Figaro

Legendary. The Figaro is an ode to excellence in offshore racing.
The one-design sailing yacht was initially designed for the Solitaire du Figaro, allowing some of the greatest skippers to compete at sea on equal terms, much to their pleasure. The sailor makes the difference on a Figaro. 
 

The Start of an Extraordinary Adventure

The highly innovative Figaro Bénéteau 1 was launched by BENETEAU in 1990 for the Solitaire Le Figaro single-handed race, in collaboration with Groupe Finot, and it blazed a trail for a whole generation of sailors: Yves Parlier, Michel Desjoyeaux, Jean Le Cam, Philippe Poupon, Franck Cammas, Kito de Pavant, etc. 
The Figaro was the first production boat with ballasts that was designed from the start with offshore racing in mind and its performances had a huge impact, whatever the weather at sea. With a 9.14-metre (30 ft) GRP hull and a fixed keel, it was a real treat for sailors keen on racing and, with great panache, it met all the challenges of the 1,500 to 2,000 miles of the Solitare single-handed race.  

The Iconic Sailing Yacht Levels Up

Designed by Marc Lombard yacht design, the Figaro Bénéteau 2 arrived in 2003. Now 10 metres long, with twin rudders, a production carbon mast and a broader hull, skippers enjoyed a new much faster and more agile racing experience. Like its predecessor, the Figaro Bénéteau 2 was brilliant for training young skippers who hoped to make offshore racing their profession and excel in some of the large events.
Nearly 100 Figaro yachts were built between 2003 and 2017, and the boat was used by the Figaro Bénéteau class up until 2018.

Figaro BENETEAU 3, a distillation of innovation

2019 saw a new development with the launch of the first production one design with foils – the Figaro BENETEAU 3 designed with the architects Van Peteghem Lauriot-Prévost (VPLP). Since every detail counts in racing, everything is designed to improve stability, speed and accuracy under sail. It has a foam sandwich, fibreglass and GRP hull free of ballast and performing event better, a deep draught keel with a straight sail for minimum drag, its mast is positioned further aft, and its sail area is increased. The Figaro Bénéteau 3 offers a distillation of technology and excellence that improves speeds and provides a wide choice of navigation options during a race, and, of course, the suspense at sea lasts longer.     
 

Remarkable performance

Contrary to the Imoca 60 foils, the Figaro Bénéteau 3 has foils that turn inwards and the operate differently. They are versatile reducing drift and improving the boat’s righting moment without increasing the displacement. This results in outstanding performances for a 32-foot monohull.

Did you know?

In preparation for the 50th Solitaire du Figaro in 2019, BENETEAU delivered fifty or so Figaro Bénéteau 3 yachts inside a month to as many eager skippers, so that each contender would receive their boat at the same time to ensure there were no disadvantages in relation to the other contenders. This done, they were each able to familiarise themselves with their one design and begin training. 

Navigation Programmes

The Figaro yachts are real racing machines and they compete with each other in highly competitive regattas.

The Solitaire du Figaro is the best known race, with a few dozen of the best-known skippers taking part every year and enjoying this challenge off the French coast, with a course of 2,000 nautical miles that can take them as far as Spain or Ireland. The other big eagerly awaited meeting is the Transat Paprec.

The ex-Transat AG2R is a race with crew that takes place every two years. Its course takes it from Concarneau to St Barts in the West Indies. The 3890 nautical miles are generally raced inside 3 weeks. Other open Figaro Bénéteau events are part of the French Offshore Racing Championship, such as the Solo Maitre CoQ, the Sardinha Cup, the Tour de Bretagne à la voile and the Solo Guy Cotten.  

Awards

European Yacht of the Year 2018
Figaro BENETEAU 3
Yacht & Yachting Award 2018
Figaro BENETEAU 3

All Figaro news

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Former Figaro

"The Figaro race - formerly the Course de l’Aurore – traditionally raced on prototypes was to convert to one-designs. We could not be absent from this race [...]. The project presented by Beneteau and Jean-Marie Finot would win the competition. We would thus have the privilege of building these one-designs, but also of participating with the Figaro in the birth of a wonderful incubator of young sailors, who would then move on to offshore sailing, securing the reputation of French sailors in competition sailing."

Annette Roux - 130 years of commitment to the sea (1989)

Former Figaro

"The Figaro race - formerly the Course de l’Aurore – traditionally raced on prototypes was to convert to one-designs. We could not be absent from this race [...]. The project presented by Beneteau and Jean-Marie Finot would win the competition. We would thus have the privilege of building these one-designs, but also of participating with the Figaro in the birth of a wonderful incubator of young sailors, who would then move on to offshore sailing, securing the reputation of French sailors in competition sailing."

Annette Roux - 130 years of commitment to the sea (1989)