Two years of work, over 150 people, and more than 85,000 hours of labour came together on Monday morning when Malizia 4 touched the water for the first time in Lorient, France.
Boris Herrmann was surrounded by many of the people who had spent months turning drawings into reality when the new IMOCA slid into the water near the CDK shipyard at Lorient La Base. "Today is a very emotional day for all of us," he said. "For months we have watched Malizia 4 take shape from drawings to being built piece by piece, and now seeing her finally in the water is very special. I'm incredibly proud of the team and what we have achieved. It makes me ecstatic to see her."
The boat is built around one guiding philosophy: versatility across the widest possible range of conditions. "Our previous IMOCA was very strong in heavy downwind conditions, and we wanted to keep that," said Herrmann. "At the same time, we wanted to build a boat that is also fast upwind, fast in light winds, quick through transitions, and flies early thanks to powerful foils."
Malizia 4 has a narrower, flatter hull with significantly less rocker than its predecessor. Hull length is 60 feet (18.23 m) as per IMOCA class rules, fitted with a 6-foot bowsprit. Schütz' CORMASTER® honeycomb material is used in the hull and deck structures, as it was on Malizia - Seaexplorer. One distinctive new feature is a blade running along the underside of the black and red hull. Technical director Pierre-François Dargnies explains its purpose: "The blade creates a boundary that helps the water separate cleanly from the hull and reduce drag."
The foil package was developed with a specific performance target. "The foils were designed with a clear objective: to match the downwind performance of Malizia – Seaexplorer in heavy conditions, while staying competitive with boats such as MACIF in flat water and light winds," said Dargnies. Built by C3 Technologies, the foils are a compromise between the previous C-shape design and flatter configurations that perform better upwind and through transitions. The V-tail rudders, painted Monaco red like all appendages on previous Team Malizia boats, are also an evolution, designed to improve trimming the boat.
The cockpit has been rethought for crewed racing, with a fully enclosed layout featuring large panoramic windows, two winch tables with larger winches, and a cleaner arrangement that improves movement and efficiency. Most notably, steering wheels replace a tiller. Herrmann is direct about why. "Our goal is to win The Ocean Race and for that we think we need to hand steer, which can bring a bigger gain than a new hull or foil shape. The biggest difference is made by us sailors, at least in certain conditions. That means the steering needs to be ergonomic, sheltered so you can stand there for longer periods, and responsive enough to feel the boat and really enjoy steering it."
The living spaces are clustered close to the cockpit. Two bunks sit in the aft cabin, with two more alongside the navigation chair and computers in enclosed spaces either side of the cockpit. The sail locker forward is accessed through those same side spaces.
Malizia 4 is also the product of an unusual three-way collaboration. Team Malizia joined forces with TR Racing (skipper Thomas Ruyant, launched June 2026) and Team Banque Populaire (skipper Loïs Berrehar, to be launched in 2027) to develop and build three sisterships, working with naval architect Antoine Koch, design office Finot-Conq, and structural engineering firm Gsea Design. The three boats are an evolution of Koch's previous IMOCA design, formerly known as Vulnérable and now racing as Allagrande Mapei.
Herrmann captured the mood at the launch simply. "A boat is not only a machine, it's also something that you have an emotional relationship with. I find her so beautiful with her aggressive lines and distinctive Malizia colors, and I'm already very excited for the first sensations when we start sailing. I feel that with the other sailors too, everyone is really eager now to get on the water."
After sea trials, the programme includes the fully crewed Ocean Race Atlantic from New York to Lorient starting 1 September, the solo Route du Rhum with Herrmann, The Ocean Race in 2027 departing Alicante on 17 January, and ultimately Herrmann's third Vendée Globe in 2028-2029.
