Bernard - Nivelt

Joubert-Nivelt then NMYD: the La Rochelle duo behind the Surprise, Stars & Stripes, and the Swift Trawler range

Firm founded in 1974 in La Rochelle by Michel Joubert (1944-2016) and Bernard Nivelt. Over 25,000 units built to their designs in fifty years. Joubert specialized in motor yachts and expedition sailboats, Nivelt in racing and cruising-racing sailboats. Since Joubert’s death in 2016, Bernard Nivelt continues with Alexis Muratet under the NMYD (Nivelt-Muratet Yacht Design) label, based in Arès.

Notable achievements

• Admiral's Cup 1983: victory with Diva, the duo’s first major title.
• America's Cup 1988: Bernard Nivelt recruited by John Marshall to design the Stars & Stripes US-1 catamaran (Dennis Conner), which defeated the New Zealand monohull.
• La Rochelle to New Orleans 1982: victory of the catamaran Charente-Maritime.
• Rolex Middle Sea Race 2022: overall win for the NMYD 54 Teasing Machine by Éric de Turckheim (Nivelt-Muratet-Pages design, launched in 2017).

Flagship sailboats

• Surprise (Archambault, 1976): 7.65 m one-design, over 1,700 units produced. Still actively raced fifty years later.
• Côte d'Or (1985): 60-foot Open in Kevlar built for Éric Tabarly.
• Biscuits Lu (1985): 60-foot Open, 4th in the BOC Challenge 1986.
• Petit Navire (1998): 60-foot Open with a canting mast.
• Archambault A31, A35, A40 RC: IRC cruiser-racer from the 2000s. The A35 remains a reference in IRC inshore/offshore amateur racing.
• M34 (Archambault, 2010): 10.34 m one-design selected for the Tour de France à la Voile 2011–2014, replacing the Farr 30. Co-signed by Joubert-Nivelt-Mercier.
• Teasing Machine NMYD 54 (2017, King Marine): Éric de Turckheim’s IRC one-off. Winner of the Middle Sea Race 2022, class winner in Sydney-Hobart, Fastnet, and RORC Transatlantic.

Motor and expedition yachts

• Swift Trawler (Bénéteau, since 2002): Joubert designed the Swift Trawler 42, followed by the 34, 44, 50, and 52. Semi-displacement trawler concept capable of exceeding 20 knots, with large interior volume. Still in production.
• Fleur Australe: 20 m polar expedition sailboat by Philippe Poupon and Géraldine Danon, aluminum Strongall hull, lifting keel, designed by Michel Joubert.
• Elisabet: 47 m motor yacht.

Skysat on board

Skysat occasionally equips units from the Joubert-Nivelt portfolio for regattas and offshore racing — see the list of tracked boats below.