ocean Race Atlantic from New York to Lorient (starting 1st September), before Boris Herrmann takes on the Route du Rhum solo, followed by The Ocean Race with a crew in 2027 (start on 17 January 2027 in Alicante, Spain).
"The Route du Rhum is one of the legendary races in our sport and I'm very happy to be lining up for it again, this time on our new boat," said Boris Herrmann. "This will be my third participation in the race, but every edition is different and every boat brings a new challenge. A new IMOCA always comes with a lot of work, learning and preparation, so to have the launch just one week away and already be looking ahead to Saint-Malo is really exciting. The Route du Rhum will be my first solo race on this boat and a very important step in the build-up to the Vendée Globe and in our broader Team Malizia racing programme."
The new yacht, which will be launched in Lorient on 6 July 2026, opens a new chapter for Team Malizia. After the launch, the team will enter an intense period of sea trials, training and Boris Herrmann's Route du Rhum qualification race over the summer, ensuring both skipper and boat are ready for the major challenges ahead.
Since 2018, Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia have combined top-level offshore racing with a strong scientific mission, using their races to collect valuable Ocean data from some of the most remote parts of the planet. This commitment will continue aboard the team's new yacht. As with previous Team Malizia boats, the new IMOCA will be equipped with the OceanPack, an automated mini-laboratory running during training and competition, and will also occasionally deploy drifter buoys or Argo floats. Shared with Team Malizia's scientific partners, the collected data contribute to long-term research and help improve understanding of the Ocean's role in the climate system.
Team Malizia's A Race We Must Win - Climate Action Now! mission which combines sailing, science, education and partnerships is only possible due to the strong and long-lasting commitment from its six main partners: EFG International, Zurich Group Germany, Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz, KPMG Germany, 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 innovate around climate solutions.