The stunning new boat was rolled out of the hangar and craned into the Lorient harbour for the first time, to an audience of partners, team members and suppliers, all of whom have helped make the vision a reality. The new vessel has a distinctly different bow and hull shape and with its red 4.5m long keel and foils attached once the 18.28m long hull touched the water, the technical team installed the boat’s 27.30m long mast and its two outriggers.
A team of over 250 people were involved in the complex construction process, which pushed the boundaries of technological innovation, structural design and engineering and logistics. Team skipper Boris Herrmann recognised the importance of working towards a common goal back in June 2021 and was determined to be ‘on time and on schedule’ from the outset, a rare feat in the sailing world. He acknowledged the broader team effort that had gone into successfully hitting the launch deadline, commenting “the team is extremely proud of having launched the boat on the foreseen date. I believe it is a first in our industry to announce a date a year before and deliver exactly on time”.
The technology and craftsmanship that went into building the boat was some of the most advanced in the industry, incorporating invaluable learnings from Boris Herrmann’s first Vendée Globe experience in 2020-21, which influenced the eventual design. Herrmann explained this further at the launch, saying “we wanted a boat that can maintain high average speeds even in rough sea conditions. Therefore, together with the architects from VPLP, we chose softer and rounder hull lines and a curved bow. We also made the boat even more solid than the previous one and completely re-designed the ergonomy and living space”.
The boat has been built with strength in mind and a solid structure to protect it in heavy Southern Ocean swells. The opportunity to sail and train on Malizia - Seaexplorer is crucial in achieving race success and her international crew will now be thoroughly put to the test in preparation for two of the most iconic ocean races in the world.