| Top performance | First non-French entrant in the overall rankings of the Solitaire du Figaro 2022 |
|---|---|
| Joined Imoca on | 2023 |
| Team | Oliver Heer Ocean Racing |
| Base | Vevey (SUISSE) |
The sailor from Vevey, a small town on the shores of Lake Geneva, is increasingly establishing himself as a rising star in ocean racing.
It's not often that French sailors pay almost unanimous tribute to the invaders! However, Nils Palmieri has won the praise of his contemporaries on the Figaro circuit. After a very complicated start to the season in more ways than one, the sailor from Vevey turned things around during the flagship event of the Figaro Class championship. He was named the most combative sailor of the 52nd edition during the three legs of this Solitaire du Figaro. This XXL performance (6th, the best Swiss result behind Laurent Bourgnon's victory and Dominique Wavre's 2nd place) will go down as the most accomplished of his career.
This recognition and this prize are of incalculable value to me,"he explains. Even more than the raw result, 6th, it's the way I sailed that has been rewarded. I never gave up in any of the three legs. And each time I was in the match for victory or the podium, having chosen my own path. That was my objective before the start: I wanted to ride Palmieri and I rode Palmieri! And the fact that that's what the organisers are putting forward is really something for me.
He is now Oliver Heer's co-skipper on the next Défi Azimut.
2023: Défi Azimut-Lorient Agglomération - 21st
2023: Spi Ouest-France - 7th (Figaro with crew)
2022: Solitaire du Figaro - 6th
2022: Solo Maître Coq - 16th
2022: Sardinha Cup - 14th with Pierre Le Roy2021: 7th in Solo Maître Coq
2021: Double-handed Transat - Winner with Julien Villion
| Name | OLIVER HEER OCEAN RACING |
|---|---|
| Sail number | SUI 49 |
| Architect | Farr Yacht Design |
| Construction | 2007, Nouvelle-Zélande |
| Former names | Gitana Eighty, 1876, W Hotels, Renault Z.E., Synerciel, GAES Centros Auditivos, Newrest-Matmut, Newrest-Brioches Pasquier, Family Mary-Etamine du Lys, Pure-Family Mary, Pure - Best Western |
| Length | 18,28 m |
|---|---|
| Beam | 5,80 m |
| Draught | 4,50 m |
| Weight | 9 tonnes |
| Mast height | 29 m |
| Mast type | Classical mast |
| Foils | No |
| Sail area max. | |
| Upwind | 270 m2 |
| Downwind | 560 m2 |
Leaving Le Havre yesterday morning, the 40 IMOCA duos quickly got into the thick of things. A low-pressure system was waiting for them off Brittany just a few hours after the start, with headwinds of up to 40 knots and b…
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