Friday, december 22, 2023

Intense, competitive, rich in performances and sharing... these are the words used by sailors of the Figaro Beneteau Class to describe their 2023 season. And as if that wasn't enough, some of them signed up at the end of the year for a Transat Jacques Vabre alongside veterans of the category, like Corentin Horeau, crowned Champion of France Elite Offshore Racing after his victory in the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, or Basile Bourgnon, who finished second, continuing to shine both with his talent and his young age, often the youngest in the races but frequently found on the podium. Let's look back on a year-end where the 2023 newcomers and alumni continue to make the Class that saw them start particularly proud.

Credit: Gauthier Lebec / Classe Figaro

"This season represents a very good vintage with a French Elite Offshore Racing Championship that took place over 5 events and allowed a trio to emerge. On the podium, we find Corentin Horeau in pole position, who wins La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec after many years in the class. Congratulations to him, he is a champion whom we will undoubtedly see in the years to come. Basile Bourgnon represents the renewal of the circuit; he was also elected Young Hope at the Sailor of the Year, which is the culmination of the Figaro Beneteau Class's role in bringing out new talents while offering an elite sports calendar. Gaston Morvan, third in the Championship, has made a name for himself, especially this season. We expect him to climb to the top step of the podium in the coming years.

This season also marked the second year of the Figaro Beneteau Academy, a project that is close to our hearts because it allows young sailors from inshore or dinghy sailing backgrounds to integrate into the Figaro Beneteau circuit. I especially note the rebirth of the Tour Voile, which included 77 sailors, 71 of whom were rookies. We are really satisfied with the renewal of the Class; we ended the year with a General Assembly that re-elected Marcus Hutchinson as Vice President and myself as President. This vote shows that the members support the strategy set out and that a climate of trust has been established."

Jean-Bernard Le Boucher, President of the Figaro Beneteau Class

End of the season for the Figarists! While the CFECL ended this summer with the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec and Corentin Horeau's double victory, followed by the Figaro National as the real curtain call on a rich year, some decided to extend the season! If the entire 2023 podium found themselves at the starting line of the Transat Jacques Vabre, the flagship multi-class event of the fall, it was surely no coincidence... Horeau, Bourgnon, Morvan, and company: they were among a hundred former and current Figarists on the starting line of the Route du Café, at the end of October, and about twenty on the Return to Base, the return transatlantic reserved for IMOCA, the elite of solo monohull offshore racing. From 4 to a class, from Ultim to Class40, passing through Ocean50 and IMOCA, the "made in Figaro Beneteau" sailors once again showcased the excellence of their school by dominating all the podiums of the two transatlantics, starting with the Transat Jacques Vabre.

• In the Ultim category, at the end of 7,500 miles raced at high speed, the calculation was simple since the 10 sailors involved were all from the Figaro Beneteau circuit. Thus, 6 "veterans" climbed onto the podium, with Armel Le Cléac'h, triple winner of La Solitaire du Figaro, and Sébastien Josse claiming victory ahead of another pair that left its mark on the Class: François Gabart and Tom Laperche, the recent 2022 French Champions.

• In the Ocean Fifty category, only one 100% Figaro crew took the start, in Le Havre, on October 29th, to cover 4,500 nautical miles. Pierre Quiroga, winner of the Solitaire du Figaro 2021, and Ronan Treussart, both discovering a transatlantic race in a multihull, finished third in Martinique.

• In the IMOCA category, 31 former Figarists lined up on the start line on November 7th. If among the top favorites of the race, the Figaro Beneteau Class could boast names like Jérémie Beyou, Yoann Richomme, Yann Elies, Franck Cammas, or Morgan Lagravière, all major figures of the circuit, at the finish in Fort-de-France, the predictions were confirmed. Thomas Ruyant and Morgan Lagravière won the race, followed by Yoann Richomme and Yann Elies, and Sam Goodchild and Antoine Koch. Beyou and Cammas finished fourth: it's a clean sweep for the former Figarists!

• In the Class40 category, Xavier Macaire challenged his racing mates and long-time rivals, notably giving a hard time to Achille Nebout and Gildas Mahé, a legendary figure of the circuit. In the end, Ambroggio Beccaria and Nicolas Andrieu emerged victorious, ahead of Achille Nebout and Gildas Mahé, who kept the suspense alive until the end!

