The Solitaire du Figaro (sɔlitɛʁ dy fiɡaʁo), until 1979 the Course de l'Aurore (kuʁs d(ə) loʁɔʁ), is a yearly single-handed multi-stage sailing race created in 1970 by Jean-Louis Guillemard and Jean-Michel Barrault.[1] The unique character of the race, the presence of great solo sailors and it being open to amateurs, has made it one of the most cherished races in French sailing. The race is always in the Atlantic but its stages vary yearly. In 2025, the race had three stages between France and Spain.

History

From 1970 to 1979 the race was organised by the newspaper L'Aurore. In 1980 the daily newspaper Le Figaro bought out L'Aurore and became the principal sponsor of the event.

From 2003, the eyewear company Alain Afflelou was an associate sponsor. The official name of the race became La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro. Since 2008, the motor manufacturer Suzuki replaced them, and the race became named La Solitaire du Figaro Suzuki.

Since 2011 the title sponsor of the race has been Éric Bompard Cachemire, a French fashion house specialising in cashmere garments.

The characteristics of the race are:

  • It starts around the end of July from a French port.
  • The race is split into 4 stages of varying length from year to year, from the length of the French coast and making up a total of around 1,500 to 2,000 nautical miles (1,700 to 2,300 mi; 2,800 to 3,700 km) on average. Over the years the race has lasted between 10 and 13 days at sea.
  • Each competitor is alone in the boat, participation is mixed.
  • Since 1990, all boats are of one design.

Boats

In 1991, the Solitaire du Figaro made the milestone of becoming a One-Design race. The race organisers chose the Bénéteau Figaro (later called the Figaro Bénéteau I) designed by Group Finot and Jean Berret. In 2003, a new design called Beneteau Figaro 2 was introduced and it was replaced in 2018, by the hydrofoiling Beneteau Figaro 3.

Past winners

YearWinning SkipperWinning boat NameNo. StartersNoteRef.
1970Joan de Kat (France)
1971Michel Malinovsky (France)RousslaneCenturion.
1972Jean-Marie Vidal (France)Cap 33Super Arlequin (Mauric).
1973Gilles Le Baud (France)Araok Atao.
1974Eugène Riguidel (France)Radial, Bes.
1975Guy Cornou (France)JabadaoClipper MC (Mauric).
1976Guy Cornou (France)C CookMallard 9 m.
1977Gilles Gahinet (France)RallyeRon Holland.
1978Gilles Le Baud (France)Kelt-La ConcordeBerret.
1979Patrick Eliès (France)Chaussettes OlympiaEglantine (JM Finot).
1980Gilles Gahinet (France)Port de PornicGahinet.
1981Sylvain Rosier (France)Chantier PichavantJoubert Nivelt 81.[2][3]
1982Philippe Poupon (France)GibSea+4GibSea plus 90.
1983Lionel Péan (France)HitachiJoubert Nivelt 82.
1984Christophe Cudennec (France)Presqu'ile de CrozonAndrieu 84.
1985Philippe Poupon (France)Fleury MichonAndrieu 85.
1986Christophe Auguin (France)NormerelJoubert Nivelt 82.[4]
1987Jean-Marie Vidal (France)in Eterna, Joubert Nivelt 82.
1988Laurent Bourgnon (France)Saint-BrévinJoubert Nivelt 82.
1989Alain Gautier (France)ConcordeAndrieu 89.
1990Laurent Cordelle (France)
1991Yves Parlier (France)
1992Michel Desjoyeaux (France)
1993Dominic Vittet]] (France)
1994Jean Le Cam (France)
1995Philippe Poupon (France)
1996Jean Le Cam (France)
1997Franck Cammas (France)
1998Michel Desjoyeaux (France)
1999Jean Le Cam (France)
2000Pascal Bidégorry (France)
2001Éric Drouglazet (France)
2002Kito de Pavant (France)
2003Armel Le Cléac'h (France)
2004Charles Caudrelier (France)
2005Jérémie Beyou (France)
2006Nicolas Troussel (France)
2007Michel Desjoyeaux (France)
2008Nicolas Troussel (France)
2009Nicolas Lunven (France)
2010Armel Le Cléac'h (France)
2011Jérémie Beyou (France)
2012Yann Elies (France)
2013Yann Elies (France)
2014Jérémie Beyou (France)
2015Yann Eliès (3) (France)
2016Yoann Richomme (France)
2017Nicolas Lunven (France)
2018Sébastien Simon (France)
2019Yoann Richomme (France)
2020Armel Le Cléac'h (France)
2021Pierre Quiroga (France)
2022
2023
2024Tom Dolan (Ireland)Smurfit Kappa – Kingspan

Results

All places are in France unless otherwise stated.

