The UniTS Audace Sailing Team’s new boat is in the water! BAI - Flax Bandit was launched at the Yacht Club Adriaco in Trieste, ready to debut on 16th June at the student sailing competition SuMoth Challenge in Malcesine. 

The name of the new foiling moth, a small regatta boat that ‘flies’ over the water, is a word play on Red Bandit, the German competition yacht that is the protagonist of all the most important international competitions. ‘Flax’ in English means linen, the main material used for the construction of the hull, designed and built by the UniTS student sailing team. BAI, on the other hand, is the main sponsor of Audace. 

The use of high-performance flax fibre is the trademark of the Audace fleet, optimising efficiency and environmental sustainability. Along the same lines, resins are also used and obtained from a mixture 30% derived from cashews. 

The special feature of BAI – Flax Bandit is the use of basalt fibre skins to reinforce the internal structure of the hull and deck and optimise performance. 

Another innovation is the sail, made with a more modern and high-performing design than the previous versions, and produced by recovering waste material from other sails. 

The foils are the highlight of the boat, since the water-soaked wings allow the craft to fly. They are subject to extreme stress, and for this reason they have to be made from carbon fibre. Less environmentally friendly than linen and basalt, use of this material is limited to the foils, where it is layered with linen skins.