Team Malizia Ends The Ocean Race Europe 2025 on a High

Boris Herrmann, Cole Brauer, Will Harris, Francesca Clapcich, Meredith Rodgers - Team Malizia © Marie Lefloch | Team Malizia

After five legs, over 4,500 nautical miles, and six weeks of intense offshore racing, The Ocean Race Europe 2025 concluded today in Boka Bay, Montenegro. Team Malizia delivered a strong performance in the Final Coastal Race, climbing the overall leaderboard to finish fourth. With a perfect start and clean sailing, the crew around skipper Boris Herrmann closed this year's main IMOCA race and their campaign with their Malizia - Seaexplorer boat on a high, ready to look forward to the next chapter in 2026 with a brand-new IMOCA yacht and exciting races on the horizon.

20 September 2025, Boka Bay, Montenegro - After five legs, seven host cities, and more than 4,500 nautical miles, The Ocean Race Europe 2025 came to an end this Saturday in Boka Bay, Montenegro, with a thrilling Final Coastal Race. Against the spectacular backdrop of the Adriatic, Team Malizia rose to the occasion, delivering a strong performance that secured them fourth place overall in the rankings.

With four of the seven IMOCA teams still fighting for positions on the overall scoreboard, the coastal showdown kept sailing fans on the edge of their seats. For Team Malizia, led by skipper Boris Herrmann (GER) and crewed by co-skippers Will Harris (GBR), Francesca Clapcich (ITA/USA), and Cole Brauer (USA), and onboard reporter Meredith Rodgers (USA), the race was the last chance to overtake Allagrande MAPEI Racing on the leaderboard. They seized the opportunity, finishing fourth in today's Final Coastal Race and climbing ahead of the Italian-entry team in the overall standings.

"It feels amazing to end The Ocean Race Europe 2025 on a high", said Boris Herrmann. "This was the best result we could have achieved today and we gained our fourth place overall. These past six weeks since the start in Kiel on 10 August have been an incredible race and adventure. I'm so glad we did it, and we're very happy with the result as well. But it's not just about the result, it's also the overall performance of the team, which has been very impressive. We've grown a lot and I'm very proud of everyone."

The Final Coastal Race delivered plenty of suspense under sunny skies and 10-15 knots of wind in Boka Bay. Malizia - Seaexplorer got off to a strong start, foiling across the starboard end of the line and taking the best upwind position. The team rounded mark 1 third behind Team Paprec Arkéa and Team Holcim-PRB, navigating a compression zone where finding the right angle to maintain speed was crucial. As Team Holcim-PRB poorly executed a jibe allowing Team Paprec Arkéa to reclaim the lead, Team Malizia held third, dominating the battle for fourth place overall.

Through the long legs and upwind stretches, the German-entry team stayed consistent, trading positions a couple of times with Team Holcim-PRB and creating space from Allagrande MAPEI Racing. On the second lap, the Swiss team overtook Team Malizia with higher speeds but the crew around Boris Herrmann was focused sailing a clean, mistake-free race, knowing their fight lay elsewhere. Team Malizia rounded the final mark safely and ran into the finish in fourth place, earning four points, while managing to stay ahead of Allagrande MAPEI Racing, who ended sixth.

"We could really see the wind filling in from the upper side of the course, so we wanted to be at the windward end of the line in order to get the best wind", commented Will Harris after the race. "Boris did a great job lining us up and timing the start perfectly. We got a really good start, rounded the first mark in third, and then it was about staying between our competitors on the next mark. We did that well and had a nice fight with Team Holcim-PRB for third place, but they managed to get ahead of us."

Boris Herrmann added: "We had to be very adaptable, spontaneous, and quick to adjust to the conditions, because it wasn't clear if it would be foiling or slow conditions. Everything worked out well, the conditions were perfect, the maneuvers were clean, we picked the right lanes, and it was a solid race overall. It was quite full-on, but we never got loud or stressed. We were calm and coordinated onboard and had a lot of fun racing today."

Onboard media was captured by Meredith Rodgers, who stepped in for Flore Hartout after she injured her foot at the end of Leg 5. The American, who previously sailed 11 months offshore in the Clipper Round the World Race, documented the action live as viewers around the world tuned in, including German broadcaster NDR, who joined the event on location.

In the end, Biotherm took the Final Coastal Race win ahead of Team Paprec Arkéa and Team Holcim - PRB, but Team Malizia's fourth place was the only result that reshuffled the overall scoreboard. With this strong finish, Team Malizia closes The Ocean Race Europe 2025 in fourth place overall, ending the event on a high after some challenging leg results despite a strong start.

"It's crazy that we're already at the end of The Ocean Race Europe", noted Francesca Clapcich. "I still remember arriving in Portsmouth to join the team on Leg 2 and a few weeks later, we're in Montenegro and the race is over. That's what The Ocean Race always leaves, a bit of a sweet and sour feeling at the end. You live in close contact with the entire team for so many weeks, and suddenly it's over. We will try to enjoy the next few hours together, soak in all the good moments we had as a team, and look forward to the next races."

Cole Brauer added: "This was my first big event on the IMOCA circuit, and it's been really special to learn with this crew, to visit all these incredible places, and to be a true part of Team Malizia. I wouldn't change a thing. I'm definitely tired and mentally exhausted, but I know that in a month I'll be begging to be back out here."

For Team Malizia, ending the event on a high also marks a fitting farewell to their current IMOCA yacht, which will soon be handed over to technical partner 11th Hour Racing, where Francesca Clapcich will race the boat in her own Vendée Globe 2028 campaign.

"It's definitely sad to soon say goodbye to a boat I've put so much time, emotion, and energy into", said Will Harris this afternoon. "I remember when we were building it in the shed in Vannes, deciding the layout, and putting all the pieces together. We've sailed it to its full potential the whole time, twice around the world, completing over 100,000 miles. At the same time, I've also got the Transat Café L'Or this fall as Francesca's co-skipper, and it's a great opportunity for her to get the boat ready for her Vendée Globe 2028 campaign. Sailing with Boris as the main skipper, it's been a special experience, so today is a bittersweet moment, knowing it was the last race with this boat for us."

Francesca Clapcich underlines the feeling: "There's a lot of emotion for me to soon be taking over this boat, and especially for the rest of the Malizia team. A lot of people have been part of the idea, building, caring of this boat and racing onboard for so many years. Of course, we'll share the shed together, so the "baby" is still in the cradle for a few years, and not going far away. For me, it's also special to see a used boat having such a long life. It performed really well in The Ocean Race, and hopefully we'll push it hard again in the next Vendée Globe, and keep the momentum going with good results."

"It's definitely emotional to have raced one last time on Malizia - Seaexplorer", said Boris Herrmann this Saturday afternoon. "But I'm happy knowing Team Malizia will continue to care for the boat and that Francesca is carrying on the work we started. I'll likely ask her to invite me for trainings, deliveries, and test sailings, so I'll always feel connected to this boat. Tonight we'll celebrate with the team at the awards ceremony, and tomorrow we'll have a small farewell dinner with Frankie, it will be a gentle and meaningful transition over the coming weeks."

With that, Team Malizia will soon be looking at a new chapter beginning in 2026, when the team launches a brand-new IMOCA and returns to the water to take on The Ocean Race Atlantic in a year's time.

Team Malizia's A Race We Must Win - Climate Action Now! mission is only possible due to the strong and long-lasting commitment from its eight main partners: the Yacht Club de Monaco, EFG International, Zurich Group Germany, Kuehne+Nagel, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz, and KPMG 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.