50 for the Figaro

Top turn out once again for this year's Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro, the unofficial championship of singlehanded offshore yachting

La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro promises yet again to be the foremost sailing event of the summer. From 6-30 August, sailing between Cherbourg-Octeville, Santander (Spain), Saint Gilles Croix de Vie, Dingle (Ireland) and Concarneau, the 50 competitors will set off on a 1,898 nautical mile odyssey with a single common aim: to win La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro 2006.

The line-up

Among the 50 skippers, are many winners of previous editions of the race; Charles Caudrelier (2004) Armel Le Cléac’h (2003), Kito de Pavant (2002) and Eric Drouglazet (2001). Challenging them are the regulars of the Figaro Bénéteau circuit such as Yann Eliès, Erwan Tabarly, Jeanne Grégoire, Gildas Morvan, Laurent Pellecuer…

This 37th edition of the race will see 19 new faces, all of whom will battle it out for the top spot in the Bénéteau Rookie (Bizuth) class. Not since 1997 have there been as many new sailors taking part in the event. Among them are top names from other classes such as Jean Pierre Dick (Vendee Globe skipper and twice winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre), Corentin Douguet (winner of the Mini-Transat 2005), David Raison (2nd in the Mini-Transat 2003) and Christopher Pratt, (winner of the Tour de France à la Voile 2005), also the talented hopeful in the Espoir Crédit Agricole programme.

Three women - Sam Davies, Jeanne Grégoire and Liz Wardley - will be competing and there are five nations represented: France, England, Italy, Cape Verde Islands and Australia.

Intense effort, sportsmanship, technical ability, fighting spirit, suspense… all the ingredients are there to make La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro a top sailing event of the summer.

The course

The skippers will set off from Cherbourg Octeville, hosting La Solitaire for the fifth time. The first leg takes the sailors to Santander in Spain on the longest leg - 590 nautical miles of complex navigation along the English coast and across the Bay of Biscay.

Leaving Santander, the sailors return to France and Saint Gilles Croix De Vie, the home of the Beneteau Figaro, in the Vendée region, a course of 390 miles, a leg the skippers of La Solitaire are well acquainted with.

The third leg, at 549 miles long, takes the boat to Dingle in southern Ireland. On this passage the sailing conditions can be very varied and are often harsh for the skippers. Dingle is an eagerly awaited stopover for the sailors, notably due to the warm welcome of its inhabitants.

After a few days rest, the race then sets off on its last leg, around. Fastnet Rock, the Scilly Isles and Iles de Groix, a 449 miles long passage, before crossing the finishing line at the Figaro stronghold of Concarneau in Brittanny. "This is a strategically complex race course finishing in home waters for many of the sailors, which could be decisive for these Figaro sailors.” explains Christian Gout, Race Director of La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro.

Schedule:

CHERBOURG OCTEVILLE
Afflelou Prologue: Friday 4 August at 3pm
Start 1st leg: Sunday 6th August at 11am

SANTANDER
Expected arrival: Thursday 10th August
Start 2nd leg: Sunday 13th August at 3pm

SAINT GILLES CROIX DE VIE
Expected arrival: Tuesday 15th August
Start 3rd leg: Friday 18th August at 11am

DINGLE
Expected arrival: Tuesday 22nd August
Start 4th leg: Friday 25th August at 3pm

CONCARNEAU
Expected arrival: Monday 28th August
Afflelou Closing Regatta: Wednesday 30th August at 3pm