A spectacular start, on Sunday, April 28 at 1:30 pm for
the transoceanic regatta Transat CIC, one of the most demanding
tests for solo sailors, who are called to face very tough
conditions on their way to New York after over 3,000 miles of
navigation, starting from Lorient, Brittany (France).
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Class40 IBSA - The Transat CIC © IBSA |
Beppe Raso
The 48 registered skippers – divided into the IMOCA (33, some
equipped with foil), Class40 (13) and Vintage (2) categories –
positioned themselves along the starting line, in the channel
between the Breton coast, before the small town of Lomener, and the
island of Groix. After heading South East, on a course designed
by the regatta director with the aim of making the start of the
transoceanic race spectacular and safe, the skippers began their
ascent of the Breton coast.
A conservative start for Alberto Bona on the Class40
IBSA, at his eighth regatta with the Swiss multinational
pharmaceutical company. Starting with a lot of sail area, after
rigging the gennaker and the solent at the bow, Alberto found
himself unable to luff much, remaining for the first stretch in the
middle of the fleet, led first by Ambrogio Beccaria (Alla Grande
Pirelli), who then left his leading position first to a wild Amélie
Grassi (La Boulangère Bio) and then, at the end of the first hour,
to Nicolas D’Estais (Café Joyeux), who at the start also had fewer
square meters of sail surface at the bow and was very determined to
stay ahead of the group.
After about ten miles of navigation, the first tack took the
skippers towards the North West, en route to the bay in front
of Concarneau; in this phase Alberto gained a good position within
the fleet, positioning himself to windward and increasing speed.
After leaving the Glénan archipelago – an area very complicated to
navigate due to the currents – on the left, the teams manoeuvred
again opposite Concarneau, before leaving the influence of the
mainland South of Brest and heading for the open sea. After about
eight hours of navigation, it was therefore time to say goodbye
to the Breton coast and turn the bow in the direction of the South
of Ireland, in search of the first low to address, and from
which to gain sustained winds – even up to 35 knots – and therefore
greater speed.
The wind was found just before dawn today, when the first
disturbance brushed the Class40s: finally the boats started
running. Bona reached fourth position, less than five miles from
the first, a minimum distance that shows how the best navigators in
the class have signed up for this regatta, and how the entire race
will be played on very small gaps, despite the great distance to
cover.
“It will be a balanced and very tough regatta,” had declared
Alberto shortly before the start. “The difficulty of sailing at
high latitudes has in fact selected the skippers: those taking part
in this regatta are very expert, have a perfectly prepared Class40
and are aiming for victory. There are thirteen of us, and at least
nine have an equal chance of climbing to the top step of the
podium, which makes this regatta both challenging due to the
weather conditions and exciting from a sporting perspective. The
best a solitary navigator could wish for.”
Giorgio Pisani, Vice President IBSA Group and leader of the
project Sailing into the Future. Together, also attended the
start of the regatta, on Sunday, April 28: “It’s always a great
emotion to see the Class40 IBSA setting sail,” he stated. “Our
skipper Alberto Bona has included in the third year of our project
the most complex and demanding regatta, as can also be seen from
the small number of participants in Class40: the best thirteen. I
believe that there are all the conditions for experiencing another
wonderful adventure together, one that will require courage and
commitment. Arriving in New York is certainly symbolic, the right
finish line for the most difficult regatta.”
With a travel time expected between 13 and 15 days from the
start, the 13 Class40s will face several lows in the
coming days. They will have to navigate in extremely complex
conditions, due both to very high waves – which can reach up to six
metres – and to very low temperatures. The organisers established
no navigation areas, in particular around the Azores islands – to
protect cetaceans – and along the Canadian coast, to avoid entering
zones with icebergs and where fishing vessels are more numerous.
The skippers will therefore have to find the best route to reach
the finish line – 130 miles off the coast of New York – as
quickly as possible, thus bringing the European ocean sailing under
the Statue of Liberty.
