Sponsored by Huntsman Advanced Materials, the boat takes its name from the company’s range of Araldite® products. Huntsman also provided technical support for the project.
Lineo, a Belgium company specialising in flax reinforcements, provided the fibres, specially treated to ensure compatibility between the flax and an Araldite warm curing resin system.
In total, flax fibre constitutes 50% of the boat’s structure, with the remaining 50% being reinforced with carbon fibres.
“We set about designing the ‘Araldite’ with the firm intention of proving the possibilities of building solid and robust racing boats from environmentally friendly natural fibres," says Thibault Reinhart, skipper of the ‘Araldite'.
"The idea was to bring flax fibre over to the other side of the ocean in this legendary race. By finishing in 15th place, flax fibre has just proven its worth in naval construction and thanks to the performance undertaken, many more boats may be built with this natural fibre in years to come.”
Reinhart left La Rochelle, France, on 25 September and arrived in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, on 2 November after 28 days, 20 hours and 8 seconds at sea on board the ‘Araldite’.
