Maccaferri Futura sets out to conquer the Atlantic: Luca Rosetti ready for the Route du Rhum Challenge
One man, one boat, more than 3,500 nautical miles of the Atlantic to cross alone. No crew, no stopovers, no external assistance. This is the challenge of the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe 2026, one of the most legendary competitions in the world of offshore sailing, which will see Luca Rosetti on the starting line in Saint-Malo on November 1 at the helm of Maccaferri Futura, Officine Maccaferri’s Class40.
For Rosetti and the entire Maccaferri Futura team, the Route du Rhum represents much more than a race: it is the culmination of a journey built over time, the most ambitious test of a season dedicated to preparing every aspect of the major ocean crossing. An event in which months of training, technical development and teamwork will find their fullest expression. Because while Rosetti will be alone at sea, behind every mile sailed will be the contribution of a team that has worked to put the skipper and his boat in a position to perform to their full potential.
First held in 1978 and taking place every four years, the Route du Rhum is one of the most iconic and demanding races on the international sailing calendar. The thirteenth edition will see 118 skippers compete along the route connecting Saint-Malo, on the coast of Brittany, to Pointe-à-Pitre, in Guadeloupe. Among the competing categories will be the Class40, with 49 boats entered and a highly competitive fleet featuring some of the world’s best offshore sailing specialists. Managing weather systems, seeking favourable winds and trade winds, choosing the right routes and the ability to adapt will be decisive in determining the final result.
“The Route du Rhum is the most ambitious challenge that Maccaferri Futura is preparing to undertake and fully embodies the spirit with which we launched this project,” said Sergio Iasi, Chairman of Officine Maccaferri. “Behind Luca’s departure lies a tremendous team effort, built on expertise, the pursuit of the best solutions and attention to every detail. It is the same approach we take at Officine Maccaferri every day when tackling complex engineering challenges: bringing together people, knowledge and innovation to achieve ambitious goals. Seeing Maccaferri Futura ready to compete against the world’s best offshore sailors is a source of great pride for all of us.”
“We have worked intensively throughout the season to reach this moment, striving to make Maccaferri Futura increasingly high-performing and reliable. When I set sail, I will be alone on board, but I will carry with me the work and trust of everyone who has contributed to this project. Now I want to focus on the race and sail to the best of our abilities,” added Luca Rosetti.
Alongside its sporting ambitions, Maccaferri Futura continues to serve as a platform for scientific research and experimentation. Through its collaboration with the University of Milano-Bicocca, the Class40 contributes to projects dedicated to environmental sustainability, starting with “Il Respiro del Mare” (“The Breath of the Sea”), which uses the boat as a mobile sampling unit to monitor the quality of the marine environment through citizen science activities. Onboard tests have enabled the collection of water and air samples and the testing of new methods for detecting contaminants. The collaboration also includes research into the durability of composite materials in marine environments, with the aim of assessing solutions with a lower environmental impact for the boating sector. Alongside these activities, a further research project focuses on the psychophysiological monitoring of offshore sailors, examining the relationship between parameters such as heart rate, sleep quality and stress levels and sailing conditions. To date, the study has collected data from six races, covering more than 730 hours of sailing and over 2 million nautical data points, with the aim of contributing to the development of strategies to improve sleep, recovery and nutrition management during ocean crossings.
The countdown to the Route du Rhum is entering its final stages in Saint-Malo, which is becoming the heart of international offshore sailing in these days. Also present at the Breton port will be Giulia Albuzio, team principal, Paolo Bertazzoni, resident manager, Arianna Liconti, coordinator of the scientific project, and Yaël Poupon, boat captain. On Thursday, October 29, at 6:00 p.m., the press conference “L’Onda Oceanica Italiana” will also take place, dedicated to the Italian protagonists of offshore sailing. Then, on Sunday, November 1, at 1:02 p.m., Rosetti will leave Saint-Malo. Ahead of him lie thousands of miles of ocean to tackle alone. Behind him, the work of an entire team, united by the same ambition: to turn months of preparation into a great ocean sailing achievement.