2003

1st stage: Les Sables-d'Olonne – Getxo/Bilbao (Spain)
2nd stage: Getxo/Bilbao – La Rochelle
3rd stage: La Rochelle – Dingle (Ireland)
4th stage: Dingle – Saint-Nazaire – 1979 nmi
  • Overall results:
  1. Armel Le Cléac'h (Créaline) in 327h 08min 19s
  2. Alain Gautier (Foncia) +13s
  3. Michel Desjoyeaux (Géant) +1h 26min 17s

42 skippers started, 42 finished.

2004

1st stage: Caen – Portsmouth (England)
2nd stage: Portsmouth – Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
3rd stage: Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie – Gijón (Spain)
4th stage: Gijon – Quiberon – 1373 nmi

51 competitors.

  • Overall results:
  1. Charles Caudrelier (Bostik Findley) in 220h 53min 54s
  2. Yann Éliès (Groupe Generali Assurances) +52min 35s
  3. Jérémie Beyou (Delta Dore) +1h 24min 35s

52 skippers started, 52 finished.

2005

1st stage: Perros-Guirec – Getxo-Bilbao (Spain) – 390 nmi
2nd stage: Getxo-Bilbao – La Rochelle – 368 nmi
3rd stage: La Rochelle – Cork (Ireland) – 456 nmi
4th stage: Cork – Talmont-Saint-Hilaire – 496 nmi
  • Overall results:
  1. Jérémie Beyou (Delta Dore) in 248h 49min 20s
  2. Michel Desjoyeaux (Géant) +1h 20min 54s
  3. Kito de Pavant (Groupe Bel) +1h 58min 41s
  4. Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert) +2h 17min 9s
  5. (Groupe Generali Assurances) +2h 24min 22s
  6. Laurent Pellecuer (Cliptol Sport) +2h 29min 45s
  7. Frédéric Duthil (Brossard) +2h 35min 53s
  8. Pietro d'Ali (Nanni Diesel) +3h 5min 12s, first newcomer
  9. Erwan Tabarly (Thales) +3h 13min 3s
  10. Charles Caudrelier (Bostik) +3h 18min 57s

46 skippers started, 42 finished.

2006

1st stage: Cherbourg-Octeville – Santander (Spain) – 590 nmi
2nd stage: Santander – Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie – 314 nmi
3rd stage: Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie – Dingle (Ireland) – 549 nmi
4th stage: Dingle – Concarneau – 449 nmi

Started 6 August 2006, with 44 competitors.

  • Overall results:
  1. Nicolas Troussel (Financo) in 297h 01min 56s
  2. Thierry Chabagny (Littoral) +1h 56min 55s
  3. Gérald Véniard (Scutum) +3h 55min 28s
  4. Armel Le Cléac'h (Brit Air) +5h 20min 20s
  5. Yann Éliès (Groupe Generali assurances) +6h 33min 07s
  6. Charles Caudrelier (Bostik) +6h 57min 50s
  7. Erwan Tabarly (Iceberg Finance) +6h 58min 36s
  8. Oliver Krauss (AXA Plaisance) +7h 21min 53s
  9. Eric Drouglazet (Pixmania.com) +7h 49min 08s
  10. Kito de Pavant (Groupe Bel) +7h 58min 03s

2007

Started 29 July 2007, with 50 competitors.

1st stage: Caen – Crosshaven (Ireland) – 425 nmi
2nd stage: Crosshaven- Brest – 344 nmi
3rd stage: Brest – A Coruña (Spain) – (shortened to 542 nmi)
4th stage: A Coruña – Les Sables-d'Olonne – 355 nmi

After ten competitions, Michel Desjoyeaux was the third French sailor to win his third Figaro race, this one being marked by strong winds (as much as 50 knots (58 mph; 93 km/h) in the last two stages which crossed the Gulf of Gascogne.

