La Solitaire du Figaro promises an excellent 40th edition

by Event media on 24 Feb 2009
The 40th edition of La Solitaire du Figaro promises to be excellent, with 71 pre-entries of which 20 are rookies, one is a woman and three are non French, not to mention the return of five previous winners. An anniversary edition that will take the fleet between France, Spain and Ireland on a classic course covering 1,706 nautical miles over four legs.

La Solitaire is celebrating its 40th edition this summer. From the 28th of July to the 22nd of August, a new page of the event will be written on the water. From Lorient to Dieppe, passing by La Coruña, Saint Gilles Croix de Vie and Dingle, all the competitors, from experienced sailors to rookies and amateurs set to win this historic competition and have their names listed in the annals of the race.

2009 will be the comeback year! The year for previous winners and also of those who have been the talk of the town for the past 90 days on the Vendée Globe and who are returning this summer to brave La Solitaire.

First of all, Michel Desjoyeaux, triple winner of La Solitaire in 1992, 1998 and 2007, and recently double winner of the Vendée Globe. Nicknamed 'The Professor', Desjoyeaux is back to sailing on the Figaro Bénéteau 2 with the firm intention of 'enjoying himself' and could also aim for a fourth historic win! But he will find a tough opponent in Armel Le Cléac’h, finishing a magnificent second place on the Vendée Globe and winner of La Solitaire in 2003. Jérémie Beyou, winner in 2005, has one sole aim: to win a second title. Reaching the end of his contract with his sponsor for the past seven years, the Breton sailor is still looking for a sponsor to line up on the start line in the best condition.

We also take note of the eagerly awaited comeback of Charles Caudrelier, winner in 2004, who will confront the winner of the 2001 edition and a mainstay of the Figaro Bénéteau Class: Eric Drouglazet.

A special mention for Yann Eliès, who following his terrible accident on the Vendée Globe, has decided to get back into the saddle as quickly as possible and return to competition on La Solitaire, in which he finished second in 2004. Victory overall would be a fine reward for the sailor that has already won four legs of La Solitaire.

Many sailors faithful to the 'classic' summer event will be candidates for victory. Frédéric Duthil (second in 2007 and third in 2008), Gildas Morvan (second in 2008), Thierry Chabagny, Erwan Tabarly, Jean-Paul Mouren (23rd participation), Marc Emig, Laurent Pellecuer, Gérald Véniard, Cristophe Lebas and the others will give the best they have in order to win this coveted title.

In the foreground for the last several editions, the young wolves of the Figaro circuit with the likes of Gildas Mahé, Thomas Rouxel and Nicolas Lunven, will certainly continue to get a lot of press coverage. The rookies on the podium in the 2008 edition will no doubt join them: François Gabart, Adrien Hardy and Isabelle Joschke, whose talent and determination have been solidly proven.

20 rookies will set from the start line of La Solitaire du Figaro this year, an indisputable sign of youth for the race which still attracts so much young talent like: Cristophe Espagnon, following his participation in the Pekin Olympic games, is swapping his Tornado for the Figaro Bénéteau, Fabien Delahaye, recently recruited to Port-La Forêt’s offshore sailing training centre, Arthur Le Vaillant, selected at the windsurfing World Championships and Louis Duc, fourth on the Artemis Transat in 2008.

Three non-French will be taking part in La Solitaire du Figaro this summer: Pietro D'Ali (Italy) is back for a 5th participation, Nigel King (Great Britain) and Isabelle Joschke will both line up on the race for the second time.

Jacques Caraës, race director: 'We could not have hoped for better for the 40th edition of La Solitaire du Figaro, with 71 pre-entries, we have a truly exceptional line-up! The comeback of five old winners and the arrival of newcomers with 20 rookies once again prove the full sporting interest of La Solitaire. I am thinking of Michel Desjoyeaux who has just achieved a second win on the Vendée Globe and as a main competitor returns to the race with un-diminishing pleasure, it is fantastic. We also have a wonderful team of faithful sailors such as Gildas Morvan, who has everything in hand to be the talk of La solitaire this summer, and of course we must not forget the young talent such as François Gabart and Adrien Hardy.

The 40th edition will no doubt set a new standard to the event. Rarely would La solitaire du Figaro have welcomed such a talented line-up of sailors! More than ever, weather analysis, tactics and sheer determination will be the key factors to shine out in La Solitaire 2009.

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