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assigned to each piece of data depending on its pre-
cision. Our data has been classified as the highest
quality, with this type of measurement and vessel. So
it is available to the global scientific community. Our
2019 data was used in the global carbon assessment
report, and is already referenced by scientists in nu-
merous papers.

What was your main motivation to add a scienti-
fic side to this race, often called the “Everest of
the seas”?
Malizia II is considered a ship of opportunity, in the
sense that it collects data during the race thanks to
its onboard ocean laboratory. It is ideal for scientists,
as it is not as expensive and does not take as much
time as launching a research vessel! Also, few vessels
can travel non-stop to these distant ocean areas, far
from conventional sailing routes. Being able to contri-
bute to ocean science is a huge incentive for me! Pro-
tecting the ocean has to be very dear to the heart of
any sailor... In any event, after several years, we have
taken samples from numerous regions which had ne-
ver been observed before, which allows scientists to
bridge gaps in their models and see if the amount of
CO in the ocean has increased proportionally in line
2
with the atmosphere. In the atmosphere, the air cir-
culates and mixes in a few months. In the ocean, the
changes are much slower: there is around one thou-
sand years of inertia! Being able to play our part in this
research is crucial.

© Andreas Lindlahr