Just ten days after the first arrivals of the "TJV", the future contenders for the Vendée Globe set off for the Return to Base, the return transatlantic from Fort-de-France to Lorient in IMOCA, qualifying for the next edition of the round-the-world race. Once again, the alumni showed up with a masterful victory by Yoann Richomme on Paprec Arkéa, confirming himself as one of the new leading favorites in the category. Jérémie Beyou on Charal and Sam Goodchild on FOR THE PLANET completed the podium.

While the season ends and will not resume until spring for most Figarists, a giant event awaits these former sailors of the Ultim class with their first solo round-the-world race, the Arkéa Ultim Challenge, starting from Brest on January 7th. A lineup of 6 sailors that has unanimously marked the history of the Figaro with Thomas Coville, Anthony Marchand, Charles Caudrelier, Armel Le Cléac'h, Eric Péron, and Tom Laperche, former double French Elite Offshore Racing Champion, who will embark on his first solo race on an Ultim.

"More than ever, you have to be in the Figaro Beneteau Class to excel in offshore racing, that's where it happens. We see it in the big races of the season, the Transat Jacques Vabre, the Return to Base, and the Arkea Ultim Challenge, almost all of them have gone through the Class. They have managed their careers, they have the talent, but they have also had to learn, and we were there for that. We wish the sailors leaving the Figaro Beneteau Class the most beautiful victories, to enjoy everything they have learned, and to enjoy sailing their boats!"

Jean-Bernard Le Boucher, President of the Figaro Beneteau Class

By chance or as a result of training for performance conducted by the Figaro Beneteau Class, these former Figarists who marked the 2023 season tell us:

TOM LAPERCHE, 2nd in the Transat Jacques Vabre and sailor of the Arkéa Ultim Challenge on the Trimaran Ultim SVR-Lazartigue, French Elite Offshore Racing Champion 2021 & 2022, Winner of the Solitaire du Figaro in 2022:

"The Figaro Class has brought me a lot in terms of race preparation, routines to adopt, weather, and the demand on the water. I admired my competitors, what they shared or transmitted through their adventures. I had done a Transat Jacques Vabre in a race before but my first offshore race solo was in the Figaro. My sporting level today comes mainly from the Figaro Beneteau Class.

For the past two years, I have been sailing with François Gabart on the Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue. I honed my skills in the Figaro thanks to Région Bretagne – CMB as a hopeful, just like François 10 years earlier. We started at the same school and it weighed in François' favor when he called me.

In this Transat Jacques Vabre, the pace was based on feeling, not disjointed but the shifts lasted between 1:00 and 3:00 on average, depending on our abilities. It is the Figaro that taught us to know each other, it is essential to be at 100%, it is a big part of the result.

The biggest change in Ultim is anticipating maneuvers, we can't afford to make them as regularly as in Figaro. We have less room for error; we have the same physical strength but the maneuvers last much longer. Nutrition is also more important, we are more into endurance, recovery, and food is very important in efforts.

I sailed a lot in double on the Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue, I'm leaving at the end of this year for a new challenge: my first solo round the world on the Arkea Ultim Challenge. There are quite a few unknowns but it's a boat designed for this type of race. I am passionate about the open sea, and I have always dreamed in front of these great boats. I learned a lot from François' experience and the whole team, as with Pôle Finistère Course au Large when I started, surrounded by big names who liked to transmit with kindness."

PIERRE QUIROGA, 3rd in the Transat Jacques Vabre on the OceanFifty Viabilis, Winner of the Solitaire du Figaro in 2021:

"I had participated in a Double Transat in Figaro Beneteau 3 with Erwan Le Draoulec and in a Transat Jacques Vabre in Class40 with Emmanuel Le Roch. This edition was my first in Ocean Fifty. Sailing in a multihull means more speed but also more anxiety. We feel like we have a sword of Damocles hanging over our heads, but these are great sensations, we take a lot of pleasure at the helm.

The Figaro Beneteau Class has taught me the basics to raise my game, handling equipment at the forefront of sports performance, gaining confidence in weather analysis, tactics, and fatigue management. The indispensable references when sailing offshore.