  • Overall results:
  1. Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) in 247h 20min 47sec
  2. Frédéric Duthil (Distinxion) +26 min 38s
  3. Corentin Douguet (Leclerc/Bouygues Telecom) +1h 03min 50s
  4. Nicolas Troussel (Financo) +1h 41min 26s
  5. Gildas Mahé (Le Comptoir Immobilier) +2h 14min 23s
  6. Eric Drouglazet (Luisina) +2h 39min 05s
  7. Gérald Veniard (Scutum) +3h 16min 53s
  8. Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert) +3h 19min 48s
  9. Thomas Rouxel (Défi Mousquetaires) +3h 29min 34s
  10. Marc Lepesqueux (Rapid’Flore Caen-La-Mer) +4h 01min 11s

Nicolas Lunven in Bostik finished first newcomer in 14th place.

2008

Started 25 July 2008, with 50 competitors.

1st stage: La Rochelle – Vigo (Spain) – shortened to 320 nmi
2nd stage: Vigo – Cherbourg-Octeville – 575 nmi
3rd stage: Cherbourg-Octeville – l'Aber Wrac'h – (shortened to 471 nmi)
  • Overall results:
  1. Nicolas Troussel (Financo) in 226h 32min 51sec
  2. Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert) +2h 22min 15sec
  3. Frédéric Duthil (Distinxion) +3h 34min 38s
  4. Erwan Tabarly (Athema) +3h 53min 57sec
  5. Jeanne Grégoire (Banque Populaire) +4h 54min 50sec
  6. Christopher Pratt (DCNS 97) 4h 55min 37s
  7. Nicolas Bérenger (KONE Ascenceurs) +5h 03min 54s
  8. Gildas Mahé (Le Comptoir Immobilier) +5h 52min 27s
  9. Laurent Pellecuer (Docteur Valnet aromathérapie) +5h 52min 46s
  10. Thierry Chabagny (SUZUKI Automobiles) +6h 23min 08s

François Gabart in Espoir Région Bretagne finished first newcomer in 16th place.

Nicolas Troussel won a race marked by a windless first stage in which he "tué la course" ("killed the race", leading to the neologism "Do a Troussel", in French: faire une Troussel) by arriving six hours ahead.[5] It was his second victory in the race.

2009

Started 30 July 2009 for the 40th race, with 52 competitors.

1st stage: Lorient – A Coruña (Spain) – 345 nmi
2nd stage: A Coruña – Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie 365 nmi
3rd stage: Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie- Dingle (Ireland) – 485 nmi
4th stage: Dingle- Dieppe – 511 nmi
  • Overall results:
  1. Nicolas Lunven (CGPI) in 285h 56min 55s
  2. Yann Éliès (Generali) +20min 29s
  3. Frédéric Duthil (Bbox Bouygues Télécom) +26min 14s

2017

Starting on 4 June 2017 from Pauillac, France the 48th edition of the race commenced with 43 competitors:

36 French, 3 British, 1 Swiss, 1 Turkish, 1 Czech and 1 American – a split of 37 men and 6 women skippers took on the challenge.

  1. Nicolas Lunven (Generali) in 247h 8min 52s
  2. Adrien Hardy (Agir Recouvrement) +34min 32s
  3. Charlie Dalin (Skipper Macif 2015) +22min 29s

References

  1. ^ Vangilve, Perrine (26 July 2009). "Solitaire du Figaro 40 ans d'histoire" [Solitaire du Figaro – 40 years of history] (in French). Le Télégramme.com. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  2. ^ "1981: Arrivée de la dernière étape de la course du Figaro" (Video). ina.fr. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  3. ^ "1981: Portrait de Sylvain Rosier, vainqueur de la course du Figaro" (Video). ina.fr. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  4. ^ "1986: Dernière étape de la course du Figaro" (Video). ina.fr. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  5. ^ Guyader, Jacques (29 July 2008). "Solitaire du Figaro : Nicolas Troussel frappe un grand coup" [Solitaire du Figaro: Nicolas Troussel deals a heavy blow] (in French). ouestbateaux.com. Retrieved 10 August 2010.