- Arrival in port in the magical New York dawn and iconic passage
in front of the Statue of Liberty
- So much satisfaction for having brought the Class40 IBSA to the
other side of the world
On Friday, May 10, 2024, at 12:05:37 p.m. ET – after 12 days, 4
hours, 35 minutes and 37 seconds of navigation – Alberto Bona,
aboard the Class40 IBSA, crossed the finish line of the Transat
CIC, 130 nautical miles from New York, in fifth place, thus closing
this challenging transatlantic race, which had started in Lorient,
France, on April 28. With the arrival in New York of the Class40
IBSA, the project Sailing into the Future. Together lands in the
United States, also directly involving IBSA USA, the American
subsidiary of the multinational pharmaceutical Company.
After crossing the finish line, the real prize was the entry
into the Upper Bay of New York, which took place on May 11: a
perfect dawn welcomed Alberto Bona passing under the
Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, where the shore team and the IBSA team
were waiting for him, and sailing past the Statue of Liberty,
crossing one of the world’s most beautiful waterfronts along the
New York skyline.
“It’s been a very tough race,” commented Alberto. “A real
feat: at times I sailed in conditions I had never experienced
before. I had to react to many difficulties linked to a series of
small failures, which put me to the test. I am proud of this
result: crossing the finish line of the Transat CIC means a lot to
me. We found difficult conditions, sailing for many days with very
strong tailwinds, on the thin line between pushing to the speed
limit and a mere survival pace. I learned a lot. For us who were
sailing a little farther back, the second low was very strong;
there was really a lot of swell: a beautiful sight.”
Precisely, these weather conditions put the boat to the
test: in fact, she suffered a series of damages to the sails
and to one of the rudders, which the skipper managed directly at
sea. A damage to the hull forced the Class40 IBSA to go slower in
some phases of the race, somehow limiting her performance: this
delamination issue – that is, the “weakening” of a small portion of
the hull due to the failure of the fibers with which the boat is
built – will require a series of restoration works.
“When we inaugurated the third season of the project Sailing
into the Future. Together,” stated Giorgio Pisani, IBSA Group
Vice President and Project Leader, “we emphasized that one of
the key words would be ‘courage.’ And so it was! Alberto had to
overcome many difficulties, finding the inner strength to always be
focused, to cope with breakdowns in extreme weather conditions.
From Alberto’s exploits we can draw profound inspiration for our
work: knowing how to respond effectively to difficulties, without
ever giving up.”
The American flag tied to the stay and the Manhattan skyscrapers
in the background: the arrival in port was unforgettable for
Alberto, at his very first transoceanic race on a route so far
north.
The skipper – who turned 38 on May 9, while still racing – was
celebrated by IBSA USA collaborators, who subsequently visited the
Class40 IBSA. On Sunday, May 12, the regatta awards ceremony was
held on the Wavetree ship, moored in front of the South Street
Seaport Museum in New York, a few steps from the Brooklyn Bridge.
After some work on the hull, the Class40 IBSA will move to Canada,
to participate in the Québec Saint-Malo, starting on June 30 in
Québec City.
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-06-24-0061
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240514133656/en/
Francesca Capodanno – francesca.capodanno@wordpower.srl – mob:
+39 349 881 0482 Benedetta Salemme – benedetta.salemme@noesis.net –
mob. +39 324 800 7570