Team Malizia's Boris Herrmann Set for First Solo Race Aboard New Malizia 4 in Route du Rhum
by Team Malizia 31 Oct 12:16 GMT
1 November 2026
is set for the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe © Julien Champolion / Team Malizia
The German skipper returns to the legendary Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe for his third participation, taking on a new challenge aboard Team Malizia's latest IMOCA as preparations continue for The Ocean Race around the world in 2027.
30 October 2026, Saint-Malo, France - Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia are ready for the start of the 13th edition of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe, one of the most iconic solo transatlantic races in offshore sailing. On Sunday, 1 November 2026, at 13:02 local time (12:02 UTC), the German skipper will set sail from Saint-Malo, France, towards Pointe-à-Pitre on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe aboard his new IMOCA race yacht, Malizia 4. It will be his third participation in the legendary event and his first solo race aboard the newly launched boat.
Held every four years since 1978, the Route du Rhum brings together solo sailors from across the professional and amateur sailing worlds. Racing across six boat classes, from the powerful Ultim trimarans to the Ocean Fifty boats to the IMOCA fleet, Class40s and vintage monohulls and multihulls, the competitors share the same starting line and the same ambition: to cross the Atlantic alone. The theoretical course covers 3,542 nautical miles (6,560 kilometres), although the actual distance sailed will depend on weather conditions and routing decisions. In the IMOCA class, the race also serves as a qualifying event for the Vendée Globe 2028-2029.
Boris Herrmann is the only German skipper on this year's start list of 115 solo sailors, representing his country in a race deeply rooted in French maritime culture. For Team Malizia, the event marks another significant milestone in a busy year. Since Malizia 4 was launched in early July, the team has completed an intensive programme of testing, training and racing, including the boat's competitive debut in the crewed Ocean Race Atlantic and the ongoing preparations for The Ocean Race next year. Now, Boris Herrmann faces the challenge of sailing their new IMOCA solo across the Atlantic, managing every aspect of the boat and the race himself.
"For me, the Route du Rhum is not just another race, not just a sporting exercise", Boris Herrmann explains. "Especially here, in the middle of this crazy race village, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people coming to see the boats and sailors. It gives us energy. This is a legendary race and we want to be part of that legend. The passion for this French offshore racing inspired me when I was a kid. I had never been outside of northern Germany until I was doing the Mini Transat. This kind of sailing made me travel for the very first time to another country. And since then I have discovered the world. And I just feel connected to this race."
The scale of the Route du Rhum is unmistakable in Saint-Malo, where the historic port city transforms into the centre of the offshore sailing world. Across approximately 71,000 m², more than 150 activation stands and a free race village welcome visitors for 13 days of festivities, with around 1.5 million expected to attend. Malizia 4 and the Team Malizia crew arrived on Tuesday, 20 October, entering the harbour through the locks as part of the IMOCA boat parade. Since then, the last preparations have been under way, from final checks and weather briefings to sport sessions and fresh food logistics, all against the backdrop of the boats, sailors and crowds that make the event so distinctive.
Boris Herrmann adds: "We are doing both the Route du Rhum and The Ocean Race, a very ambitious programme no other team is doing. But Malizia 4 was built for racing, and we owe it to this boat to take her to the start of a race as iconic as the Route du Rhum in her first year."
The 22-boat IMOCA fleet brings together a highly competitive field, from the two new builds, Malizia 4 and Sébastien Simon's Groupe Dubreuil - Air Caraïbes, to proven boats refined over several seasons. Jérémie Beyou's strongly modified Charal and Sam Goodchild's Macif - Santé Prévoyance are among the experienced platforms ready to challenge at the front. Ambrogio Beccaria also lines up aboard Allagrande MAPEI, a boat with a previous transatlantic victory, while Team Francesca Clapcich Powered by 11th Hour Racing competes aboard the former Malizia - Seaexplorer. With Team Malizia managing the technical side of the campaign and both teams working in close collaboration, it is particularly pleasing to see Francesca Clapcich leading the IMOCA Globe Series Championship heading into the race.
For Boris Herrmann, the Route du Rhum is an opportunity to discover Malizia 4 in the demanding conditions of solo racing. "I always knew I wasn't going to be able to focus on two things at once, The Ocean Race and the Route du Rhum," he explains. "Our main objective has always been The Ocean Race, and that was a clear choice to honour the team and the objectives we set four years ago. The boat I have is amazing, even if she's currently not particularly optimised for solo sailing. But I am excited to give it 100%, to get to know her better, and to learn how to become one with this new boat."
Unlike the autumn storms that often mark offshore race starts in northern France, this year's Route du Rhum is set to begin in a moderate north-easterly breeze and relatively calm seas. For the IMOCA fleet, this means a safer and less demanding opening, without an immediate upwind battle but enough wind to build speed quickly. The current forecast should also favour the iconic scenes at Cap Fréhel, where crowds gather along the headland to wave the fleet goodbye as it heads into the western English Channel.
On their way to the Caribbean, competitors will round the tip of Brittany via the Ushant Traffic Separation Scheme, before entering the Bay of Biscay, an area renowned for its rapid depressions, rough seas, and powerful winds. The subsequent descent of the Atlantic takes place off the European coast to avoid coastal effects and fishing grounds.
"This edition of the Route du Rhum presents a different routing situation to normal because the weather systems in the North Atlantic aren't giving a typical trade wind setup", explains Team Malizia's co-skipper Will Harris. "We are currently hardly seeing any of the usual easterly trade winds south of the Canaries, leaving little options for the traditional southerly route. Rather than heading into the Bay of Biscay or sailing close to Ushant, the fleet is more likely to take a more direct route than usual and head north initially, towards the Scilly Islands and Ireland. We will likely see the boats sail downwind in easterly winds after the start, south of Fastnet Rock, before gybing and heading north of the Azores, sailing round the other side of the low and high pressure systems."
He continues: "It's still quite complicated how the second half of the race is going to be, with a mix of upwind, downwind and reaching. The aim will be to sail the shortest course to the finish, but with no trade winds, at some point the fleet will have to get south enough to Guadeloupe and the boats could face a significant slowdown towards the end."
The final approach to the Lesser Antilles will bring one last tactical challenge, as local wind effects, currents and inter-island traffic complicate the passage. The mandatory route around the north of Guadeloupe will require a final strategic decision before the fleet turns south towards the finish line in the bay of Pointe-à-Pitre. The fastest IMOCA boats are currently expected to complete the crossing in around 10 to 12 days.
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: Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz, KPMG Germany, the Yacht Club de Monaco, EFG International, and Zurich Group Germany. 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.