Tue, 14 Oct 2025 A huge congratulations to our SSTL sailing crew for achieving an impressive 3rd place overall at this year’s Ariane’s Cup, held in Lorient, Brittany, from 27–30 September.

Competing aboard Gauvain (Boat 38), a First 31.7 class yacht, the team - Andrea Turconi (Skipper), Dave Walker-Nix (First Mate), Michele Borgese, Marius Dorobantu, Oliver Gledhill and Karam Parmar - took part in four challenging races, sailing around the island of Groix and across the Bay of Lorient.



This year’s event brought together:

• 61 boats and crews
• 34 European space companies
• 42 locations
• 10 countries including Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania, and the UK.

A touch of strategic sailing and a bit of luck in the final race, where many boats missed the time limit, secured our crew a place on the podium.



Beyond the racing, the Ariane’s Cup is a brilliant opportunity to network and build camaraderie across the European space sector. Congratulations again to Andrea and the crew for representing SSTL with skill, teamwork and spirit.