Nexans-Art & Fenêtres
VPLP-Verdier foiling IMOCA launched in 2015, later Newrest-Art & Fenêtres then Nexans-Art & Fenêtres under Fabrice Amedeo; lost after a fire in 2022.
Identity card
- LaunchedThe moment a new boat touches the water for the first time.See in the glossary
- 2015
- ShipyardThe company that builds the boat, or carries out major work on it.See in the glossary
- Persico Marine
- Designer(s)The designer of the boat: hull shape, appendages, structure, sail plan.See in the glossary
- Guillaume Verdier,VPLP Design
- DesignThe drawing a boat is built from; sister-ships share the same design.See in the glossary
- VPLP Design IMOCA 2015
- GenerationBuild period: boats of the same generation often share the same technical choices.See in the glossary
- 2012 – 2018
- Hull typeHow many hulls the boat has: monohull, catamaran or trimaran.See in the glossary
- MonohullA boat with a single hull, kept upright by the weight of its keel.See in the glossary
- StatusWhere the boat stands today: active, retired from racing, lost, in a museum or converted.See in the glossary
- LostSunk or wrecked.See in the glossary
- SponsorsA company or institution that funds a boat, a team or a skipper in exchange for visibility.See in the glossary
- Newrest · Title sponsorThe company that gives its name to the boat or team.See in the glossary · since 2017Nexans · Title sponsorThe company that gives its name to the boat or team.See in the glossary · since 2021
- OwnersThe person or organisation that owns the boat, which does not necessarily race it.See in the glossary
- Not provided
- Operating teamThe organisation running one or more racing boats: technical crew, logistics, partners.See in the glossary
- Not provided
- SuppliersA company that supplies part of the boat's equipment: sails, mast, electronics, foils, keel, energy.See in the glossary
- Not provided
- Sail numberThe identifier printed on the mainsail: a country code followed by a number.See in the glossary
- Not provided
- FlagThe country the boat is registered in.See in the glossary
- Not provided
- Keel typeThe weighted fin under a monohull's hull, which stops it drifting sideways and keeps it upright.See in the glossary
- Not provided
- FoilsAn underwater wing that lifts the boat so it drags less in the water and goes faster.See in the glossary
- Not provided
- Hull lengthLength of the hull alone, without the bowsprit or protruding appendages.See in the glossary
- 18.28m
- Max beamMaximum width of the boat; for a multihull, from one float to the other.See in the glossary
- 5.8m
- DraftHow deep the boat sits: from the waterline to the lowest point of the keel.See in the glossary
- 4.5m
- Air draftHeight of the boat above the water: from the waterline to the top of the mast.See in the glossary
- Not provided
- DisplacementThe mass of the boat ready to sail, equal to the mass of water it displaces.See in the glossary
- 7,500kg
- Upwind sail areaSail area carried when the boat sails towards the wind: mainsail and headsail.See in the glossary
- 320m²
- Downwind sail areaSail area carried with the wind on the beam or from behind, with the big headsails.See in the glossary
- 570m²
History
This foiling IMOCA monohull, designed by VPLP and Guillaume Verdier and built by Persico Marine, was launched on 1 August 2015 for Italian sailor Andrea Mura as Vento di Sardegna, aimed at the 2016-2017 Vendée Globe. It passed the capsize tests required for IMOCA certification.
Lacking sponsors, Mura sold the boat to Dutchman Pieter Heerema, who renamed it No Way Back. Advised by Michel Desjoyeaux, Heerema qualified through the Calero Marinas Solo Transat and finished the 2016-2017 Vendée Globe in 17th place before putting the boat up for sale.
Fabrice Amedeo bought it in September 2017. Relaunched in early 2018 as Newrest-Art & Fenêtres, it raced the 2018 Route du Rhum (12th in IMOCA despite bowsprit failures), the 2019 Transat Jacques-Vabre (9th) and the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe, which Amedeo abandoned after a total computer failure.
In May 2021 Nexans replaced Newrest and the boat became Nexans-Art & Fenêtres. A winter refit prepared the installation of large C foils, and the boat was relaunched on 18 April 2022.
During the 2022 Route du Rhum, a leak following the failure of the starboard ballast forced Amedeo to divert to Cascais. On 14 November 2022 an explosion started a fire and the IMOCA sank off Portugal; the skipper was picked up by a cargo ship.
Names and sail numbers
What the boat was called and the numbers it sailed under.
Life timeline
Names, skippers, shipyards and races, in one place.
Name
- Podium
- Finished
- Retired
- Yard work
Detailed timeline
2022
Sinking · 14 November 2022
Fire and sinking during the Route du Rhum
After a leak caused by the starboard ballast failing, an explosion started a fire; Fabrice Amedeo was picked up by a cargo ship.
2021
Renamed
Nexans-Art & Fenêtres
2017
SkipperThe sailor in command of the boat, responsible for it in the race.See in the glossary · September 2017 – 14 November 2022
Fabrice AmedeoRenamed
Newrest-Art & Fenêtres
2016
SkipperThe sailor in command of the boat, responsible for it in the race.See in the glossary · 2016 – September 2017
Pieter HeeremaRenamed
No Way Back
2015
Launch · 1 August 2015
Launch
SkipperThe sailor in command of the boat, responsible for it in the race.See in the glossary · August 2015 – 2016
Andrea MuraLaunched as
Vento di Sardegna
Unknown date
Build · unknown dates
Persico Marine
Page reliability
2 sources · updated 6 Oct 2026