Ulysse Nardin Named Official Timekeeper Of 11th Hour Racing Team

It might sound like an odd couple: a Swiss watch model devoted to preserving the oceans, sharks and marine atmosphere partnering with a yacht racing crew whose boat is made predominantly of carbon fiber – a quite soiled substance to course of. Nonetheless, within the case of Ulysse Nardin and 11^th Hour Racing Group now getting ready for The Ocean Race 2022-23, the match bears many synergies.

Ulysse Nardin has a powerful dedication to the oceans and works on a number of ranges to deliver consciousness of local weather change and ocean well being to the forefront. As a part of these efforts, the model has teamed with Ocearch, which tracks and research sharks to be taught of potential medical advances for people and works with Fil & Fab to create watches made with recycled fishing nets, together with its latest Ocean Race Diver watch in-built honor of the brand new relationship.

When Ulysse Nardin introduced its partnership as Official Timekeeper of 11^th Hour Racing Group, now within the throes of getting ready for the seven-month-long ‘around the world race that takes them from Spain and all over the world’s most necessary and sometimes desolate Cape and the inhospitable Southern Ocean, each manufacturers underscored their dedication to the oceans.

Whereas precision, efficiency and excellence are very important in offshore yacht racing and in watchmaking, defending our surroundings can be key. In truth, 11^th Hour Racing, the title sponsor of the Group that bears its identify, and One Diploma – the corporate that fashioned the racing crew and contracted with 11^th Hour — are all devoted to elevating consciousness of ocean cleanliness.

For Ulysse Nardin, the Ocean Race Diver watch demonstrates the idea, as it’s crafted utilizing fishing nets that had been recovered from the oceans and became tiny pellets of Nylo that’s then mixed with Carbonium (recycled metal from plane. The case is manufactured from this materials and the strap can be fashioned utilizing recycled fishing nets that had been remodeled into reels of yarn.

Equally, whereas the next-generation IMOCA 60 Class yacht, named Malama, that 11^th Hour Racing Group sails is predominantly manufactured from carbon fiber, the co-founders at One Diploma and 11^th Hour Racing are devoted to discovering different supplies which might be recyclable and sustainable. They’re even hoping to vary a few of the guidelines for the ‘Around the World Ocean Race within the years to come back.

Mark Towill, Co-Founding father of eleventh Hour Racing Group Talks Sustainability, Racing

Based on Mark Towill, Co-Founding father of One Diploma alongside Charlie Enright and of 11^th Hour Racing Group, after crusing with completely different groups on the World Ocean race earlier than, he was extremely conscious of the marine particles that littered the ocean. He and long-time buddy Enright wished to vary that, so after they determined to kind One Diploma, their firm, and search for a title sponsor to sail all over the world with, in addition they opted to search out somebody devoted to the identical causes. That was 11^th Hour Racing.

“We [he and Enright] named our firm One Diploma as a result of a giant a part of our mission is to vary the world one diploma at a time,” says Towill. “Racing and the sustainability of the ocean well being are necessary to us and we view the whole lot we do from that perspective.”

“It’s a stability of sport and competitors and journey and performing some good. To sail all over the world is not any small feat,” says Towill. “I feel there are fewer those who have sailed round Cape Horn than have summited Mt. Everest so to be in that group could be very particular. The people who find themselves crusing on this offshore race are the very best on the planet, and we sit up for competing. And to creating an affect on marine well being.”

In truth, 11^th Hour Racing Group works with companions which might be like minded, utilizing sun shades which might be recycled, clothes constituted of sustainable supplies, the Ulysse Nardin Racing Diver watch and extra. They even look towards sustainability within the boat.

“Creating the boat of carbon fiber is an vitality and useful resource intensive course of so we’re different supplies, and at present use flax and bio resins for a few of our components. We even have a sustainable crew that measures our carbon footprint, our waste, and different points in order that we will attempt to push the needle,” says Towill, including that for every of the stopovers the crew makes alongside the seven-month race, the crew tries to help grassroots tasks. “We choose an area nonprofit that’s engaged on ocean well being points or sustainability, and we do a grant and do some native initiatives to help them and attempt to amplify their message. It leaves a legacy versus simply staying there for 2 weeks.”

Naturally, the primary objective of 11^th Hour Racing Group is to win the around-the-world race as a excessive efficiency crew, so carbon fiber remains to be an necessary factor within the creation of the boat. “However through the use of some components constructed of flax and different supplies is a manner of claiming there are different potentialities. We now have to work throughout the guidelines of the race, however we hope that by the subsequent race there shall be a brand new rule that claims one thing like 25 p.c of the boat needs to be constituted of non-carbon supplies and depart it open to the groups to search out revolutionary options. That’s most likely a good distance off, however it’s our hope. We would like folks to see you can be world-class sailors and be environmentally acutely aware. They don’t seem to be mutually unique.”