All five IMOCAs were back on the start line in Aarhus, Denmark on Thursday, 08 June and after completing one lap of an inshore course with little to no wind at times, the fleet headed to The Hague by way of a ‘fly-by’ to the German sailing city of Kiel.
For Boris Herrmann, the return to Kiel was special as not only was he racing for the first time on home waters aboard his new IMOCA race yacht, but he has a great connection to Kiel having studied and sailed there. An incredible number of small boats turned out to escort the team and their boat Malizia – Seaexplorer in and out of the Kiel fjord on Friday afternoon, together with lots of spectators supporting them as they rounded the turning mark in 5th place. On departure, Boris Herrmann said: “This ‘fly-by’ in Kiel was such a special highlight. I’m never going to forget it, thank you to everyone that came to Kiel. So many people, so much energy, all the crowds cheering for the teams”.
The ‘fly-by’ provided a welcome boost for the next stage to The Hague and after a long night, with multiple tactical manoeuvres and little sleep, Team Malizia closed the gap on the other boats, moving up into second position. They were then locked into another intense battle with Team Holcim – PRB that went right to the finish, with Team Malizia crossing the line just one minute and 30 seconds behind their Swiss competitor, and thirteen minutes and 43 seconds after leg 6 winner 11th Hour Racing Team.
The arrival into The Hague on Sunday was also an exceptional homecoming moment for co-skipper Rosalin Kuiper and just after reaching the finish line, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of The Netherlands stepped onto Malizia – Seaexplorer to congratulate her and welcome the Team Malizia crew.
Rosie said: “It’s incredible to come into The Hague like this, we pushed and pushed. It was such an intense fight, especially in the last few hours. We sailed for about three days but only slept eight hours or so. Having my friends, my family, our team and all the Dutch supporters here today is incredible…I cannot begin to explain how I am feeling right now!”
Rosie is the only female sailor who will have done all of the legs in this edition of The Ocean Race and during the short stopover in The Hague, together with Team Malizia she will participate in local media activity and meet local school children. She will also take part in the Malizia Sustainability Panel Debate on the importance of female empowerment, especially around climate change, in line with their ‘A Race We Must Win – Climate Action Now!’ mission.
The 7th and final leg of The Ocean Race departs The Hague on Thursday, 15 June for the 2,200 nautical mile journey to Genova in Italy. Team Malizia currently sits in 3rd place in the overall ranking and they will be aiming for a strong finish in Genova, where they are anticipated to arrive around Sunday, 25 June.
For more information and to follow the race, head to Team Malizia's website and social media channels (YouTube, Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram) or visit The Ocean Race website.