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Boris Herrmann

We compete on the highest level in the toughest races, inspire action & create awareness and highlight solutions to the climate crisis.

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An iconic arrival called for a fantastic result, and Boris Herrmann and his Malizia - Seaexplorer delivered. Yesterday, the Team Malizia skipper claimed second place in The Transat CIC solo challenge across the North Atlantic. After another night at sea, Boris Herrmann made his way to the upper bay of New York City and sailed past the Statue of Liberty, marking a truly memorable occasion.

“I feel great about this race”, said 

 solo race. “It gave me confidence for the Vendée Globe, which was my main objective. I also 

 my qualification, and this second place is my best IMOCA result.” The German sailor crossed the finish line on Monday 6 May at 20:44 UTC (16:44 local time) after having departed Lorient, France, 8 days, 9 hours, 14 minutes, and 31 seconds earlier. He raced 3,251 nautical miles onboard 

 at an average speed of 16.16 knots against 32 IMOCA competitors.

Although in the top 10 in the early days of the race, facing very rough conditions, and having to repair a large tear in his mainsail on Day 3, Boris Herrmann managed to 

 his competitors. He grabbed second place, and after a suspenseful battle, he crossed the line in second position, trailing race winner 

 by 2 hours, 20 minutes, and 28 seconds. “I just enjoyed racing, and also many moments with the Nordic atmosphere, the short nights, the lights, and the cold”, commented 

. “It felt familiar, and I really like this Transat for many reasons. It’s also a

 that I finished in second place the last time I did this race, in 2008 on the Beluga Racer Class 40 boat.”

Going into the race, Boris Herrmann’s objective was to log as many solo miles in racing mode as possible. “I wanted to give myself the time to find the mood with my boat and gain confidence”, said the 

 before the start in Lorient. In New York, he reflected: “I really found my sea legs, my solo legs. 

 on the boat; I found the flow and everything went well. The boat was well prepared, and besides the rip in the main, some antenna screws that came loose, and a few things here and there, our 

 seems to be in great shape. She is a very good boat, and she can be very fast. I’m very pleased by that, and the second-place finish is the 

 in an interview after the finish. “It’s only about small, perfectionist details now. We have done great work over the last year. The strategy was to build the boat early, to race it around the world soon after in 

, to know the boat well, and to have a reliable boat where the problems have been found. This job is almost completed now, which puts us in a great position with what’s to come this year.”

However, every race sailed brings its share of new learnings. “There’s still modes to discover”, he noted. “Like a few days ago, in quite windy and wavy conditions, with a strong swell pushing the boat, and us surfing just above 30 knots. I found cavitation of the foil, so I needed to figure out what extension and rake, and overall boat setup would be the best solution for it. Once I found it, the boat was really fast, and I gained many miles on the competition and went up the ranking during that half day. It’s interesting that after almost two seasons of sailing around the world, there are still some very particular cases of sea state and boat attitude that are completely new to us and where I had to figure things out.”

With the finish line about 110 nautical miles offshore, Boris Herrmann had to sail solo for another 12 hours before reaching the bay of New York City, where the shore team then joined him onboard on Tuesday morning. Tailing 

, the boats went up the river towards the honours pontoon at One°15 marina, and sailed past the iconic 

 under sunny skies, which made for a spectacular view.

“This podium is much more diverse than we are used to, and I love it”, commented 

. “It is represented by three different boat architects, three nationalities, and mixed with two men and one woman. I’m very happy to see this and to share this podium with Yoann and Sam. Big congratulations to 

, winning two solo transatlantic races in a row is a fantastic achievement and he will be a great candidate for the Vendée Globe. And 

 did a fantastic job and I’m excited to see her complete the podium.”

 said: “I’m going to celebrate this achievement with my team, not everyone is here unfortunately but we’ve been messaging a lot, also with our friends and partners, so it’s almost as if they were here. I also really like New York, I have lots of good memories, from the years sailing with Giovanni Soldini and the arrival with Greta Thunberg five years ago. I spent a lot of time here and at one point in my life, I knew the city better than Hamburg! I want to find the places I know and see if they’ve changed.” 

“After a few days I’ll be heading home to see my family before coming back to the Big Apple for the return race starting on 29 May.” The 

 will see 31 skippers compete back across the North Atlantic to Les Sables d’Olonne, France. It marks the second out of two transatlantic races this year in a rigorous training regime leading up to the Vendée Globe.

 admitted: “During the first couple, or maybe 3-4 days, with the tough conditions and when I also had the rip in the mainsail, I was thinking: ‘Do I really want to do the race back?’ Now, I am really keen. This first race’s result gives me extra motivation, to try to reconfirm it, to try to be consistent. To also work on a quick recovery, which would prepare me even better for the 

A Race We Must Win – Climate Action Now!

mission is only possible due to the strong and long-lasting commitment from its 

: MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz, the Yacht Club de Monaco, EFG International, Zurich Group Germany, and Kuehne+Nagel. 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.