Team Malizia, racing under the colours of the Monaco Yacht Club, sailed 641.13 nautical miles in 24 hours. breaking the world record during Round Five of The Ocean Race on Monday.

Travelling at an average speed of 26.71 knots (around 50km/h), Boris Herrmann’s Team Malizia has sent the world record of covering the most distance in a monohull over a 24-hour period, which had been previously held by the boat Comanche, tumbling.

Team Malizia, on board the Malizia-Seaexplorer, are now in strong contention to win The Ocean Race and are currently racing across the Atlantic Ocean, heading back towards Europe.

Regardless of the outcome, the adventure has been an unqualified success: the Monegasque team has already won the Roaring Forties Trophy (fastest Cape of Good Hope to Cape Horn passage), won the long Southern Ocean leg and have now immortalised their journey with a world record.

“It’s a sailor’s dream”

“Being the fastest monohull in the world in 24 hours is the dream of every sailor. I am so proud of the team and all the work that has been done to get here,” said Pierre Casiraghi, Team Malizia co-founder and the vice-president of the Yacht Club de Monaco.

Co-skipper Rosalin Kuiper added, “We pushed and proved to the world that we have the fastest boat in the world. It is an incredible feeling, a sailor’s dream, for me this has more meaning than anything else, it is a very special moment.”

Herrmann described the conditions, which allowed Team Malizia to break the record, as “exceptional”. He will be hoping that that doesn’t change as they race towards Aarhus, where they are expected to make landfall on Monday.

Sign up for the Monaco Life newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Photo source: Yacht Club de Monaco