Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe

YACHT CLASS N°31 (DECEMBER 2022 / JANUARY – FEBRUARY 2023)

By : Aurore Teodoro – Photos: Pierre Bouras, Boris Herrmann / Team Malizia

Last November, less than four months after her launch, Malizia-Sea Explorer, the brand-new IMOCA of Boris Herrmann and Pierre Casiraghi’s Team Malizia, took the start of the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe. In total, it took him 14 days 15 hours 21 minutes 41 seconds to sail the 3 543 nautical miles (6 562 km) from Saint-Malo to Pointe-à-Pitre, finishing 24th out of 38 boats of the class. After a good start, a trajectory to the South led him into a windless zone from which it took him a few days to get out. Afterwards, the German sailor also suffered computer problems, then a foil issue forced him to fix this appendage to limit the damage, and to finish this race in slow motion. “I have always considered the Route du Rhum as an important test before the Ocean Race. In difficult conditions, I got to know the new boat as the days went by and we learned a lot as a team. It was very valuable. Of course, I am disappointed with my position in the race, but it does not match the performance of the boat. I took some risks at the beginning of the race with my routing and unfortunately it didn’t pay off. The problem with the foils can be fixed and my team is already in position and ready to face it”, analyzed Boris Herrmann, at the finish. Now, Team Malizia is looking forward to the start of the Ocean Race 2022-203, the famous crewed round-the-world stage race. The start is scheduled for January 15 in Alicante (Spain).