A laminated wood ‘prototype’ designed by renowned designer Epaminonda Ceccarelli
The Story
EC 26 is a ‘historic’ sailing boat, a VI class IOR
The boat was born in the 70s and is a “ unique ” as it is not a series boat but a “ prototype ” in laminated wood designed by the famous designer Epaminonda Ceccarelli: it is the model on the basis of which hundreds of identical boats were then produced but in fiberglass.
May 2024
After incredible vicissitudes, in May 2024 the owner, Salvatore Molino, decided to donate it to the MuMa Museo del Mare Milazzo which welcomed it and worked to restore it and give it a new purpose in life: to use it as an eco-sustainable means to spread the beauty of our sea, enhance it and finally protect it.
The restoration, however, is not simple because some parts of the boat are extremely compromised, especially “the first” and the planking of the bottom of the boat.
In order to restore it following the most scrupulous dictates that the type of boat requires, the designer’s son, Engineer Giovanni Ceccarelli, is contacted . He too, like his father, is a famous designer, he was even the Principal Designer for two America’s Cup challenges : in 2003 in Auckland with ” Mascalzone Latino ” by Vincenzo Onorato and in 2007 with ” +39 Challenge ” in Valencia. The contact with Engineer Ceccarelli unexpectedly becomes an emotional moment because the Engineer recognizes the boat, extraordinary for its uniqueness and of which he had lost track.
Furthermore, the EC26, in addition to being his “family boat”, won important offshore races, such as the La Rochelle International Week in France in 1973.
The restoration
The summer of 2024 saw a meticulous restoration of the vessel by craftsmen and restorers such as master shipwright Carmelo Biondo of the Bazia shipyard in Portorosa , where Cassiopea was completely restored.
The white paint that covered the hull has been removed and the underlying wood has been brought to light, which now stands out in all its charm.
Lunarossa and the America's Cup
The boat was presented on Monday 30 September 2024 , during the 37th America’s Cup as part of the SEA BEYOND project in partnership with PRADA group and UNESCO-IOC.
Full speed ahead, we're off! But we need your help!
The boat recovery project will be carried out “in stages” : in practice the boat has been restored, and now it will slowly be transformed into a sustainable boat, in an ecological transformation process”. This is the metaphor of the change we want to implement on the planet! We are open to collaborations with organizations, research institutes, associations and companies that want to collaborate on the project.
EC26 “Cassiopea”
Technical details:
Type: Monohull
Length: 7.80 m
Width: 2.67 m
Draft: 1.37m
Weight: 1.4-1.7t
Veil area: 31.50 m2
Year of construction: 1972
Born from a project by Epaminonda Ceccarelli, the EC 26 is a 7.80-meter VI Ior class designed to achieve maximum comfort in cruising navigation, and at the same time the speed, agility and performance of a racing boat. Built by the Fioravanti shipyard in Cervia at the beginning of the 1970s, it is made of crossed laminated planking, with a cockpit and deck in marine plywood. The simple and rational interiors include four berths (two aft and two bow) that can be transformed into comfortable sofas, a central table, a tilting galley, a chart table and a sail locker. The same model was later produced in fiberglass by the Baruffaldi shipyard in Chioggia (Venice)
In this video, the designer Giovanni Ceccarelli also talks about the famous EC26, during an exhibition set up in memory of his father: