Sailing: the skipper Armel Tripon teams up with Airbus to create a boat with carbon fibre remains

Turn aeronautics trash into treasure: this is the new exciting project of Armel Tripon. Thanks to a partnership with the Airbus Technocentre in Nantes, the skipper from Atlantic France will sail on an IMOCA boat made with redundant carbon fiber and remains of composite materials. 

Armel Tripon came in 11th place in the 2020 edition of the famous sailing race Vendée Globe with an innovative boat built in Nantes. He is now planning to be back there in 2024 with a new boat which will adopt a more sustainable and responsible approach by recycling waste from the aeronautics sector.

Due to regulatory and logistical constraints, Airbus does not fully use the carbon fiber and composite materials with which it manufactures its aircrafts. The Airbus Technocentre based in Nantes is therefore collaborating with the skipper to develop a sailing yacht of the IMOCA class which will recycle end-of-life carbon fiber and remains of composites.

Heading for the Vendée Globe 2024

Armel Tripon’s next boat is planned to be introduced in 2023. The project is a world first and could lead to new business opportunities for Airbus and the composites sector. 

The skipper is aiming to take part in the 2024 edition of the Vendée Globe race (round the world, solo, non-stop and without assistance) and is currently looking for sponsors to finance the project with costs estimated at €5.5 million.

Isn’t it up to us, skippers, to initiate a collective realisation and presently become an actor of change. I am committed to leading by example with an innovative project that will attempt to initiate alternatives in terms of nautical construction in order to, in time, master and reduce our carbon footprint. Here we define the sailing of tomorrow, ambitious, responsible and collaborative. It is up to all of us, now, to convince companies to join us in this human challenge!

Armel Tripon, skipper