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
Corona Global Named Most Valuable Beer Brand in Kantar BrandZ Rankings for Third Consecutive Year14.5.2026 06:01:00 CEST | Press release
AB InBev Holds 8 of the Top 10 Most Valuable Beer Brands Globally Corona global has been recognized as the most valuable beer brand in the world for the third consecutive year in Kantar's BrandZ 2026 Most Valuable Global Brands report, released today. Eight out of the top ten most valuable global beer brands belong to AB InBev (Brussel:ABI) (BMV:ANB) (JSE:ANH) (NYSE:BUD), according to the report ranking the best brands in the world. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260513211378/en/ In 2025, Corona led AB InBev’s performance, increasing revenue by 8.3% outside of its home market with double-digit volume growth in 30 markets, while Corona Cero delivered strong double-digit volume growth. As the brand celebrated its 100th anniversary, Corona launched its global “Corona 100” platform, including a multi-year sponsorship of a renowned concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. Strong momentum continued in Q1 2026
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Announces the Initiation of a Comprehensive Public Debt Restructuring Process13.5.2026 22:08:00 CEST | Press release
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela announces today its decision to initiate a comprehensive restructuring of its external public debt obligations. CONTEXT & RATIONALE Over the past decade, Venezuela's economy has been severely impacted by external shocks – from the end of the commodity super-cycle to foreign sanctions and COVID-19 – resulting in a sharp economic contraction, a protracted default since 2017, and a ballooning of public sector liabilities. The country nonetheless possesses a strong economic potential, including unique hydrocarbon and mineral endowments. A recovery is underway, and Venezuela is committed to accelerating it through a comprehensive reform agenda in support of growth, fiscal sustainability, monetary stabilization, and enhanced governance. Restoring public debt sustainability is central to this agenda: the current debt overhang constrains external financing, limits public investment capacity, and prevents full re-engagement with the international financial s
Boomi Announces Intent to Acquire Lunar.dev to Deliver Governed Agent Connectivity Across the Enterprise13.5.2026 21:00:00 CEST | Press release
Proposed acquisition extends Boomi’s AI gateway capabilities, enabling enterprises to govern massive volumes of traffic for production-ready AI Boomi, the data activation company for AI, today announced it has signed a letter of intent to acquire Lunar.dev, an innovator in AI and MCP gateway. The proposed acquisition is expected to enrich the Boomi Enterprise Platform and Boomi Connect with advanced capabilities to govern and scale AI usage across enterprise systems. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260513850557/en/ Boomi Announces Intent to Acquire Lunar.dev to Deliver Governed Agent Connectivity Across the Enterprise As organizations move from AI experimentation to production, controlling how agents and AI applications interact with LLMs at scale has become critical. Lunar.dev addresses this need with an AI gateway that delivers granular, policy-driven control over AI interactions, with the visibility, securi
BeOne Medicines’ BEQALZI™ (sonrotoclax) Approved by U.S. FDA as First and Only BCL2 Inhibitor for R/R Mantle Cell Lymphoma13.5.2026 19:27:00 CEST | Press release
BEQALZI is a foundational BCL2 inhibitor designed for greater potency and selectivity, with potential to improve efficacy, tolerability, and convenience versus others in the classApproval of BEQALZI marks the first new BCL2 inhibitor approved in a decade in the U.S. and the only BCL2 inhibitor approved in MCL, aiming to set a new standard of innovation BeOne Medicines Ltd. (“BeOne”) (Nasdaq: ONC; HKEX: 06160; SSE: 688235), a global oncology company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval to BEQALZI™(bee-KAHL-zee; sonrotoclax), a foundational, next-generation BCL2 inhibitor, for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), after at least two lines of systemic therapy, including a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor. BEQALZI was designed to enhance BCL2 inhibition—with greater potency, selectivity, and a pharmacologic profile with potential to improve efficacy, tolerability, a
Boomi Unveils Innovations That Power the Agentic Enterprise13.5.2026 16:30:00 CEST | Press release
Orchestration capabilities simplify workflows, while advanced agent connectivity and an enhanced context layer activate data and scale AI Boomi, the data activation company for AI, today announced a major expansion of the Boomi Enterprise Platform at Boomi World 2026, introducing new capabilities across orchestrated agentic workflows, agentic engineering, governed agent connectivity, grounded agent context, and localized agent infrastructure. Together, these innovations are designed to power the agentic enterprise — where agents and humans work together to drive action and operationalize AI at scale. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260513996223/en/ Boomi Unveils Innovations That Power the Agentic Enterprise The enterprise has reached a defining moment as AI becomes the primary interface for work and MCP emerges as the new standard. While the shift toward a headless, agentic enterprise is inevitable, this visio
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