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 byMichel Joubert (1944-2016) andBernard Nivelt. Over 25,000 units built to their designs in fifty years. Joubert designed motor yachts and expedition sailboats, while Nivelt focused on racing and cruiser-racer sailboats. Since Joubert's passing in 2016, Bernard Nivelt has continued withAlexis Muratet under the labelNMYD (Nivelt-Muratet Yacht Design), based in Arès.

Achievements

• Admiral's Cup 1983: victory with Diva, the duo's first major title.
• America's Cup 1988: Bernard Nivelt recruited by John Marshall in the design team of the Stars & Stripes US-1 catamaran (Dennis Conner), which defeated the New Zealand monohull.
• La Rochelle-New Orleans 1982: victory of the catamaran Charente-Maritime.
• Rolex Middle Sea Race 2022: overall victory of 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 1986 BOC Challenge.
• 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 amateur IRC inshore/offshore 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-designed by Joubert-Nivelt-Mercier.
• Teasing Machine NMYD 54 (2017, King Marine): Éric de Turckheim’s IRC one-off. Winner of the 2022 Middle Sea Race, class winner in the Sydney-Hobart, Fastnet, and RORC Transatlantic.

Motor yachts and expedition sailboats

• 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 speeds over 20 knots, with generous living space. 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 in regattas and offshore racing — see the list of tracked boats below.