The Figaro Class
20 years of offshore racing
It all began in 1990. After years of regattas aboard Half Tonners, veritable high-tech labs that render cost management and sporting fairness virtually impossible, the concept of a championship on equal terms formed in sailors' minds. Thus the Figaro Bénéteau was conceived, drawn up by architects Berret and Finot, and built in the Bénéteau shipyard. The first of its kind, an association bringing together skippers, owners and organisers followed shortly after: the Bénéteau Class.
Generations of sailors succeeded one another aboard this monohull, making the circuit unique. Twenty years on (and despite development of a new version of the Class in 2003), the spirit of the original remains intact.
20 years in figures
- 120 participants each year
- 10,000 miles covered every season
- 75 days of racing
- 21 ports of call per season
- 5 countries visited a year
- 30 participants in each event
- 8 loyal partners for the Class
- 70 skipper sponsors in one season
The 2010 Figaro Circuit:
Lufthansa's latest challenge
Lufthansa is to participate in four prestigious events on the Figaro Circuit.
The 10th Transat AG2R-La Mondiale is an event organised by Pen Duick in cooperation with the town of Concarneau (start), the community of Saint-Barthélemy (finish) and the French Sailing Federation. This transatlantic race is sponsored by AG2R-La Mondiale. Sailors compete in teams of two aboard Figaro Bénéteau 2 sailing boats. Only those meeting the current monotype regulations for the Figaro Bénéteau Class are allowed to participate. The course is approximately 3,710 miles long; the departure is on Sunday April 18, 2010.
The Quiberon Solo is one of the three events making up the French Single-Handed Offshore Racing Championship. Similar to the Solitaire du Figaro, it takes place each year. It is also the only 'technical' event in the championship, i.e. Figaro Bénéteau monotypes mean the thirty or so solo racers compete on an equal footing during the short races. In these conditions, it is the single-handed sailors capable of manoeuvring, defining their strategy and negotiating the course’s obstacles the quickest who come out on top in the final classification.
Since its conception, the winner of the Quiberon Solo has always remained undecided until the very last few metres of the final race around Belle-Île.
The Quiberon Solo will take place at Quiberon-Port Haliguen (Morbihan) on 12-19 June, 2010.
(Le Havre (France), Gijón (Spain), Brest (France), Kinsale (Ireland), Cherbourg-Octeville (France)).
The French daily national newspaper of record, Le Figaro, is also the owner, organiser and mastermind behind the Solitaire du Figaro.
Conceived in 1970, the oldest of the French offshore races has become something of an must in the sailing careers of top skippers.
Discovery of a multitude of talented sailors (Philippe Poupon, Jean Le Cam, Michel Desjoyeaux, Franck Cammas, etc) can be attributed to the Solitaire du Figaro, which is sailed single-handedly aboard monotypes (Figaro-Bénéteau). The race is one of the major meets in the French sailing calendar and the key event in the French Single-Handed Offshore Racing Championship.
(Nice (France), Trapani (Sicily) , Athens (Greece), Didim (Greece), Bozcaada (Turkey) and Istanbul (Turkey))
Firmly rooted in sailors' mind and offshore racing calendars as an essential meet, the Cap Istanbul can no longer to be discounted as a small revolution in the sailing world; it is in fact an event, which explores new horizons. The only Mediterranean event of the French Offshore Single-Handed Racing Championship and the Figaro Class calendar, it has become a reference event in the careers of the greatest sailors over the years. The event will take place for the fourth time on 14-16 September, 2010, and will add a new chapter to its beautiful history by braiding an Ariadne's thread from west to east between the ports of Nice, Trapani, Athènes, Didim, Bozcaada and Istanbul. The Cap Istanbul race will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the greatest maritime epics...
