69 entries

Record number of rookies to race this year's Solitaire Affelou Le Figaro

69 skippers, including 29 rookie first timers, five women and six foreigners, have submitted their entries to La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro 2006. This 1898 nautical mile long singlehanded offshore race between France, Spain and Ireland, many consider the effective world championship of this discipline of our sport and is now in its 37th year.

A rich and new line-up

Among the 68 skippers having announced their intention to take part in La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro this year are the star players of the circuit many winners of previous runnings of this race: Charles Caudrelier (2004), Armel Le Cléac’h (2003), Kito de Pavant (2002), Eric Drouglazet (2001) along with leg winners: Gildas Morvan, Yann Eliès, Laurent Pellecuer, and hopeful winners: Frédéric Duthil, Marc Thiercelin, Christophe Lebas.

In addition are a new wave of successful rookies: Jean Pierre Dick (winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre in 2003 and 2005), Corentin Douguet (winner of the last Transat 6.50), Christopher Pratt (winner of the Challenge Espoir Crédit Agricole), Stanislas Malard, Gildas Mahé, Ronan Treussard, etc.

There are six overseas sailors taking part: Samantha Davies (England), Liz Wardley (Australia), Isabelle Joschke (Germany), Nigel King (England), Antonio Pedro Da Cruz (Cape Verde) and Pietro d’Alí (Italy).

A long and taxing race

The race course for the 37th edition of La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro is one of the longest in its history: 1898 nautical miles between France, Spain and Ireland spread over four legs. "Following tradition, this race course offers the skippers varied legs, from 590 miles for the longuest to 314 miles for the shortest, combining offshore and coastal courses. The main event of the summer already promises to be sportive and intense!” says Race Director Christian Gout.

The skippers will cross the start line offshore Cherbourg-Octeville on 6 August. Between the Channel, the Golfe du Gascogine and passing through the Atlantic and the Irish Sea, the competitors will need to excel in tactics, strategy, and weather analysis as well as boat for boat racing in order to cross the finish line as winner in Concarneau, Brittany.

The ports:

Cherbourg-Octeville, this international port which opens on Europe welcomes La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro for the fifth time. It was in this same town, in the Cité de la Mer, that the new Figaro Bénéteau was unveiled in 2002.

Village opens: Monday 31st July
Afflelou Prologue: Friday 4th August
Start 1st leg : Sunday 6th August

Santander, great return to this port on the Spanish coast. It has been 35 years since the Figaro sailors last crowded the pontoons of the Cité de Cantabrique, which has welcomed the competition only once in…1971.

Expected arrival of the boats : Thursday 10th August
Start 2nd leg : Sunday 13th August

Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, home to the Figaro Bénéteau. It is the second time that this Vendée port welcomes La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro, the first was in 2004 for the 120th anniversary of the Bénéteau Shipyards.

Expected arrival of the boats : Tuesday 15th August
Start 3rd leg : Friday 18th August

Dingle in Ireland much awaited and appreciated leg by all the competitors, returning for the third time, before taking on the final sprint.

Expected arrival of the boats : Tuesday 22nd August
Start 4th leg : Friday 25th August

Concarneau will crown the winner of La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro 2006. It is the sixth time that the race has a stop-over in this Brittany port.

Expected arrival of the boats : Monday 28th August
Afflelou Closing Regatta : Wednesday 30th August


Preparatory Trials
To participate in La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro 2006, skippers must take part in one or several trials. Among these are several of the big races of the circuit:

From 31st March to 2nd April : Solo Figaro Les Sables

Start 9th April 2006 : Transat ag2r – Concarneau – Saint Barthélemy

From 6th to 8th May 2006 : Solo Figaro Portdefrance.com Concarneau

From 29th May to 18th June 2006 : Solo Méditerranée 2006

From 2nd to 4th June 2006 : La Transmanche


List of submitted entries to La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro 2006

Surname, name, date of birth, place of residence, Dpt or country, number of previous participations

