Boris Herrmann awarded German offshore sailing honour
Remy Johannsen - Team Malizia
The IMOCA "Malizia - Seaexplorer" and skipper Boris Herrmann received the award for Best German Offshore Yacht 2025 at the eighteenth German Offshore Award on the evening of 6 March 2025. The ceremony took place at Hamburg City Hall and honoured the sensational 2nd place in the New-York Vendée Race 2024.
This recognition is presented annually to the best yacht sailing in international regattas under the German flag by a jury of representatives from the major Hamburg sailing clubs, chaired by the Hamburg Sailing Association.
For years, Herrmann and Team Malizia have championed the “A Race We Must Win” campaign, driving ambitious climate action through education, awareness and the promotion of tangible solutions to the climate crisis.
In his acceptance speech, Herrmann therefore shifted the focus from the physical race across the Ocean to the urgent race for climate action - to protect our Oceans and the planet. He acknowledged the political and socio-economic shifts of recent years, months and even weeks, but reaffirmed Team Malizia’s unwavering commitment to Ocean protection and conservation. Underlining the importance of this mission, he shared a memorable encounter just days before the start of the New York-Vendée, when world-renowned Ocean advocate and marine scientist Dr. Sylvia Earle asked him, “Boris, do you actually know what world lies beneath your boat?” Reflecting on the impact of her words, he told the audience, “That question, and the emotion with which Sylvia asked it, will stay with me forever and, above all, motivate me to do more for our blue planet and our global climate.”
Looking ahead to the upcoming races this year, including The Ocean Race Europe set to take place in late summer, Herrmann emphasised the race's main theme, "Connecting Europe," a slogan that can also be interpreted through a political lens.
Another key topic in Herrmann's acceptance speech was the integration of more young German sailors into the international sailing world, noting that only a few German talents dare to step onto the global stage. As Herrmann explained, he regularly receives applications from young sailors - but rarely from German applicants. Efforts to integrate German water sports athletes into offshore racing teams, such as the upcoming Ocean Race Europe 2025, have also been unsuccessful so far. "So far, it hasn't borne fruit," Herrmann admitted. "We need to keep working on promoting young talent and raising awareness of these opportunities."