It was a spectacular start, on Sunday, April 28, at 1:30
p.m. 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).
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 southeast, 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.
It was 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 10 miles of navigation, the first tack took the
skippers toward the northwest, 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 maneuvered
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,” Alberto declared
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
aiming for victory. There are 13 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
Sunday’s start of the regatta. “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 13. 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
meters – and to very low temperatures. The organizers 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.
For more information, visit
www.ibsasailing.com
PM-06-24-0055
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