Team Malizia is back on the water with Malizia - Seaexplorer, freshly relaunched on 6 May 2025 after a winter refit following her round-the-world journey in the Vendée Globe 2024-2025 with skipper Boris Herrmann. Set to compete in the Course des Caps and The Ocean Race Europe this summer, the boat is now configured once again for crewed racing and, for the first time, equipped with a hybrid-electric propulsion and energy system. As one of the first teams to integrate this setup in the IMOCA class, Team Malizia reaffirms its long-standing commitment to combining high-performance sailing with climate action, while bringing new technical partners Molabo and Fischer Panda onboard.

Although IMOCA yachts race with wind power, an engine is an essential part of the boat’s safety and operational systems. “IMOCA class rules require boats to have the ability to motor for critical situations such as docking, undocking, or recovering a person overboard”, explains Technical advisor Jesse Naimark-Rowse. Beyond these safety requirements, the engine also plays a role in charging the yacht’s energy systems when renewable sources like solar and hydro power are insufficient, for example in low-sunlight conditions.

“We asked ourselves: How can we race around the world on a high-tech yacht without the use of fossil fuels, at the same time improve performance, all while complying with new IMOCA class rules?” says Boris. “This system is our answer. It's lighter, cleaner, and lets us maximise our renewable sources of energy. This is one of the most exciting upgrades to the boat and we are proud to lead that step towards more sustainable offshore racing.”

Starting this season, the IMOCA class has updated its rules regarding engine power, increasing the requirement from 35HP to 45HP. As a result, teams have three options for their current boats: install a new, heavier 45HP diesel engine; keep the existing diesel engine and add 50 kilograms of compensating weight; or opt for a hybrid solution, where teams are free to choose the setup without weight restrictions, as long as it matches the performance of a 45HP diesel engine. Regardless of the propulsion system selected, each boat must successfully complete a traction test and be capable of motoring for five hours at five knots. Team Malizia is running those tests this week and, as one of the first teams to install such a custom, hybrid system, they are working closely with the IMOCA class to explore how the new rules can be implemented in practice. This is new territory for the class, and together, Team Malizia and IMOCA are pioneering the way forward.

The custom setup centers on the Molabo ARIES i50 electric inboard motor. Operating at just 48 volts, the system is inherently safe-to-touch, eliminating the hazards and complexity of high-voltage marine systems. It is paired with the already installed Solbian solar panels and Watt and Sea hydrogenerators, as well as a new high-capacity battery bank from Solid State Marine and a Fischer Panda generator certified to run on hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO).

“On top of looking at a more sustainable solution for motoring, we looked at how a hybrid solution could work with our renewable energy sources onboard, and how we could get the most out of our solar panels and hydrogenerators”, describes Jesse. “That meant looking at energy storage.”

The new hybrid setup has a much larger battery bank, which means that far more of the renewable energy generated from solar and hydro power can be stored. “When we charge with solar in the day, we can store energy to get enough through the entire night without using the generator at all”, adds Jesse. “And when we do need the Fischer Panda generator, it’s certified to run on hydrogenated vegetable oil and uses only half the fuel a conventional diesel setup would need to produce the same amount of energy. Beyond that, something as routine as leaving the dock can now be done entirely on electric power, without burning any fossil fuels or vegetable oil at all.”

“This project shows what’s possible,” said Adrian Patzak, COO of Molabo GmbH. “If Team Malizia can run an IMOCA with 48 volts and solar power, then many other vessels can do it. After all, the same Molabo drive installed in Malizia - Seaexplorer is also powering an 84-passenger solar ferry that runs all day, every day. Together, we are proving that the technology is here to reduce emissions whether you are competing, commuting, or simply enjoying time at sea.”

In addition, the hybrid system is also lighter than a standard diesel engine, which benefits overall racing performance. “Switching to a 48V system required some adjustments on the electrical side during the refit,” explains Malizia’s Technical Director Pierre-François Dargnies. “But we were able to retain a lot of the boat’s existing structure, and overall, the installation went smoothly.” The team is now carrying out the final tests on the water ahead of upcoming training days, including a session with the Pôle Finistère offshore racing centre later this month.

As for other updates on board, Boris shares: “We have installed our version 3 foil design, which we had already used a bit last year. For the Vendée Globe, we decided to revert to the version 2 foils because I felt we hadn’t tested the new ones enough in conditions as demanding as the Southern Ocean. But the plan was always to fully introduce them for the 2025 season, and that is exactly what we have done.”

He adds: “We have also made a few sail modifications, including a new, flatter spinnaker. And for the running rigging, we have replaced large sections with ropes from our technical partner Gleistein.”

With a crewed racing season ahead, another significant change during the refit was adapting Malizia - Seaexplorer from its solo configuration back to a crewed setup. “The boat was optimised for solo sailing over the past year, especially for the Vendée Globe,” explains co-skipper Will Harris. “Boris had a big comfortable suspension chair in the cockpit which we removed to give ourselves more space for the crew of four sailors and one onboard reporter. We are going to have the benches like we had in The Ocean Race so we can sit on the sides of the cockpit and tuck them away when we are not using them.”

The navigator seat has been moved from the aft cabin entry to the back, so that the space is more open and the navigator sitting in a central position, looking at what is going on in the cockpit and able to relay their thoughts to the crew. “This is a really good setup for the short, intense legs of The Ocean Race Europe, in order to quickly react to any changes and to what the navigator wants to do”, adds Will. “At the same time, we installed more bunks in the aft cabin, really comfortable and with direct access to the cockpit.”

“After several refits, over 100,000 nautical miles sailed, several round-the-world laps of Ocean data collected, and much more to come this year, it’s inspiring to see how far we have come as a team”, comments Team Director Holly Cova. “We continue to evolve, improving both performance and sustainability with each step. With our racing yacht upgraded and back in the water, and our new sailing research vessel now launched, we are reinforcing our commitment to the Ocean. Not only through innovation on the racecourse, but through meaningful climate action.”