As preparations continue for The Ocean Race Atlantic 2026, attention is turning not only to the yachts preparing to line up on the start line, but also to the engineering and collaboration shaping the next generation of IMOCA racing.
Continuing our Road to The Ocean Race Atlantic 2026 series, we begin Team Malizia’s story with the project that laid the foundation for its newest offshore campaign—the construction of Malizia 4.
Announced in May 2025, Team Malizia confirmed the build of a new IMOCA racing yacht, marking the beginning of an unprecedented collaboration within the class. For the first time in recent IMOCA history, Team Malizia, TR Racing (Thomas Ruyant) and Team Banque Populaire (Loïs Berrehar) joined forces to co-design and construct three next-generation IMOCA yachts.
The project brings together the expertise of naval architect Antoine Koch, design office Finot-Conq, structural engineering firm Gsea Design, and CDK Technologies, where the three yachts are being built in Lorient, France. While the boats share a common platform, each team is incorporating subtle modifications to suit the individual sailing philosophy and ergonomic requirements of its skipper.
For Boris Herrmann, the decision to commission a new IMOCA follows an extensive chapter with Malizia – Seaexplorer, a yacht that completed more than 100,000 nautical miles, including two circumnavigations and six transatlantic crossings. With the existing boat set to begin a new chapter under Team Francesca Clapcich – Powered by 11th Hour Racing, Team Malizia turned its attention to developing a platform capable of competing across the next generation of solo and fully crewed offshore races.
The collaborative approach extends beyond performance. By sharing design expertise, tooling and production resources across three projects, the teams aim to reduce both construction costs and the environmental footprint associated with building new IMOCA yachts. According to Team Malizia, shared tooling alone contributes significantly to lowering the carbon impact of the build while allowing each team to continue developing a yacht tailored to its own racing programme.
Speaking at the announcement, Boris Herrmann described the collaboration as an opportunity to combine knowledge from three experienced campaigns while continuing to push innovation within the IMOCA class. Naval architect Antoine Koch also noted that the coordinated approach allows the teams to work from a single design while reducing the environmental impact traditionally associated with producing multiple independent projects.
Construction of Malizia 4 forms part of Team Malizia’s long-term programme leading towards the Vendée Globe 2028, while also supporting the team’s participation in The Ocean Race Atlantic 2026 and The Ocean Race 2027. Alongside its racing ambitions, the new IMOCA continues Team Malizia’s commitment to ocean science, education and climate action, maintaining the team’s established mission of using offshore racing as a platform for scientific research and public engagement.
With construction progressing at CDK Technologies, the build of Malizia 4 marked the beginning of a new chapter for Team Malizia. The next milestone would come with the yacht’s official launch, when months of design, engineering and construction would give way to commissioning, sea trials and the road towards The Ocean Race Atlantic 2026.
Stay with Nowaitlist Magazine as our Road to The Ocean Race Atlantic 2026 series continues with the next chapter in Team Malizia’s journey, covering the official launch of Malizia 4 and its first steps on the water.
