Ambrogio Beccaria is ready to set sail aboard Alla Grande, his Class40 trans-oceanic sailboat that is Italian to the core and was built with the help of MAPEI as Global Sponsor.

The vessel was launched in Calata Gadda in the heart of Genoa’s old city port under the watchful eye of the team that has helped Beccaria undertake this ambitious project – a team that includes the sailor’s mother, Roberta Oriani.

Alla Grande is an avant-garde, high-performance yacht designed for ocean sailing and equipped for Beccaria to sail solo around the world. The team’s commitment to technical innovation and sustainability was an instant hit with MAPEI.

“Alla Grande is like a spaceship!” Ambrogio Beccaria said. “I am really pleased. Together with [designer Gianluca] Guelfi, we chose this boat out of the 40 we analyzed that was the easiest to sail in tricky conditions and handled the best. Furthermore, we designed the sails before designing the boat, which meant we knew exactly what kind of boat Alla Grande would be.

“We constantly combined Guelfi’s scientific approach with my more empirical input. I wanted a boat that could fly across the water without a foil, i.e., a boat whose bow is always out of the water. I hope I succeeded! Now we will put it to the test out at sea.”

The Alla Grande’s first adventure is the culmination of six months’ work at Edoardo Bianchi’s new SanGiorgio Marine shipyard. The work involved a team of 10 people headed by Gianluca Guelfi and Fabio D’Angeli together with Alberto Ferrari, the shipyard manager; Alberto Riva, an ocean sailor who took care of the on-board electronics; Tommaso Stella, in charge of the ropes in partnership with Gottifredi Maffioli; Bernardo Zin, the boat captain, who oversaw all the construction operations and organization of the work; and Albane Seassau, who was in charge of the safety equipment and systems.

The next test for Beccaria and the Alla Grande is on November 6, when the 2022 Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe gets underway. MAPEI is proud to be involved and hopes Beccaria will have the wind behind him in the firm belief that everything will go great.

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ABOUT MAPEI

Founded in 1937, MAPEI Group is globally headquartered in Italy with 91 subsidiaries in 57 countries. MAPEI is the world-leading manufacturer of mortars, grouts, adhesives and complementary products for installing all types of flooring and wall coverings. The company specializes in developing chemical products for every aspect of construction, from waterproofing and structural strengthening to concrete repairs and tunnel building.

MAPEI Inc.’s Canadian head office in Laval (QC) also houses an R&D Center of Excellence in Concrete Restorative Systems. Other manufacturing plants are located in Delta (BC), Brampton (ON) and Maskinongé (QC), with a distribution center in Calgary (AB).

MAPEI facilities have been certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards. An environmentally conscious manufacturer that reinvests 5% of its revenue into R&D, MAPEI offers training for architects, contractors, installers and distributors through the MAPEI Technical Institute. For more about MAPEI, visit www.mapei.ca or call 1-800-42-MAPEI (1-800-426-2734).