The Road to Monaco: UniBoAT Completes First On-water Tests

The end of April marked the first major milestone of the 2026 season on UniBoAT’s road to Monaco: our renewable-energy catamaran’s first test on water.

Hours of work in the UniBoAT lab spent refining our boat’s design and structure made us readier than ever to take on seven days of trials at one of Italy’s most prestigious sailing clubs, Circolo Velico Ravennate, in Marina di Ravenna.

However, the work didn’t end when we left the lab in Bologna. We had an intense week ahead of us: carrying out technical checks and on-water trials, collecting data and adjusting the catamaran’s design accordingly, all while collaborating across divisions to achieve the best result possible. It was an amazing opportunity to bring the team together to tackle challenges from a variety of angles. Everyone coming from an incredibly diverse range of academic backgrounds consistently proves to be advantageous, with each individual having different ideas and approaches to problem-solving. Not forgetting the endless behind-the-scenes work and long hours that we are proud to put in: it was a remarkable effort and our success upon leaving Ravenna reflects this.

We were lucky enough to have the unwavering support of Circolo Velico Ravennate throughout the course of our tests, and we cannot thank them enough for their hospitality. The sailing community have cultivated such an inspiring environment for us to work in, and their interest in our project during our week in Ravenna only further highlights the exciting future of sustainable mobility both in the boating world and beyond.

We leave Ravenna excited and positive, ready to return to the lab to work with the data we collected. UniBoAT is refuelled and pushing on down our path to the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge – and we’re coming for that top spot.