Sea, Sail & Surf newsSolitaire du Figaro
New boats and course for the single-handed Figaro 2003
Start in the Sables d’Olonne on 28th July
jeudi 5 décembre 2002 –
The 34th edition of the Single-handed Figaro is making a new start, not solely by the length of the course : 1 979 nautical miles, the longest since 1990, but also by the arrival of the new boat ’Figaro Bénéteau 2’.
Organised around five towns, passionate about the idea of receiving the soloists once more, the 2003 course is linked by four legs of fairly similar length : 449 nautical miles for the first (and shortest), 494 nautical miles for the second, 536 nautical miles for the third (and longest) leg, and 500 nautical miles for the fourth and final leg. That is a total course of 1 979 nautical miles, the equivalent of 3 665 km.
The Single-handed Figaro takes flight from the Vendée, in the Sables d’Olonne on 28th July. Last November 4, Le Figaro and the County Council of the Vendée signed an agreement announcing two starts and one arrival for the 2003, 2005 and 2007 editions of the Single-handed Figaro. Nothing could have been more natural all in all if you refer to the relationship which unites the Vendée Globe and the Single-handed Figaro. In this way, Christophe Auguin, Alain Gautier and Michel Desjoyeaux, three of the four winners of the Tour du Monde, have, previously, imposed their marks on the Single-handed Figaro. No doubt that a good deal of Figaro soloists will have a thought for the next Vendée Globe as they sail along the famous jetties of the Sables d’Olonne.
The name of the winner of the first leg will be known at Bilbao-Getxo (Euskadi), country of origin of Sebastian El Cano, the first man in history to have sailed around the world. The marina of Euskadi will welcome the Single-handed Figaro for the second time into the heart of its fabulous installations that we were able to discover in the year 2000.
The second leg will set off towards Belle-Ile before heading back to La Rochelle, in the region of Poitou-Charentes, from where the 2001 edition of the Single-handed Figaro was launched with style. It is one of the most prestigious stopover sites for the Single-handed race.
As the first two legs will take the skippers across the Bay of Biscay, the second part of the competition will take place in the waters of the Irish Sea. The aim of this third leg : the town of Dingle in Ireland. A stopover which is as green as it is welcoming, it left everyone, from skippers to journalists to observers, with unforgettable memories in 2001.
And to finish, in the « capital of all boats », at the mouth of the Loire, the final finish of the race will be judged. Some weeks before the largest ocean liner in the world, the « Queen Mary 2 » is launched, the town of Saint-Nazaire will crown the winner of this first edition, played out on the Figaro Bénéteau 2.
« The course relies on the abilities of the Figaro Bénéteau 2 to « do a lot of mileage », and fortunately it is a boat which « eats up the miles » in reaching conditions. That’s to say that the same leg run with the wind behind will be twice as quick in terms of time than against the wind, so the course has been enriched by around 280 nautical miles.
The total distance rises from 1 700 nautical miles in 2002 to 1 979 nautical miles, this year. The weather will be the Justice of the Peace throughout the legs and a reduction in the length of these is envisaged for each of the stages (with the exception of the third), in the event of light winds being announced or upwind sailing » explains Denis Horeau, Race Director.
The Summer 2003 marks the arrival of the Figaro Bénéteau 2. A summer with a great sporting line-up since it will crown the champions of three big events : the winner of the 100th edition of the Tour de France racing cyclist, that of the great summer classic that is the Single-handed Figaro as well as the athletes of the World Championship of Athletics. A very fine summer of sport for the new era of the Single-handed Figaro.
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