THE PROJECT: The three-year project
Sailing into the Future. Together was launched in January 2022. The
partnership between IBSA and skipper Alberto Bona was born on
common bases and values, and aims to use sailing as a corporate
communication vehicle towards the market and the nautical world.
Ingenuity, courage, innovation, responsibility are elements that
unites IBSA and Alberto, and the oceanic challenge, in addition to
the sporting competition, also metaphorically represents the
company’s history, philosophy and vision, which are always oriented
towards and are part of a path that brings IBSA increasingly closer
to the topic of environmental and social sustainability, with a
particular focus on inclusive sailing projects for people with
disabilities. In November 2022, the Route du Rhum was the first
sporting stage of the project Sailing into the Future. Together. In
2023, Bona and the Class40 IBSA participated in six regattas,
including the Rolex Fastnet Race and the Transat Jacques Vabre.
With two victories and three podiums, the record for the highest
number of miles covered in 24 hours and over 15,000 miles sailed,
Bona won first place overall in the Class40 International
Championship. In 2024, between April and July, he will face two of
the toughest transatlantic races on the international scene: the
Transat CIC from Lorient (France) to New York and the Quebec
Saint-Malo (from Canada to France).
THE SKIPPER: Alberto Bona is from
Turin, and has a degree in philosophy. As a university student, he
won the Panerai trophy aboard Stormvogel, fast ULDB and historic
boat with which he crossed the Atlantic Ocean for the first time,
winning the ARC with a New Zealand crew. In 2012 he took part in
the Minitransat, finishing 5th, one of the best Italian results
ever in this category. In 2015, he switched to the prototype
category Mini 6.50 with Promostudi La Spezia: he won the Italian
championship and finished second in the ocean crossing Les
Sables-Azores. In 2017 he discovered the Class40: on Giovanni
Soldini’s former Telecom Italia, he participated in the Transat
Jacques Vabre, where he was forced to withdraw when he was in sixth
place. In 2019 he was aboard the Maserati Multi 70 trimaran, one of
the world’s fastest boats, where he practiced on the foils before
moving on to the Figaro Beneteau 3, aboard which he participated in
the Solitaire; the only Italian registered, in 2020 he finished 7th
among the rookies in the first year and 16th overall. In 2021 he
won the Italian offshore team title and the Europeans in mixed
doubles aboard the Figaro 3. In 2022 he started the new project in
partnership with IBSA: after an eighth place in the Route du Rhum
2022, in 2023 Alberto won the Class40 International Championship,
closing a season with three podiums and over 15,000 miles
covered.
THE BOAT: Designed by French naval
architect Sam Manuard and built by the JPS Production shipyard,
Alberto Bona’s boat is a Class40 Mach 5 model. Its main
characteristics are: scow bow – rounded and with a wider and
flatter shape than standard bows – designed to stay high above the
water and avoid being submerged; all-round hull, particularly
performing in conditions of strong tailwinds; and a large, shielded
cockpit, to face extreme conditions of navigation in as comfortable
and safe as possible positions.
IBSA: IBSA (Institut Biochimique
SA) is a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical Company, founded in
1945 in Lugano. Today, its products are present in over 90
countries on 5 continents, through the Company’s 18 subsidiaries
located in Europe, China, and the United States. The company has a
consolidated turnover of 900 million CHF, and employs over 2,200
people between headquarters, subsidiaries and production sites.
IBSA holds 90 families of approved patents, plus others under
development, as well as a vast portfolio of products, covering 10
therapeutic areas: reproductive medicine, endocrinology, pain and
inflammation, osteoarticular, aesthetic medicine, dermatology,
uro-gynaecology, cardiometabolic, respiratory, consumer health. It
is also one of the largest operators worldwide in the area of
reproductive medicine, and one of the world’s leaders in hyaluronic
acid-based products. IBSA has based its philosophy on four pillars:
Person, Innovation, Quality and Responsibility.
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FOR PRESS INFORMATION
Francesca Capodanno – francesca.capodanno@wordpower.srl – mob: +39
349 881 0482 Benedetta Salemme – benedetta.salemme@noesis.net –
mob. +39 324 800 7570