Alberto Bona qualifies for Route du Rhum and celebrates with the christening of the Class 40 IBSA

Just a few days ago, on September 4, Alberto Bona, after a week of solo sailing, concluded his qualification for the Route du Rhum. In fact, to participate in the transatlantic, each competitor must sail at least 1,200 miles on the open sea. Alberto Bona with Class40 IBSA did it in record time, even with an “unexpected” start, decided very little in advance in order to take advantage of a weather window suitable for qualifying.

Alberto Bona: “I spent beautiful days at sea.”

Alone aboard the Class40 IBSA, Bona sailed the Bay of Biscay between the base of operations in La Trinité-sur-Mer, France, and La Coruña, Spain: “I spent wonderful days at sea, the first few nights were a great thrill – stated Alberto Bona – was a very interesting experience and an important test to get to know the reactions of the boat and create a feeling between us“. As for the weather conditions, he used A stable weather window, with wind who blew up to 25 knots: “The wind was sufficient to carry out the qualification and in some stretches quite consistent, but what engaged us most was the sea, on some occasions very formed and therefore also very challenging as a stress test for the boat“.

Today, however, took place in La Trinité-sur-Mer the official sea christening of the Class40 IBSA.

• Read also: All the secrets of the Class 40 IBSA

The christening of the Class 40 IBSA

A real celebration is taking place today in the port of La Trinité-Sur-Mer, Brittany, for the sea christening of Class40 IBSA, the brand new boat with which Alberto Bona will participate in the Route du Rhum in November. In fact, the transatlantic regatta is the first project of the three-year program Sailing into the Future. Together that the ocean sailor initiated with IBSA in early 2022.

Great enthusiasm and excitement characterized the event that took place in the small but famous Breton harbor, where some of the most prestigious trimarans that have toured the world and the history of ocean sailing are docked along the docks. And right here, in the presence of Arturo Licenziati, IBSA Group President and CEO, Alberto Bona and his entire team, the christening of an innovative and revolutionary hull and the visionary project that supports it was celebrated today.

“Sailing into the Future. Together is the three-year, international project that we strongly wanted because it combines several elements that are extremely priority and distinctive for us: innovation, technology, commitment to sport and the community, environmental and social responsibility ” – comments Arturo Licenziati. “The whole project and this first major sporting challenge that we are preparing to take on give us the opportunity to make our vision, values and Pillars-Person, Innovation, Quality and Responsibility-the same ones we share with sports and especially sailing, better known and brought to the world.”

Breaking the bottle on the hull-in one of the most traditional rituals in the nautical world, officially naming the boat-was godmother Francesca Licenziati, niece of IBSA President. The christening party was a moment of great pride and joy shared by the entire team, which for months has been working hard on the new boat and collaborating on several fronts, concretely showing how Sailing into the Future. Together is an international project, specifically involving Switzerland, France and Italy, and rests on strong values of inclusiveness, sustainability and teamwork.

After the technical launch last August 3, the hull designed by Sam Manuard, made by the shipyard JPS Production, who hoists the guidon of the Yacht Club Bellano, saw a series of sea tests, which allowed Alberto Bona to qualify for the Route du Rhum, browsing, between August 30 and September 5, for the first 1200 miles solo. The sailing took place in the Bay of Biscay, between Brittany and Spain, and highlighted the qualities of the hull and an excellent state of preparation in even complex weather conditions, with wind and waves typical of the Atlantic Ocean.

“After the technical launch,” said Alberto Bona, “we got very good feedback from every point of view, from hull construction to sails, from design to team preparation. We worked to prepare Class40 IBSA as best we could, and as early as the end of August we were ready to be able to carry out the qualification.On this front, we sped up the schedule as much as possible because after a very hot and dry summer, we had signs that the weather conditions in the northeast Atlantic were rapidly changing“.

The Class40 IBSA thus arrived at its christening already with over 1,200 sea miles and Alberto Bona’s first exciting solo sailing opportunity.

“These have been even better days than I could have imagined: on the one hand the satisfaction of now being perfectly timed for the Route de Rhum considering that we only started the project last February, and on the other hand the certainty of having a reliable and fast boat, the two characteristics that a sailor always looks for when he or she has to set out on a challenge such as the one that awaits us from November 6 and all the subsequent“.

“We are very satisfied with the results we have achieved so far. After many months of commitment and hard work, we have finally put in the water a boat that has all the makings to give very high performance and be highly competitive” – comments Giorgio Pisani, IBSA Vice President Southern Europe and Leader of the project. “The Class40 IBSA is the result of an approach that represents our way of being: it brings together innovation, attention to detail, continuous improvement and determination, with a vision that for IBSA always goes beyond pharmaceuticals and beyond care.”

With the baptism of the sea, the countdown to the start of the Route du Rhum officially begins: in the coming days Alberto Bona and the team will work on the boat again and begin a series of targeted training sessions, in some cases working together with other teams entered in the race in a series of joint tests. In mid-September, Bona will participate in the Malouine Lamotte regatta, followed by a presence on September 22 at the opening day of the Genoa Boat Show with the aim of publicizing and promoting Sailing into the Future. Together in all its aspects, particularly that related to social inclusion.

IBSA’s commitment

In its sailing-related program, in fact, IBSA is also committed to inclusive sailing with the involvement of prestigious yacht clubs: the Velabili Association based at the Circolo Velico Lago di Lugano (Switzerland), Société des Régates d’Antibes (France) and Yacht Club Punta Ala (Italy). The project aims to support inclusive sailing by promoting initiatives that involve people with disabilities in experiences in contact with the sea and the world of sailing, and consists of supporting a team of disabled sailors in participating in the 2023 Special Olympics World Games and purchasing Hansa 303 boats to benefit the Punta Ala and Antibes clubs.

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