Team Malizia off to a strong start on challenging Course Des Caps Race around the British Isles
by Team Malizia 30 Jun 08:44 NZST
29 June 2025
Team Malizia's crew for the Course des Caps Boulogne sur Mer - Banque Populaire du Nord © Marie Lefloch | Team Malizia
Team Malizia set sail today from Boulogne-sur-Mer, kicking off the inaugural Course des Caps race in light winds and challenging conditions with a solid start. Led by skipper Will Harris, the crew aboard Malizia - Seaexplorer now faces a demanding 2,000-nautical-mile course around the British Isles, marked by tactical complexity, unpredictable weather, and fierce competition.
29 June 2025, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France - It's been a slow but very good start for Team Malizia as the Banque Populaire du Nord Boulogne-sur-Mer Cape Race, also known as Course des Caps, got under way this afternoon at 14:00 local time. This new event on the IMOCA circuit takes the fleet of eleven boats on a nearly 2,000-nautical mile clockwise loop around the British Isles, sailed with a mixed crew of five, including an onboard reporter. Starting and finishing in Boulogne-sur-Mer, in the north of France, the race presents a range of challenges, from light and unstable winds to dense maritime traffic and strong tidal currents. Initially expected to last around 5-8 days, the very light weather conditions mean the course could take up to 8 days or more to complete, demanding patience, endurance, and sharp tactical thinking from all teams.
Onboard Malizia - Seaexplorer, British sailor Will Harris is skippering Team Malizia's crew and has returned to the leading role, after having been at the helm during two legs of The Ocean Race 2022-2023. He is joined by co-skippers Cole Brauer (USA), Francesca Clapcich (ITA/USA), and Julien Villion (FRA), as well as onboard reporter Flore Hartout (FRA/NED), who are all taking part in their first race under the colours of Team Malizia.
The start today was a clear contrast to the high-speed, foiling action typically seen in IMOCA racing. The fleet of eleven boats set off in very light and variable conditions, with just 4-5 knots of wind, navigating a mix of fog and sunshine. Challenged by the lack of breeze and a strong current, the boats crawled across the start line and made slow progress toward the first mark. Team Malizia rounded in fourth place, just three minutes behind the leader, a solid start in such tricky conditions.
Speaking ahead of the start, skipper Will Harris described the opening stretch as both tactical and mentally demanding: "As we've seen in the forecast, the first 24 hours are really challenging. It's easy to get emotionally caught up in this early phase, if we make the wrong choice, the others could get away. But we have to keep in mind that this race is over 2,000 miles long, and nothing is decided at the start. A wrong or right move now doesn't mean the race is over, far from it."
He added: "At first, we will need to manage both the race and ourselves. Finding our rhythm early on will be one of the most challenging parts. Once we get closer to Ireland, we can hopefully settle into more typical Ocean sailing and our regular 4-hour watch system. But even at the end of the race, coming back down the North Sea and into the Dover Strait, anything can happen. We could see light winds again, strong pressure, and we will have to stay really switched on to keep pushing right to the finish line."
Co-skipper and expert navigator Julien Villion agrees: "There could already be quite a few transitions in just the first few days of the race. Even if nothing will be completely make-or-break, I think it's the kind of course where you could almost have a full restart just 12 hours from the finish. We are in summer conditions, so there could be very little wind in the Channel, and, like today, a lot of current both at the start and towards the end, after an eight-day race with fifty lead changes. This course is really wide open strategically, there will be gaps at some point, and surprises for sure."
"You always set off with a plan and a scenario in mind, but there are always unexpected things that happen and that's what makes it fun", he adds. "Especially on a course like this, with so many changes in direction and coastal effects. And at the same time, we have got offshore sections where general weather patterns take over. It's a really complete, all-round kind of race."
Along the route, the fleet will sail clockwise around more than 6,000 islands, with an emblematic passage through latitude 60 degreesN. Seven trophies will be awarded along the way, marking key points of passage throughout the course. The first boats are expected to finish after about 8 days, depending on weather conditions.
Racing on home waters, skipper Will Harris knows just how demanding this course can be. "It's very difficult navigation-wise around here," he explained. "There's a lot of maritime traffic and more than 50 exclusion zones with all the shipping and oil rigs in the North Sea." Co-skipper Francesca Clapcich was quick to point this out with a smile: "Julien is not going to have an easy life for the next few days! And I think it's our responsibility to be really on it, and when we are on watch to push the boat and get the best performance out of it."
The Italian-American sailor also reflected: "There will be a lot of challenges, but also a lot of opportunities. Sometimes what you see as a challenge might easily become an opportunity really quickly, if you play it right. The technical team has done an amazing job getting the boat ready. At the end of the day, it's four sailors on board, but none of this would be possible without the entire team behind the scenes, working hard every day. It's a great feeling to step onboard knowing everything's ready, we can just focus on racing hard, from start to finish. Now it's really up to us to step up and make the right calls at the right time in this really cool race."
For Malizia - Seaexplorer, this marks the first race since Boris Herrmann's solo circumnavigation in the Vendée Globe 2024-2025 last winter. The boat has since been reconfigured for crewed sailing, with optimisations focused on ergonomics for a five-person team. She now carries a new, flatter spinnaker, new ropes from Gleistein, and features a next-generation hybrid-electric propulsion and energy system from Molabo and Fischer Panda, one of the first of its kind in the IMOCA class. Malizia - Seaexplorer will also be flying on her version 3 foils, the same ones used in Boris Herrmann's transatlantic races to and from New York last year. During the race, Team Malizia will, as always, carry the OceanPack onboard, an automated laboratory that continuously collects crucial Ocean data such as CO2 and oxygen levels, temperature, and salinity. These measurements help scientists better understand the Ocean's vital role in regulating our climate.
Acting as a qualifier for the Vendée Globe 2028 and counting towards the IMOCA Globe Series championship, the Course des Caps is also a good test for Will Harris, Francesca Clapcich and Cole Brauer ahead of The Ocean Race Europe starting in six weeks, while Julien Villion will continue to support the team's preparations on land. Boris Herrmann has chosen to sit out the race around the British Isles to give the crew a valuable opportunity to train together in full race conditions, especially with Will Harris set to skipper a leg of The Ocean Race Europe. Having already completed a Vendée Globe earlier this year, Boris is now focused on preparing for the upcoming European event.
Even though they knew this race would be challenging, Team Malizia's crew set off in great spirits and a relaxed mood. "I'm feeling great, everyone is very ready and very relaxed this morning, even though we know the conditions are going to be tricky," said co-skipper Cole Brauer ahead of the start. "But when you are calm and not feeling that extra stress, you know you are likely to do quite well in a race." A good sign, perhaps: at the time of this release, Team Malizia is leading the fleet.
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: Zurich Group Germany, Kuehne+Nagel, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Hapag-Lloyd, Schütz, KPMG Germany, the Yacht Club de Monaco, and EFG International. 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.