Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia Celebrate the Christening of Their New Malizia 4 Race Yacht
by Team Malizia 19 Jul 09:05 BST
18 July 2026
Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia have christened their new Malizia 4 racing yacht in Lorient © Marie Lefloch | Team Malizia
Team Malizia and skipper Boris Herrmann officially christened their new IMOCA boat, Malizia 4, on Saturday in Lorient, marking an important milestone for the team as it prepares for an exciting racing schedule and celebrates its 10th anniversary.
The celebrations began with an afternoon dedicated to sharing the excitement of Team Malizia's new IMOCA with the people who helped make her possible. Team members, partners, friends and those involved in the build of the yacht were invited aboard for sailing sessions off the coast of Lorient. Under bright sunshine, flat seas and perfect foiling conditions, they had the opportunity to experience the team's new racing machine firsthand and celebrate the collective effort behind the project.
As she returned to her home berth at La Base harbour, guests gathered on the pontoon to welcome Malizia 4 for her official christening ceremony. "This is a very exciting day for us, and we are incredibly happy to be surrounded by all of you to celebrate this important milestone", said skipper Boris Herrmann as he stood on the deck of Malizia 4 alongside co-skippers Will Harris, Cole Brauer, Justine Mettraux and Loïs Berrehar. "I'm deeply grateful to our team, partners, supporters and everyone who has contributed to bringing this boat to life, she is a spectacular boat, and seeing her perform this well already is a fantastic feeling for all of us. Now, the crucial part of today is over to Cole, to smash the champagne bottle as hard as she can in order to officially christen the boat!"
Following a timeless maritime tradition, the crowd counted down from ten as Cole Brauer broke a bottle of champagne, kindly provided by the Yacht Club de Monaco, against the anchor of the new boat. As the bottle shattered on the vessel, the moment officially christened Malizia 4, carrying the traditional wishes of fair winds and success for the boat and her crew, before guests continued the celebrations together on the dock.
The christening comes less than two weeks after the yacht's launch on 6 July. The boat was already sailing and foiling in her first week, a testament to the incredible work and dedication of the entire Team Malizia team, designers and builders. Having a brand-new IMOCA reach this stage so quickly is anything but ordinary, and the happiness, pride and excitement of this achievement can be felt throughout the entire Malizia family.
Since then, the team has made the most of every opportunity on the water, even moving into performance mode and continuing to learn, test and optimise its Malizia 4. The yacht has been sailed with the technical team and the crew, alongside boat designer Antoine Koch, and during training sessions with fellow IMOCA teams, including Allagrande MAPEI, as the team works to unlock her full potential.
As the sailors stood on the boat moments before her christening, Will Harris added: "I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has put their time, hours of work, passion, and heart and soul into this boat. It represents an incredible team effort, and we're excited to take it around the world in the years ahead through The Ocean Race, the Vendée Globe, and many more adventures to come. We'll do everything we can to make you all proud every step of the way. Cheers to all of you!"
Later this evening, Team Malizia is celebrating not only the christening of its new Malizia 4 but also 10 years of the team's journey, bringing together IMOCA teams, partners and friends for a special anniversary party at the team's hangar in Lorient.
In mid-August, Malizia 4 will head to the USA for her first race, The Ocean Race Atlantic, sailed from New York to Lorient. Boris Herrmann will skipper the boat alongside co-skippers Julien Villion, Justine Mettraux, Cole Brauer and onboard reporter Gauthier Lebec. Following a short refit, Boris Herrmann will take on his first solo race aboard the new yacht in the Route du Rhum, before Team Malizia lines up for The Ocean Race 2027, the first around-the-world challenge for Malizia 4. With a successful launch, an official christening and an ambitious race programme ahead, Team Malizia is ready to write the next chapter of its story.
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: Zurich Group Germany, Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz, KPMG Germany, the Yacht Club de Monaco, and EFG International. 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.