Fifth Place for Alberto Bona With the Class40 IBSA at the Transat CIC – The Project Sailing into the Future. Together Lands in the United States
On Friday, May 10, 2024, at 6:05:37 pm Italian time (12:05:37 in New York) – after 12 days, 4 hours, 35 minutes and 37 seconds of navigation – Alberto Bona aboard the Class40 IBSA crossed in fifth position the finish line of the Transat CIC, 130 nautical miles from New York, thus closing this challenging transatlantic race which had started from Lorient last 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.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240513248021/en/
The Class40 IBSA in New York - © IBSA | Beppe Raso
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 getting 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 further 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 fibres with which the boat is built – will now 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 emphasised that one of the key words would have been “courage”. And so it was! Bona had to overcome many difficulties, finding the inner strength to always be concentrated, 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, 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 from 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 theQuebec 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. |
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/20240513248021/en/
Contact information
For more information, visit www.ibsasailing.com/en/
FOR PRESS INFORMATION
Francesca Capodanno – francesca.capodanno@wordpower.srl – mob: +39 349 881 0482
Benedetta Salemme – benedetta.salemme@noesis.net – mob. +39 324 800 7570
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
IonQ och QuantumBasel förlänger sitt långsiktiga samarbete till nästa generations kvantsystem20.12.2025 21:32:00 CET | Pressmeddelande
IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), världens ledande kvantdatorföretag, tillkännagav i dag ett utökat samarbetsavtal med QuantumBasel, kvantinitiativet vid uptownBasel, Schweiz internationella innovationscampus. Genom det utökade avtalet beviljas QuantumBasel äganderätten till det befintliga IonQ Forte Enterprise-systemet och blir ägare av ett nästa generationens Tempo-system. Det nya avtalet ökar det totala värdet av samarbetet mellan QuantumBasel och IonQ till över 60 miljoner USD samtidigt som IonQ:s roll i Schweiz därigenom förlängs i ytterligare fyra år, t.o.m. 2029. QuantumBasel är IonQ:s officiella innovationscenter i Europa och fungerar som ett nav för europeiska industrier, universitet och forskningsinstitut som vill utforska praktiska kvantdatortillämpningar och få tillgång till IonQ:s senaste storföretagssystem. ”Vårt förlängda samarbete med QuantumBasel utgör en hörnsten i IonQ:s globala strategi”, säger Niccolo de Masi, styrelseordförande och CEO på IonQ. ”QuantumBasel fortsätter att vara
EIG Acquires a 49.87% Stake in Transportadora de Gas del Perú (TgP)19.12.2025 18:42:00 CET | Press Release
EIG, through its managed investment vehicles, acquired a 49.87% equity stake in Transportadora de Gas del Perú S.A. (“TgP”) from Canada Pension Plan Investment Board today. TgP operates Peru’s principal natural gas and natural gas liquids pipelines under a long-term concession, supplying approximately 40% of the country’s power generation. “We are delighted to complete this transaction and embark on the next chapter of our partnership with TgP,” said Matt Hartman, EIG’s Global Head of Infrastructure. “Our priority is to support TgP’s operational excellence and long-term stability, delivering value for customers and stakeholders throughout Peru.” About EIG EIG is a leading institutional investor in the global energy and infrastructure sectors with $24.3 billion assets under management as of September 30, 2025. EIG specializes in private investments in energy and energy-related infrastructure on a global basis. During its 43-year history, EIG has committed over $51.7 billion to the energ
Klarna Partners With Coinbase to Add Stablecoin to Funding Mix19.12.2025 18:00:00 CET | Press Release
Klarna, the global digital bank and flexible payments provider, has partnered with Coinbase to add stablecoin funding to its broad range of traditional sources of funding, which include consumer deposits, long-term loans and short-dated commercial paper. The digital bank plans to raise short-term funding from institutional investors denominated in USDC utilizing Coinbase’s digitally native infrastructure. Adding a USDC-denominated funding source enables Klarna to access USD-like funding directly, tapping into a new pool of institutional investors. “This is an exciting first step into a new way to raise funding,” said Niclas Neglén, Chief Financial Officer, Klarna, “Stablecoin connects us to an entirely new class of institutional investors, and gives us the potential to diversify our funding sources in ways that simply weren't possible a few years ago. This is just the beginning of how digital assets can work alongside our traditional funding sources." Klarna chose Coinbase for this ini
CyberArk Named a Leader in IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Integrated Solutions for Identity Security 202519.12.2025 17:00:00 CET | Press Release
CyberArk (NASDAQ: CYBR), the global leader in identity security, today announced that it has been recognized as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Integrated Solutions for Identity Security 2025 Vendor Assessment. CyberArk extends dynamic privilege controls across all identity types with its unified platform, enabling organizations to improve efficiencies and streamline security operations. This IDC MarketScape report notes, “More change has occurred in the identity security marketplace in the past two years than in almost a decade. Vendors are entering a new phase defined by the emergence of intelligence technologies, none of which are specifically defined by any industry standards. Though different by design, the new adjacent IAM offerings are largely focused on improved vulnerability and threat management visibility and automated and predictive attack detection capabilities.” It also notes, “By addressing these evolving identity types within a unified framework, CyberArk enh
New York Liberty and Ant International’s Alipay+ Announce Multiyear Partnership Focused on Empowerment, Sustainability and Youth Development19.12.2025 14:30:00 CET | Press Release
The New York Liberty and Ant International’s Alipay+, a leading cross-border fintech services platform based in Singapore, today announced a multiyear partnership, making Alipay+ an Official Sponsor and Innovation Partner for Sustainability of the New York Liberty. Through this partnership, Alipay+ and the Liberty will jointly support community programs designed to advance community empowerment, environmental sustainability and youth development across New York City. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251219678825/en/ Peng Yang, CEO, Ant International and Clara Wu Tsai, Vice Chair, Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment; Governor, New York Liberty “Our partnership with Alipay+ goes beyond the game,” said Keia Clarke, Chief Executive Officer, New York Liberty. “Together, we are investing in the future of New York—its people, its environment, and its youth. Ant International’s commitment to community empowerment, sustai
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