IBSA
2.2.2024 14:33:26 CET | Business Wire | Press release
After a thorough overhaul in the shipyard to prepare the boat for the 2024 transoceanic races, the third season of the Class40 IBSA will start with two monumental tests, scheduled between April and July. As holder of first place in the international Class40 Circuit and the 24-hour Class40 distance record, both achieved during the 2023 season, Alberto Bona is getting ready to participate in the Transat CIC, to be held between April and May, and in the Transat Québec Saint-Malo, scheduled between June and July, to then complete the season with the Normandy Channel Race.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240202006265/en/
“We called it the season of courage”, stated Giorgio Pisani, Vice President IBSA Group and Leader of the project Sailing into the Future. Together. “But it will also be the season of maturity, for both Alberto and our project. In 2023 we achieved great sporting results, but also human ones, thanks to the commitment, consistency and resolution in completing the objectives we had set for ourselves. The 2024 season promises to be exciting: behind us, we have the experience that we strategically need to best manage the planned programme, while in our hearts is the courage to face any challenge, with the enthusiasm of the first day”.
“This third season with the Class40 IBSA”, commented Bona, “opens with a legendary regatta. I have enormous respect for this course, which I have never done; it’s a new challenge for me: a challenging route in the North Atlantic, in the first months of the season, very difficult due to wind, sea and current conditions. We are making some changes to the boat, in order to be best prepared for this first solo transoceanic. It’s important work”, continued Alberto, “which requires time and accurate assessments. On paper, it’s the most difficult regatta I have ever done. A beautiful adventure, also for IBSA, with a season that will take us to America and on less travelled routes; a season which I hope will be greatly satisfactory for everyone. I used to dream with the great navigators’ stories of the OSTAR, and I didn’t think that one day I would be able to do it myself... especially with a Class40!”.
The season will begin on April 28, with the Transat CIC, the new name of the oldest transoceanic regatta, the first edition of which took place in 1960. Then it was called the OSTAR; later it was renamed 1 Star and today is simply known as The Transat. Legendary names in ocean sailing have won it, from Sir Francis Chichester to Eric Tabarly. “This Transat is also the regatta in which the world discovered the great talent of Ellen MacArthur, who made her debut at just 23 years of age in this very difficult race”, recalled Bona. “It’s a solo regatta for which I have great expectations. I’m happy to go back to solo sailing after a season spent entirely with a crew. After the 2022 Route du Rhum, finding myself alone on the Class40 IBSA with so much more experience and knowledge of the boat is a great challenge”.
Anticipation is huge, after the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the pandemic: the regatta will therefore start again from the 15th edition, eight years after the previous one. The race will depart from Lorient, Brittany, on April 28 (the village will start celebrating on April 23), and arrive in New York, after over 3,000 miles of solo sailing. There will be a maximum of 80 boats at the start: 25 Class40s, 35 IMOCAs, 10 Ocean Fiftys and 10 vintage sailing boats, with registrations closing on January 31. The Class40 IBSA is automatically qualified, thanks to her participation in the 2022 Route du Rhum.
Sailing under the Statue of Liberty will certainly be a great thrill, as will be carrying the Class40 IBSA even further north, up to Canada, with an unforgettable 1,200 mile journey that will lead to the second, and equally legendary, challenge – the Transat Quebec Saint-Malo, one of the few Atlantic regattas sailed “in reverse”, from West to East, crossing the Northern waters and navigating for over 300 miles along a river, the St. Lawrence, in Canada. Now in its 10th edition – it also did not take place four years ago, due to COVID – and dedicated to the Ultim, Class40, IMOCA, Ocean Fifty and Mono and multihull categories between 45 and 65 feet, the Québec Saint-Malo is a regatta for a crew of three. Sailors will start on June 30 and – after dealing with the waters of the North Atlantic – will land in Saint-Malo, where three years ago everything began for the Class40 IBSA, with the departure for the Route du Rhum.
“After the Quebec Saint-Malo”, concluded Alberto, “we will be back in the La Trinité shipyard to get ready for the last event of the year, the Normandy Channel Race. These three regattas will, I hope, allow us to defend our Class40 championship title. It will be another challenging season for everyone, with thousands of miles behind and hopefully with more good results”.
