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!

Click here to see where Team Malizia is!

Day 5 - Friday, July 4

Malizia - Seaexplorer is slicing through the water in steady 20-knot winds, sailing on a reaching angle. The IMOCA has been averaging an impressive 19 knots over the past four hours. Conditions on board are intense: helmets are out and mandatory, as every move requires focus, precision, and teamwork.

Day 4 - Wednesday, July 3

Day 3 - Wednesday, July 2

🗺️ Course change alert 🚨

This morning, as the first boats in the Course des Caps fleet rounded the legendary Fastnet lighthouse, Race Management announced a change to the course. Course shortened by 220 miles: the fleet will now round the Orkneys instead of the Shetlands, with finishers expected Saturday afternoon, perfectly timed for the cycling Tour de France arrival in Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Stay tuned for more updates from Frankie and Team Malizia!

Day 2 - Tuesday, July 1

After sailing downwind along the English coast yesterday, making the most of the tricky wind and currents, the eleven teams competing in the inaugural La Course des Caps experienced a significant, albeit brief, slowdown in the early hours of yesterday evening. The fleet found itself stuck in a transition zone between two weather systems, marked by a ridge between Start Point and Lizard.

Once through this zone, they found a breeze from the north, then north-west, rounding the Isles of Scilly from the south. The boats are now heading towards the legendary Fastnet Rock, which they are expected to round in the early hours of tomorrow morning, with the wind continuing to strengthen.

In terms of the rankings, although the fleet remains compact, with less than 35 nautical miles between the leader and last boat, everything is still to play for.

Watch the daily boatfeed: it's the best way to find out what life is like at the heart of the race! In Frankie’s words from min 3:29”

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.

Fair winds, @team_malizia! 🍀 Can’t wait to rejoin the crew in Portsmouth for the rest of the Ocean Race Europe! #TeamMalizia #theoceanrace #IMOCA #11thhourracing

Out on the water with the all-girls junior offshore team from New Bedford Community Center 💪 We spent nearly 3 hours sailing on the 50-foot Crazy Horse and they definitely put me to work! 😅 Grinding, trimming, coaching a bit, and sharing stories from my offshore sailing journey. Such an inspiring group of young sailors. The future of offshore sailing is in good hands 🙌 Thanks for having me aboard, can’t wait to see where your sails take you next! #WomenInSailing #OffshoreSailing #Sailing #11thHourRacing

Grateful for the warm welcome at @greatharboryachtclub! ⚓️ I had the chance to speak with about 40 club members and junior instructors about my journey, from my early days sailing in Trieste 🇮🇹 to taking on the @vendeeglobe 🌍 It’s always special to connect with the next generation of sailors and share stories that hopefully inspire them to chase big dreams. Thank you GHYC for the great vibes and thoughtful questions! 🙏 📸 Team Francesca Clapcich powered by 11th Hour Racing #Sailing #11thHourRacing

JULY DUUUUMB ✌️ From sailing around the British Isles with @team_malizia on @lacoursedescaps to recharging with family and friends back home in the US 🫶

Twinning with my little one! Trying to get as much time as possible with H before leaving to Europe again soon! @stio #lettheoutsidein

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.

Francesca looks out from the cockpit wearing an 11th Hour Racing branded baseball cap, headset and microphone, and sport sunglasses — Frankie takes a peek out of the cockpit at the start of the Course des Caps © Flore Hartout / Team Malizia

Course des Caps: race updates from onboard with Frankie!