1. ATTANASIO Romain - 1977 - La Forêt Fouesnant - 29 - 6
2. AUBERT Jérome - 1977 - Nantes - 44 - Rookie
3. BERENGER Nicolas - 1972 - La Grande Motte - 34 - 3
4. BESTAVEN Yannick - 1972 - La Rochelle - 17 - 1
5. BOUILLARD Didier - 1964 - St Quay Portrieux - 22 - Rookie
6. BOUVET Christophe - 1963 - Annecy - 74 - 2
7. CAUDRELIER Charles - 1974 - La Forêt Fouesnant - 29 - 6
8. CHABAGNY Thierry - 1972 - Nevez - 29 - 5
9. DADOU Gilles - 1961 - Portet sur Garonne - 31 - 1
10 D’ALI Pietro (ITA) 1963 (Genoa) - 2
11. DAVIES Samantha (GB) - 1974 - Concarneau - 29 - 3
12. de PAVANT Kito - 1961 - Montferrier s/ Lez - 34 - 6
13. DEFERT Eric - 1976 - Ile Tudy - 29 - 1
14. DICK Jean-Pierre - 1965 - Lorient - 56 - Rookie
15. DOUGUET Corentin - 1974 - Locmiquelic - 56 - Rookie
16. DROUGLAZET Eric - 1967 - Tregunc - 29 - 13
17. DUPONT Daniel - 1954 - Nice - 06 - 2
18. DUTHIL Frédéric - 1973 - Larmor Plage - 56 - 2
19. ELIES Yann - 1974 - Saint-Brieuc - 22 - 9
20. EMIG Marc - 1969 - Marseille - 13 - 3
21. FOUCHE Jean-François - 1973 - Coudeville - 50 - Rookie
22. GABART François – 1983 - Angeac-Charente – 16 - Rookie
23. GENDRON Grégory - 1983 - Fouesnant - 29 - Rookie
24. GREGOIRE Jeanne - 1976 - Concarneau - 29 - 4
25. JACQ Rodolphe - 1972 - Brest - 29 - 1
26. JOSCHKE Isabelle (Allemagne) - 1977 - Versonnex - 01 - Rookie
27. KING Nigel (GB) - 1969 - Londres - GB - Rookie
28. KRAUSS Oliver - 1980 - La Forêt Fouesnant - 29 - 2
29. LE BAUT Jimmy - 1972 - Les Sables d'Olonne - 85 - Rookie
30. LE CLEAC'H Armel - 1977 - Fouesnant - 29 - 6
31. LE GAL Franck - 1973 - Plouharnel - 56 - 2
32. LE MIERE Grégoire - 1967 - Le Havre - 76 - Rookie
33. LEBAS Christophe - 1969 - Quimperlé - 29 - 6
34. LE BRAS Loïc - 1974 - Paris - 75 - Rookie
35. LIVORY Yannig - 1966 - Ploermeur - 56 - Rookie
36. LOISON Alexis - 1984 - La Glacerie - 50 - Rookie
37. MAHE Gildas - 1975 - Concarneau - 29 - Rookie
38. MASLARD Stanislas - 1981 - Le Havre - 76 - Rookie
39. MEIGNAN Jean-François - 1979 - Nantes - 44 - Rookie
40. MORVAN Gildas - 1968 - Landeda - 29 - 10
41. MOUREN Jean-Paul - 1953 - Marseille - 13 – 19
42. NABART Laurent – 1970 – Forciolo – 20 –4
43. NAGY Robert - 1963 - Hyères - 83 – Rookie
44. NELIAS Jean Luc – 1962 –Quimper – 29 – 1
45. NIGON Erik - 1959 - Paris - 75 – Rookie
46. PEDRO DA CRUZ Antonio (Cap Vert) - 1966 - Antibes - 06 - Rookie
47. PELLECUER Laurent - 1974 - Montpellier - 34 - 9
48. PELLET Jean-François - 1970 - Talmont Saint Hilaire - 85 - 1
49. PERON Eric - 1981 - Pont L'Abbé - 29 - Rookie
50. PETIT Benoît - 1972 - Saint Renan - 29 - 5
51. PRATT Christopher - 1981 - Marseille - 13 - Rookie
52. RAISON David - 1972 - Saint-Nazaire - 44 - Rookie
53. RAVET David - 1970 - Aytré - 17 - Rookie
54. RIOU Marie - 1981 - Plougastel - 29 - Rookie
55. RODET Michel - 1958 - St Sebastien sur Loire - 44 - Rookie
56. ROGNON Cyrille - 1966 - La Rochelle - 17 - 4
57. ROUXEL Thomas - 1982 - Brest - 29 - Rookie
58. SEGUIN Damien - 1979 - Crac'h - 29 - Rookie
59. SVILARICH Etienne - 1980 - Perros Guirec - 22 - 1
60. TABARLY Erwan - 1974 - Fouesnant - 29 - 6
61. THETIOT Sébastien - 1978 - Erdeven - 56 - 1
62. THIERCELIN Marc - 1960 - La Rochelle - 17 - 6
63. TOULORGE Alexandre - 1978 - Cherbourg - 50 - 5
64. TREUSSART Ronan - 1982 - Saint Brieuc - 22 - Rookie
65. TRIPON Armel - 1975 - Nantes - 44 - 2
66. TROUSSEL Nicolas - 1974 - Plougasnou - 29 - 5
67. VACHETTE Vincent - 1971 - Paris - 75 - 1
68. VENIARD Gérald - 1970 - La Rochelle - 17 - 2
69. WARDLEY Liz (Papua New Guinea) - 1979 - Crac'h - 56 – 3