nlcomp® presents Ecoracer 30 One Design, the beginning of a new era

Ecoracer 30 One Design © Northern Light Composites

The new era of startup Northern Light Composites has started in Genoa, where the Ecoracer 30 One Design was unveiled, the new one-design by Matteo Polli that will start the Ecoracer Sailing Series, the world's first Grand Prix circuit aboard recyclable boats. The launch took place at an event sponsored by the Genova Blue District, in which were presented the six winning projects of the "Call for Innovation," a public call for proposals issued by the Genova Blue District and the Municipality of Genoa as part of The Ocean Race Grand Finale for eco-sustainable projects dedicated to the marine world.

Ecoracer One Design's project was selected among six winners, taking second place out of 46 submissions, the first entirely dedicated to the world of boating and sailing. The new one design will thus be closely linked to the city of Genoa, as nlcomp® will work in synergy with Sangiorgio Marine, the shipyard led by Edoardo Bianchi that has already built Ambrogio Beccaria's Class 40 Allagrande Pirelli, which finished second at the Route du Rhum 2022.

The launch of the first Ecoracer 30 One Design will take place in June 2023; the boat will be launched in Genoaat The Ocean Race Grand Finale, finish line of round-the-world regatta. nlcomp® will be present in the regatta's Innovation Village, where there will be educational sessions on the topic of sustainable boating dedicated to younger people, and sea trials with the boat for sailors and journalists.

The Ecoracer 30 One Design, which will be 9.15 mt long not including the bowsprit, is an evolution of the multi-award winning Corsa 915 and features an inverted bow and a high stern above the water whose shapes will become "active" when the hull is heeled by extending its waterline length. This is because the new Ecoracer is a pure One Design, but it will also be able to be successfully used in compensated time regattas, inshore and offshore, thanks to the signature of ORC hull master Matteo Polli. The boat will be equipped with a retractable keel, drafted at 2.30 meters, to make it easier to transport on a cart, and with the same configuration of rigging and sail plan, it will be possible to race in one-design or rating fleets. The sail plan includes a square top mainsail to ensure speed for the boat even in breezes, low overlap jibs and powerful asymmetrical for downwind sailings, but in case of use in ORC offshore racing it will also be possible to rig it with Code Zero or similar sails. Displacement will be 1,800 kg. The boat will be launched on the market at a starting price of 120,000 euros.

Nlcomp® also announced part of the team that will carry on the development of Ecoracer 30 One Design, with Fabio Bignolini in the role of general manager. Sergio Caramel, a talented young helmsman in the one design world and Public Relations Officer of nlcomp®, will take care of the optimization of the on-board maneuvers and the testing phases of the first hull. Joining him will be Francesco Rubagotti, a professional with a long track record in the world of one-design classes and more, who will also be the commercial point of reference for the new class, and Roberto Spata, one of the most highly regarded professional sailors in the offshore sailing world, who will be in charge of boat optimization and class regulations.

As for the technical construction aspects, Andrea Paduano will be the composite manager and Paolo Dassi the structural engineering manager along with Roberto Baraccani who will follow the construction phases with Piernicola Paoletti and Alessandro Stagni.

The organization of the Ecoracer Sailing Series, on the other hand, will be handled by Luca Rizzotti, founder of Foiling Week and a longtime focus on sustainability and performance issues in boating. In the coming weeks, nlcomp® will release more technical details, numbers and new images about the Ecoracer One Design, followed by updates on the boat's construction, leading up to the June 2023 launch.

Sergio Caramel, nlcomp® Public Relations Officer

"This is an important day for nlcomp® because we are showing that what we believe in, which is revolutionizing the way boats are produced, is now a reality. We started with a 7-meter prototype and today we are presenting Ecoracer One Design, which will initiate the world's first completely sustainable racing circuit, the Ecoracer Sailing Series that will start in 2024: an event that will authentically focus on sustainability, and not just in words. The new boat will be fun and versatile, recyclable and high-performance, designed by sailors for sailors. We want to thank Edoardo Bianchi and Sangiorgio Marine who are supporting us in this project and of course Genova Blue District who selected us as part of the Call for Innovation".

Northern Light Composites

Nlcomp® is an innovative startup focused on research and development of recyclable composites in order to solve end-of-life problems in fiberglass composites. Established in December 2019, today it has a team made up of the three founders Fabio Bignolini as CEO, Andrea Paduano, PhD in Materials Science, as research and development manager, and Piernicola Paoletti who is the boat manager. In addition to them are partners Matteo Polli, a renowned designer; Samuele Nicolettis, a professional sailor and owner of Onesails Nordest; and Sergio Caramel, an aerospace engineer, who handles sponsor relations. All members of the nlcomp® team are experienced sailors and racers at Italian and international level. This is precisely the strength of the start-up team, whose boats are designed by sailors for sailors.