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/en/
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240202006265/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
The LYCRA Company Makes NSC Safety Congress & Expo Debut10.9.2026 19:45:00 CEST | Press release
Highlights Innovative Fibers That Enhance Worker Comfort, Performance, and Protection The LYCRA Company, a global leader in developing fiber and technology solutions for the apparel and personal care industries, today announced its inaugural exhibition at the NSC Safety Congress & Expo, being held September 14-16 in Indianapolis. The company also marks the North American debut of its “FIBERS THATWORK” portfolio of innovative solutions for workwear, uniforms, and protective apparel. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260910402207/en/ The LYCRA Company will debut its FIBERS THAT WORK portfolio at the NSC Safety Congress & Expo in Indianapolis, highlighting fiber technologies engineered to enhance comfort, durability, visibility, and protection in workwear and protective apparel. "Comfort is fundamental to workwear performance," said Tara Maurer-Mackay, product category director, branded specialty products at The LY
Turning Up the Heat: ProAmpac Helps Power Circle K’s Flamin’ Hot® Boneless Chicken Wings Launch10.9.2026 18:12:00 CEST | Press release
ProAmpac, a global leader in flexible packaging and material science, is proud to announce its role in supporting Circle K's launch of Flamin' Hot® Boneless Chicken Wings, created in partnership with PepsiCo/Frito-Lay. Designed to address key challenges in hot food packaging, ProAmpac's custom fiber-based tray helps maintain food quality, improve shelf appeal, and enhance the consumer experience. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260910495607/en/ Flamin' Hot Chicken Bites Circle K sought a better way to merchandise its Flamin’ Hot® Boneless Chicken Wings while addressing several performance challenges, including heat retention, moisture loss, and grease resistance, while extending hot hold time. ProAmpac responded with a custom tray designed specifically for the recipe and portion size, demonstrating its flexibility in meeting unique customer design and performance requirements. Working from PepsiCo’s initial br
Record Currency Management wins new FX Alpha and Frontier Market mandates10.9.2026 17:30:00 CEST | Press release
Record Currency Management Ltd (RCM), a subsidiary of London-listed Record plc (Record Financial Group), is pleased to announce that it has been awarded two new mandates of strategic importance – an FX Alpha mandate and an FX Frontier mandate. RCM is the UK currency management arm of Record Financial Group, the London-listed specialist investment group managing over USD 122 billion of assets on behalf of institutional clients worldwide. Record’s client base comprises pension funds, foundations, sovereign institutions and other asset managers, with whom the Group has built long-standing relationships through its focus on bespoke investment and risk management solutions. Headquartered in London, Record has offices in Hamburg, Zurich, Zug, New York, and Hong Kong. For institutional investors, currency can represent both a source of risk and a potential source of differentiated returns. Live since 2012, Record’s FX Alpha strategy aims to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns without cap
Azizi Developments Introduces USD 8.1 Billion Master-Planned Community Azizi Florence in Sharjah10.9.2026 16:08:00 CEST | Press release
Azizi Developments, a leading private developer in the UAE, is unveiling Azizi Florence, a USD 8.1 billion master-planned community marking its first project in Sharjah. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260910091949/en/ Azizi Florence (Photo: AETOSWire) The freehold development will feature 1,130 villas, more than 6,000 townhouses and 3,500 apartments, with three-bedroom townhouses starting from USD 515,000 at USD 231 per square foot of sellable area. Designed as an integrated destination, Azizi Florence will bring together residential, retail, hospitality, education, leisure and wellness offerings, centred around a 1.7-million-square-foot Central Park. Six residential clusters will each feature a park, clubhouse, community centre and landscaped gardens. Mr. Mirwais Azizi, Founder and Chairman of Azizi Group, said: “Returning to Sharjah after more than three decades is deeply meaningful to me, as this emirate w
Agentic Crypto Payments Have Surged by 500%1 in the Last Three Months, Crypto Compliance Must Become Agentic Too10.9.2026 15:53:00 CEST | Press release
Elliptic is publishing eight principles for governing agentic on-chain risk: the Elliptic Standard Elliptic,the global leader in on-chain risk, today published the Elliptic Standard: eight principles for governing agentic on-chain risk. Elliptic has been at the intersection of financial crime and on-chain finance since 2013, long enough to recognize the shift to agentic transactions as a defining inflection point in financial crime risk, and to be the first to define what governing it demands. On-chain finance is now running at agentic speed. Machines are originating, authorizing and settling transactions at a volume no human team can review. Illicit actors are using AI to evade detection at a speed and volume that manual processes cannot track. Models built around human review were never designed for this world. They are already overwhelmed. Three forces are driving this shift. First, autonomous agents are increasingly the counterparty on both sides of a transaction, not just people i
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom