LA TRINITÉ-SUR-MER, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A real celebration was held on September 9 in the port of La Trinité-Sur-Mer, in Brittany, for the launch of the Class40 IBSA, the brand new boat with which Alberto Bona will participate in the Route du Rhum. The transatlantic regatta is indeed the first project of the three-year program Sailing into the Future. Together that the ocean sailor started with IBSA at the beginning of 2022.
Great enthusiasm and emotion characterised the event, that took place in the small but famous Breton port, along whose mooring quays are berthed some of the most prestigious trimarans that have gone around the world and have made the history of ocean sailing. And right here, Arturo Licenziati – President and CEO of the IBSA Group – Alberto Bona and his entire team celebrated the launch of an innovative and revolutionary hull, as well as the visionary project that supports it.
“Sailing into the Future. Together is the three-year international project that we strongly pursued, because it combines several elements that for us are extremely important and distinctive: innovation, technology, commitment to sport and to the community, environmental and social responsibility”, commented Arturo Licenziati. “The whole project and this first great sporting challenge that we are preparing to face give us the opportunity to introduce to the world our vision, values and Pillars (Person, Innovation, Quality and Responsibility), the same ones that we share with sport, and with sailing in particular.”
To break the bottle on the hull – in one of the most traditional rites of the nautical world, which officially baptises the boat – will be the godmother Francesca Licenziati, niece of IBSA’s President. The launch celebration is a moment of great pride and joy, shared by the whole team, who for months worked hard on the new boat and collaborated on several fronts, concretely showing how Sailing into the Future. Together is an international project, which involves Switzerland, France and Italy in particular, and is based on strong values of inclusiveness, sustainability and teamwork.
After the technical launch on August 3, the hull designed by Sam Manuard – built by the shipyard JPS Production and hoisting the burgee of the Bellano Yacht Club – has been subject to a series of tests at sea, which allowed Alberto Bona to qualify for the Route du Rhum by sailing, between August 30 and September 5, the first 1,200 miles alone. The navigation 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 the winds and waves typical of the Atlantic Ocean.
“After the technical launch”, said Alberto Bona, “we had very good feedback from every perspective, from the construction of the hull to the sails, from the design to the preparation of the team. We worked to prepare the Class40 IBSA as best, and by the end of August we were ready for the qualification: on this front, we accelerated 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 already arrived at its launch with over 1,200 miles at sea and the first, exciting occasion of solitary navigation by Alberto Bona.
“These have been even more beautiful days than I could have imagined: on the one hand the satisfaction of now being in perfect timing for the Route du Rhum, considering that we only started the project last February; on the other the certainty of having a reliable and fast boat, the two characteristics that navigators always look for when they have to leave for a challenge like the one that awaits us from November 6, as well as all those to follow.”
“We are very satisfied with the results we have achieved so far. After many months of commitment and hard work, we have finally put into the water a boat that has all the credentials to ensure a very high performance and to be highly competitive”, commented Giorgio Pisani, Vice President Southern Europe IBSA and Project Leader. “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 the pharmaceutical field and beyond care.”
With this launch, the countdown to the start of the Route du Rhum has officially begun: in the coming days Alberto Bona and the team will continue working on the boat and will begin a series of targeted training sessions, in some cases working together with other teams registered in the regatta, in a series of joint tests. In mid-September, Bona will participate in the Malouine Lamotte regatta and then, on September 22, he will attend the opening day of the Genoa Boat Show, with the aim of promoting the project Sailing into the Future. Together in all its aspects, in particular that related to social inclusion.
Indeed, in its sailing programme IBSA is also committed in the field of inclusive sailing, with the involvement of prestigious yacht clubs: the Associazione Velabili, based at the Circolo Velico Lago di Lugano (Switzerland); the Société des Régates d’Antibes (France); and the Yacht Club Punta Ala (Italy). The project – which aims to support inclusive sailing, by promoting initiatives that engage people with disabilities in experiences in contact with the sea and the world of sailing – consists in supporting a team of disabled sailors in participating in the Special Olympics World Games of 2023 and in the purchase of Hansa 303 boats for the Clubs of Punta Ala and Antibes.
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 17 subsidiaries located in Europe, China, and the United States. The company has a consolidated turnover of 800 million CHF, and employs over 2,000 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.