On Viabilis, we had 2 Figaro sailors at the helm with Ronan Treussart. We didn't have this notion of shifts; we were listening to ourselves, we know each other by heart as sailors. We found the right balance; it's symptomatic of the Figarists. With Ronan, we were the least experienced duo together and on this boat, but we managed the boat and the human side very fluidly, it's the magic of the Figaro school, we understood each other right away, we had the same level of demand.

I was selected as skipper of the Ocean Fifty Viabilis because I had won La Solitaire du Figaro. It allowed me to discover an incredible machine, made for transatlantics, it made me want to come back!"

YOANN RICHOMME, 2nd in the Transat Jacques Vabre and winner of the Return to Base on the Imoca Arkéa Paprec, Double Winner of the Solitaire du Figaro, Vice-Champion of France in 2013 and in 2016:

"The Figaro Beneteau Class has given us the keys to evolve on other platforms. What I appreciated was the rigor and dedication to work it brings. I remember my first training sessions where I saw the Figarists maneuvering at Mach12 and achieving things that seemed impossible to me. Through training and analysis, I succeeded.

I appreciated the monotype; it doesn't hide flaws, we are necessarily confronted with our qualities, but also with what we need to improve. The support highlights mental preparation as well as the boat and the qualities of the sailors; it forces you to be an excellent adjuster and weather tactician. If the learning is done in Figaro Beneteau 3, we will know how to make another boat work. The intensity of the Figaro is a reference in terms of commitment, maneuvers, and adjustments. Figarists have learned to shine at the starts, which simplifies the course, no matter what type of boat.

Being a champion in Figaro does not necessarily mean that you will become a champion in other categories. In Class40 or IMOCA, you need to have engineering adaptability that is not necessary in Figaro. A Figaro Beneteau 3 is very solid and robust, on other supports, you have to bash intelligently, with similar navigation, the equipment is more fragile, it has more limits. That's also why I encourage those who are on the Figaro circuit to try other boats; it takes years of experience to reach a level of understanding of the supports.

In my opinion, a good Solitaire du Figaro in 4 stages is still more difficult than any transatlantic! The Transat Jacques Vabre is sailed in double; we sleep a lot; it's rather the management of different demands that is difficult. I'm very happy to have had a Class40 project late, at 38, it requires experience and skill. If I have to sum up my career, I enjoyed spending so many years in the Figaro before inheriting a big sailing project. Despite my degree in naval architecture, I really learned the trade in 2018, when I had my first Class40 project."

ACHILLE NEBOUT, 2nd in the Transat Jacques Vabre on the Class40 Amarris:

"I had never done a transatlantic in Figaro; I didn't have enough budget the first year and, in 2021, I had just found my partners, we wanted to prioritize La Solitaire du Figaro. However, I had already raced 2 Transat Jacques Vabre as a co-skipper on Class40s.

I left the Figaro Beneteau circuit last year to race on my Class40 Amarris. I learned everything in Figaro; it is with this support that I started in 2019 when I had no offshore experience. For me, it is the reference circuit, the one that made me dream when I was a kid, I followed La Solitaire du Figaro every summer when I was sailing optimists. I was fortunate to find my partners to make my last two seasons comfortable. I had never spent a night at sea before the Solo Maître CoQ in 2019, and I found all the intensity I had come for. Playing in detail with this monotype support, learning to never give up, staying focused at all times, and it showed on this Transat Jacques Vabre. Figarists, all classes combined, were playing ahead. You had to be good at strategy, manage to eat and hydrate to stay competitive and lucid, that's what we learn extremely in Figaro and especially in La Solitaire, which is undoubtedly the most difficult and the most formative race.

On the Class40 Amarris, I took Gildas Mahé on board; we were two Figarists on board, and it showed. I chose him because of affinity and because he was a Figarist who inspired me, like Ambroggio whom I had taken on board in double in Figaro. We didn't accept that the boat was not at 100% of its potential until we woke the other up to make maneuvers. The fact of having evolved on the Figaro circuit was a springboard for me; it reassured my partners, and I felt more credible. With Amarris, we decided to go to Class40 before my last Solitaire, and my good result after this legendary race confirmed our choice. The Figaro Beneteau Class encourages human encounters who share beautiful adventures."

PreviousToute l'actualitéNext