The Solitaire URGO Le Figaro

The 50th Solitaire URGO Le Figaro promises to be a memorable event on more than one count, with a new boat, the Figaro Beneteau 3, and the return of some of the best Solitaire alumni, along with many talented young sailors who dream of adding a win in the legendary offshore race to their record of achievements. 

race

Nantes, home of the Figaro Beneteau 3, will host the start

The first stage of the Solitaire Urgo Le Figaro will start under the St. Nazaire bridge, at 4.30 pm on Sunday 2 June, after leaving Nantes at 8.30 am and sailing down the Loire.  The fleet will be on site in Nantes on the Quai de la Fosse, beside the Maillé-Brézé destroyer, near the Atelier de Cheviré, where these one-design yachts are built. Nantes will be the Solitaire start city for the very first time.

Setting sail for Ireland, then Roscoff and Dieppe

The Figaro racers will sail a distance of over 550 miles to Kinsale in Ireland for the first stage.  The second stage will take the skippers to Roscoff after sailing round the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.  The third stage (Roscoff - Roscoff) will be a quite technical semi-offshore course. The last stage, covering 500 miles, will finish in Dieppe.

 “2019 is the 50th anniversary or the race and it brings renewal. We will have new courses and new boats. The race will pit new challenges against new technologies, with some well-known sailors lining up at the start to take up the challenge!” Hervé Le Lous, Chairman and founder of the URGO group.