Yacht Club de Monaco member Boris Herrmann has finished second in the IMOCA class of the Route du Rhum, securing his first podium in the solo transatlantic race just four months after Team Malizia’s new boat, Malizia 4, was launched.
Herrmann crossed the finish line in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, at 4.10am local time on Thursday 12th November after 10 days, 20 hours, eight minutes and 36 seconds at sea. It was his first solo transatlantic crossing aboard Malizia 4 and a marked improvement on his previous Route du Rhum results of fifth in 2018 and 24th in the delayed 2022 edition, as reported by Monaco Life.
France’s Corentin Horeau won the class in nine days, 17 hours, 12 minutes and nine seconds. Herrmann, who co-founded Team Malizia with Yacht Club de Monaco vice-president Pierre Casiraghi in 2016, had set himself the goal of a top-six finish before the start.
“I am pleased and delighted for him, for the Yacht Club and Monaco,” said Prince Albert II, President of the Yacht Club de Monaco.
An atypical Atlantic crossing
The 22-boat IMOCA fleet left Saint-Malo on Sunday 1st November in light winds. An unusual low-pressure system disrupted the Atlantic trade winds, forcing skippers to look for wind along different routes. Horeau took the lead by the third day after breaking clear of an area of light winds, while Herrmann searched for stronger breezes further south.
Herrmann, Sam Goodchild and Élodie Bonafous sailed close to the centre of a slow-moving tropical depression north of the Caribbean. They then picked up steadier north-westerly winds towards Guadeloupe, though another stretch of light winds threatened to close the gaps between the boats.
Herrmann covered 3,887 nautical miles at an average speed of 14.94 knots on what was his 25th transatlantic crossing.
“It is certainly my most accomplished transatlantic crossing to date,” said Herrmann.
Malizia 4’s first solo test
Launched in Lorient in July, Malizia 4 had already crossed the Atlantic twice with a crew. For Casiraghi, the Route du Rhum was a chance to see how the boat would cope with a long crossing with only one sailor aboard.
“This race was an important test for Malizia 4 in terms of reliability and suitability to be sailed solo in such varied conditions,” he said.
Herrmann will now rejoin his crew in Guadeloupe for a delivery voyage to Alicante, where Team Malizia will prepare for The Ocean Race around the world, which begins on Sunday 17th January 2027.
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Photo source: Yacht Club de Monaco