Course des Caps: race updates from onboard with Frankie!

Jun 30

Welcome to the rolling blog from the Course des Caps as Frankie races with Team Malizia onboard the 60-foot IMOCA, Malizia-Seaexplorer, that she will take over herself in October 2025.

Here, we’ll share a daily update from the racecourse, plus any videos, photos, or audio files we receive from Frankie.

To learn more about the race, read this story here, follow Team Malizia on the tracker here, the official race website here, and also all the social channels for the very latest updates!

Day 1 - Monday, June 30

It might be light, but that doesn’t make the work easy on Day 2 of the Course des Caps. And Frankie is kept busy with a sail repair … and all without coffee … Watch below to find out more!

Start day - Sunday, June 29

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 underway 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 five to eight days, the very light weather conditions mean the course could take up to eight days or more to complete, demanding patience, endurance, and sharp tactical thinking from all teams.

A close start to the race, but we soaked in a beautiful sunset with @imocamacif 🌞 Grateful for moments like these! #IMOCA #sailing #TeamMalizia

Ready. Set. Go! 💥 Team Malizia is underway in the Course des Caps! A tricky start with fog and light winds, but so great to see the IMOCA fleet racing together again. Looking forward to an exciting week of racing around the British Isles! ⛵🇬🇧 📸 Flore Harout - Team Malizia I Marin Le Roux - polaRYSE #TeamMalizia #CourseDesCaps #IMOCA #OceanRacing

The countdown is over — @lacoursedescaps starts tomorrow! 💥 Pumped to be racing for the first time with @team_malizia 😍 📸 @pola.ryse #IMOCA #TeamMalizia #offshoreracing

Hey yaaaa! 💥 Today in Boulogne-sur-Mer were the SPEED RUNS — and what a ride! 🚀️ First race onboard @team_malizia for me, and I couldn’t have asked for a better crew.

Getting Ready for @lacoursedescaps ✌️

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 colors of Team Malizia.

From Frankie: “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.”

Read this story here from Team Malizia.