| Age | 40 (8/12/85) |
|---|---|
| Top performance | 3rd on the Globe40 2023 |
| Joined Imoca on | 2025 |
| Team | FIVES GROUP - LANTANA ENVIRONNEMENT |
| Base | Lorient (FRANCE) |
Masa is one of those skippers with seawater running through his veins. He has been sailing for as long as he can remember: at the age of five, his parents would already take him out to sea on cruises. As a student, he sailed with the Hosei University sailing club. He then began a professional career (while racing actively in the International Moth class), before ultimately being overtaken by his true passion.
In 2018, he left everything behind to settle in Lorient and prepare for the 2019 Mini Transat, finishing with a respectable 24th place.
This only strengthened his desire to aim higher and, in 2023, he set off on the Globe 40: a double-handed, round-the-world race with stopovers, sailed in Class40. After 10 months of adventure, he and his team climbed onto the podium, despite damage that prevented the Japanese crew from taking part in the final two legs.
Naturally, the next step for Masa is the Vendée Globe. The project of this serious, methodical sailor is currently taking shape, with the potential purchase of the IMOCA previously campaigned by skipper Fives Group – Lantana Environnement. To validate his choice, Masa will line up for his first IMOCA race: the Transat Café L’OR.
2023: Globe40 – 3rd
2021: Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre – 18th
2021: Rolex Fastnet Race – 12th
2021: Les Sables – Horta – 16th
| Name | FIVES GROUP – LANTANA ENVIRONNEMENT |
|---|---|
| Sail number | FRA 172 |
| Architect | Farr Yacht Design |
| Construction | 2006, CDK Technologies, Port La Forêt |
| Former names | PRB, Akena Vérendas, Initiatives-Coeur, Bastide - Otio, Maître CoQ, FORTIL, Kostum - Lantana Paysage |
| Length | 18,28 m |
| Beam | 5,85 m |
| Draught | 4,5 m |
| Weight | NC |
| Mast height | 29 m |
| Mast type | Wing mast |
| Foils | No |
| Sail area max. | |
| Upwind | 300 m2 |
| Downwind | 600 m2 |
