Sponsored Content : les dernières infos Tip & Shaft

The Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest, the first single-handed round the world Ultim race organised by OC Sport Pen Duick and Ultim class, celebrated the first anniversary of its start on 7 January. IAn opprtunity to bring back a few memories for the skippers in the class. “We were setting off into a world of unknowns, whether on a sporting, personal or technical level,” recalls Anthony Marchand, who finished 4th on Actual Ultim 3.

Becoming a company with a mission in July 2020, MerConcept is organized into three departments: ocean racing project management – today the Ultim SVR Lazartigue, the Imoca Macif Santé Prévoyance and the Ocean Fifty UpWind by MerConcept -, maritime mobility, which focuses on decarbonization projects (foiling catamaran, cargo sailboat Vela…), and construction, which builds race boats complex composite boats and parts for several classes and series, without necessarily managing the project afterwards.

Founded in Genoa in November 2021 by Edoardo Bianchi – a “sailor above all else”, in the words of the man who competed in the Athens and Beijing Games in a Tornado – Sangiorgio Marine immediately made a name for itself with the launch of its first Class40, the Musa 40. A project conceived in collaboration with the sailor Ambrogio Beccaria and the naval architect Gianluca Guelfi, whom the founder met on the benches of Genoa University, where he was training to become naval engineer.

Borja Nebreda, founder of Biscay Composites, has extensive experience in the construction and refits of high-tech boats. With pivotal roles at King Marine for Artemis Racing’s AC72 during the 2013 America’s Cup and at Persico for the VOR65 in the 2017-2018 Volvo Ocean Race, he served as the composite manager for Boris Herrmann’s Team Malizia during the construction of Malizia-Seaexplorer, enhancing his composite technology expertise.

Almost 50 years ago, in 1975, Gori Propeller released its first product, a two-blade propeller. Since then, the range has expanded, first with a two-blade Racing propeller, developed in the mid-1990s for boats entered in the Whitbread, then a three-blade propeller, capable of powering engines up to 300 hp, and finally a four-blade.

Launched in 2009 in Avigliana, west of Turin, on the initiative of Giovanni Soldini and physicist Marco Bianucci, Italian solar panel manufacturer Solbian immediately specialized in the world of yachting and competitive sailing. The aim was to produce lightweight, flexible photovoltaic modules equipped with MPPT charge controllers – a system that didn’t exist at the time.

Following the success of the SL 180, Plastimo launched its successor, the SLR 196 (for “Super Light Racing”), at the beginning of 2022, the result of 18 months of development. The brand’s top-of-the-range lifejacket has been rapidly and massively adopted by racers. “Most of the fleet in the Transat Jacques Vabre 2023 is equipped with it, in each of the classes: Imoca, Ultim, Ocean Fifty, Class40,” points out Frédéric Blaudeau, Plastimo’s marketing and communication director. “In addition, 80% of the crews in the Ocean Globe Race are equipped with the SLR 196 and Plastimo safety equipment.”

Created in November 2021, Sangiorgio Marine was put on the map by the impressive second place in Class40 on the Route du Rhum by Italian Ambrogio Beccaria’s innovative Alla Grande Pirelli, designed by Gianluca Guelfi. Since then, the company which was founded and is run by Edoardo Bianchi has gone from strength to strength.

Plastimo, the Lorient-based company which specializes in maritime safety in particular continues its long held strategy of collaborating with top professional sailors, particularly offshore racers. “Listening of users is part of our DNA, most specifically the experience and feedback of the elite racers definitely represent extra inspiration and exciting technical challenges for our R & D and marketing team”, explains Marketing Director, Frédéric Blaudeau.

With more than 25,000 boats built since 1977 the First marque celebrates its 45th anniversary this year. It remains one of the main global benchmars for racer-cruisers. Throughout the summer, Tip & Shaft has told the First story through some flagship models from the Beneteau yard. Finally this week a look through the current range which is adapted to the upswinging market.