Incidence DFi® Winner of the 2015 Prize for High Technology

Three days after its official launch at Le Nautic (the Paris Boat Show), DFi®, Incidence’s new filamentary membrane, was awarded the 2015 prize for High Technology. This award, presented by the Nautical Industries Federation (FIN), rewards the innovation of the year in offshore racing. The jury was composed of specialist journalists, representatives of Eurolarge Innovation, the Nautical Certification Institute (ICNN) and the FIN.

On December 7, during the Paris Boat Show champions’ evening, the FIN announced the winner of the 2015 prize for High Technology: DFi®, the filamentary membrane produced by the sailmaker, Incidence.

This award is a double reward for the leading French sailmaker, since it recognises on the one hand the technological quality of its membrane, but also its business strategy.

Benoit Ribeil, organiser of Ocean Racing Cluster
“DFi® was given the award for several reasons. Quietly, almost in secret, Incidence Sails has managed a remarkable feat of R & D. The second aspect of DFi® is its high-technology, quality and well-thought-out characteristics. Incidence actually waited to test its product so that it is ready to market and promote it. With this award, we really wanted to reward the vision and bold investment strategy of this 100% French SME which, thanks to this innovation, can now develop as an international group in the market.”

Two other innovations were also nominated for this award: the Multiplast’s "Thin Ply Technology" and the A2V, an ultra-fast futuristic boat with aerodynamic lift.

Yannick Richomme, development director, Incidence Sails
“We would like to thank the FIN and the jury of the High Technology prize. We are very proud of this award. DFi® is Incidence’s filamentary solution which has come from the development of our D4 membrane. It is characterised by its lightness, its strength and high stability of form. This development is the result of the work of a multidisciplinary team.

We launched DFi® at the Paris Boat Show after an intensive validation programme: technical, legal, and also our ability to produce the quality required fast enough to be economic. The final process, a full-scale sailing test, took place during the last Transat Jacques Vabre, where three boats were equipped with DFi® sails. This test proved to be very convincing because of the weather conditions encountered and a podium finish in the IMOCA class.

Thank you again for this recognition, which for an innovative French SME, is an encouragement to keep going."