The Transat Québec Saint-Malo from Alberto Bona’s story

“We never got discouraged, even when – according to the models – we were up to 400 miles behind the leader. This attitude of ours changed everything: we started to recover, without ever giving up”.

“Never give up” has been the mantra of Alberto Bona and his crew mates Luca Rosetti and Pablo Santurde del Arco during the fourteen days of the Transat Québec Saint-Malo, a very tough regatta, which saw many withdrawals, on board injuries and the shipwreck of Acrobatica. Sixth at the finish line, the Class40 IBSA was then downgraded to the seventh position of the official ranking, due to a compensation granted to E. Leclerc – Ville La Grand for diverting her course in order to rescue Alberto Riva’s team. But from Alberto’s own words it’s easy to understand that – perhaps never more so than in this case – it is not the final result that counts, but having accomplished the feat.

Started at 2:00 pm Canadian time on June 30 from Québec City, the Transat Québec Saint-Malo immediately turned out to be an exciting regatta, full of challenges. From the very beginning, the St. Lawrence River challenged the skippers with its unpredictable currents and variable weather. A few minutes after the start, a violent gust of wind hit the fleet, anticipating the difficulties that participants would face along the route. The Class40 IBSA took about 20 hours to cover the first 140 miles of the river, gaining the fourth position.

After two days and six hours of navigation, the Class40 IBSA entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence in sixth position, just 3 miles from the head of the fleet. The passage South of the island of Newfoundland – considered the gateway to the Atlantic – was complicated by weak winds and saw the first accident of the race, which forced Italian Claudia Conti – on board Amelie Grassi’s La Boulangére Bio – to withdraw due to an injury. After five days of navigation and approximately 800 miles covered, IBSA was in fifth position.

The sixth day marked a decisive turning point: the Class40 IBSA and other four boats from the leading group opted for a Northern route, to go around a depression. However, the choice turned out to be less effective than expected, bringing the group to the rear. Bona explained: “We were seduced by the North option, and then managing it became very complicated, especially when the simulations had us 400 miles behind the leader”.

Despite the difficulties, the team showed a remarkable ability to react. Two long days going upwind with strong winds allowed the Class40 IBSA to regain ground, climbing up to the seventh position and reducing the gap to the leaders by 170 miles. “Going this far North”, commentedPablo Santurde del Arco, “was a big risk, but we’ve been very good at putting everything back into play, managing to react and handle a long and tiring upwind beat”.

Between July 9 and 10, two serious accidents involved Italian skippers Alberto Riva and Ambrogio Beccaria, forcing them to retreat. Both crews, fortunately unharmed, found refuge in the Azores islands: “Initially we thought it was a dismasting, but things turned out to be much worse”, explained Alberto.  “Knowing they were okay was a huge relief”.

On July 11, the entry into the English Channel marked the beginning of the last phase of the race, finally characterised by more clement weather and liveable conditions on board, which accompanied the crew for another four days, until July 15 at 4:34:42 pm, when the Class40 IBSA crossed the finish line in Saint-Malo, welcomed by a crowd of people gathered on the ramparts of the pirate city. The performance of the team, who finished the regatta in seventh official position after an epic comeback, will remain in the history of this competition.

“It was an exciting regatta”, concluded Bona.“We experienced all possible conditions and different ways of sailing. From the river navigation, which was entirely new to me, to the great North, where the sea is a blue I had never seen, this Transat was difficult, adventurous and adrenaline-filled. Given the preconditions and the situation, finishing sixth at sea and seventh in the standings, less than ten miles from first, is a good result”.