New Figaro 3 launch and first sail

An individual on this forum has stated that the Figaro 3 foils cost 1/3rd the total price of the boat. That is false --see Vincent Prevosts reply to my question about that here:
Foils and Foil-assist for Sailing Super Yachts https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/foils-and-foil-assist-for-sailing-super-yachts.62307/#post-854574 post #9

 

Well, it looks like you'd better tell Sail Magazine or Beneteau's General Manager that they are wrong; https://www.sailmagazine.com/boats/foiling-monohull-design

 

By the way, that Sail Magazine article was posted here by one Doug Lord. Either Doug Lord is posting misleading articles and should warn people that he is doing so, or the Figaro III's foil setup cost about one-third of the whole boat.

So which is it, Doug - are you posting articles with false claims, or not?

 

Here comes the red print.
He's composing it now.....

 

I'll stick with a two day old comment from Vincent Prevost ,one of the worlds top designers, over a two year old article in Sail.
Figaro Beneteau 3 | BENETEAU https://www.beneteau.com/us/figaro-beneteau-3

 

So you DO agree that the article you posted twice in 2o19 was false and misleading. Well, that shows that you aren't very discerning when it comes to posting articles, doesn't it! Here's a tip - if an article is false and misleading at the time you post it then you shouldn't post it. It's rather surprising that such a basic fact has to be pointed out to you.

The fact is that the "individual on this forum" who provided the information about the foils costing about one third of the total cost of the F3 was YOU, Doug. Don't blame me if I trusted such a misleading source as you!

By the way, you haven't actually answered the question. Are you posting articles that are wrong, or not?

 

From Tip and Shaft today:
FRANCIS LE GOFF: IMPOSSIBLE TO SELECT A PODIUM OF FAVORITES FOR THE SOLITAIRE"

On June 2nd the fiftieth Solitaire Urgo Le Figaro will start in Nantes with four legs taking the 47 solo skippers to Kinsale, Roscoff and Dieppe a total of 2,115 miles. Ten days before the start of this special edition with the new Figaro Bénéteau 3, Tip & Shaft chats with the race director, Francis Le Goff.

How many sailors will compete in the Solitaire and have you had to refuse any entries?
There will be 47. To qualify, skippers had to finish one of the two preparatory races; the Solo Concarneau or Solo Maître CoQ, and for those who did the latter, they had to finish the long offshore race in a time imposed by the organizer. Only one skipper, Andre Morante couldn’t satisfy these conditions and though I could have taken his results in the double-handed Sardinha Cup but unfortunately, he did finish any of the legs. It’s never easy to make that kind of decision, especially as his skills as a sailor are not in question, but it was necessary to stick to the rules.

Of the 47, some have still very little solo experience on the new boat, is this a worry?
There is bound to be some concern, even for those who have sailed quite a bit, because until now there have been only 48-hour races. We have seen that in particular after 48 hours the sailors were very tired and that there were significant differences between the first and last finishers. With the Solitaire the legs will be 30 to 40% longer and so we decided on this edition to further reduce the maximum elapsed race time for each leg. Skippers can finish in an elapsed time of only 20% more than the winner of the leg, versus 30% in previous editions. This is to safeguard some and allow them to have enough recovery time between two stages, we must avoid the phenomenon of too much accumulated fatigue and having very late, isolated people out there on their own worries me. I will focus a lot on fatigue management during the briefings especially for the rookies.

Does the race management have the power to stop a skipper from taking the start?
On paper no, not from the moment he has his qualification in his pocket. That being said, it happened in the past that I’ve had to ask sailors to abandon a stage so they can be ready for the next one. Two years ago it happened with Nathalie Criou, she was on the first stage between Bordeaux and Gijon and it was a good decision that meant she could finish all the others. The same thing happened last year, she was advised to return to port at Roscoff at the end of the first leg rather than continue to Saint-Brieuc, so that her preparateur could join her and she was less tired for the second stage. Sometimes we will discuss a situation with the race doctor, if we see a skipper who is having physical difficulty, it is our responsibility to recommend them not to go to sea.

The Figaro 3 being faster than its predecessor, did you have to improve or update your presence on the water?
Yes, we have a new boat from Bob Escoffier’s fleet that has just been launched. It will follow the head of the fleet and act as race direction and cover the media monitoring of the race, this year the doctor will also be on board [previously they were on the mid-flee boat, Ed]. This new boat has a max speed of 25 knots peak and an ideal cruising speed of 16-18 knots which is good. For the back of the fleet, we keep the same, Kriter VIII, which doesn’t go very fast but has the advantage of having a large VHF range, we also keep Etoile which will be in the middle of the pack [formerly at the head of the fleet, Editor's note].

Now let's talk about the racecourse. Created by taking into account the theoretical polars for the new Figaro 3, when you look at the boats’ performance since the beginning of the season, do you think any changes will have to be made?
If we look at the speeds of the boat, there is in principle no need to reduce the distances. The Figaro 3 has a big speed potential compared to Figaro 2 and even in the light weather, including upwind. What might possibly pose a problem and push us to shorten the courses is the tiredness of the sailors towards the end of the race. It will be up to us more than ever to listen to them and what we see on the water. In any case, all race courses are adaptable: on the first leg, if necessary we can choose to go directly to the Fastnet, without going around the isle de Yeu, or not to go around the Fastnet. On the second leg it's already written in the race instructions, we can choose not to go to the Isle of Man and instead head directly to the English coast; the last two make it possible to regulate distances at any moment.

The beginning of the season was marked by few technical problems, especially with the spreaders, are you happy this has been resolved now before the start of the race?
From a safety and security point of view, we made a big leap forward, since all the spreader bars have been modified and changed, I think everyone is reassured. Then, with regard to the foil apertures, these were also addressed. We still have to keep an eye on the VHF communications: we had problems between the two mounted antennas, so one was removed and replaced by a "splitter". We haven’t yet been able to check this modification in AIS race conditions and see what the transmission capacity is now. There are some deliveries happening in the next few days, and I will be working with the skippers to do VHF tests with semaphores far enough away, or between them if they are very far from each other. This is a point that worries me a bit because everything is based on the VHF in the Solitaire: the weather is given to the VHF, security and media vacations too.

A word about the respecting the one design, which has given rise to a lot of discussion and tension in recent years?
It is clear that there are discussions, especially with everything that has been done on the boats lately, now, I do not shy from taking a responsibility, but it is not the race director or the race organizer to address these issues. It is the class that must shoulder its own responsibilities and they have done just that. There is a new board, a new president [Yvon Breton, former director of sponsorship of AG2R, Ed], they have employed a technical expert, Sam Marsaudon [former owner of Marsaudon Composites, Ed], to take care of all these topics; it's a great outcome and it shows that the class is able to react. I think everything will be in working order for the Solitaire, it has to be! Nonethless, we must remember the new boats were delivered in January and we have 47 of them lined up for the start of this La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro and all the skippers can be proud of that.

What inspires about the level of this 50th Solitaire?
Director of the organisation OC Sport Mathieu Sarrot has said that it's like gathering all of football's winners of the Ballon d'Or which is a good reference, I have never seen such a level.

If you had to name favourites, who would you say?
Usually that is dead easy to answer. But it is imposssible this time to guess a podium. One important factor will be the ability to refine and update settings and modes, there is so much still to learn. We saw in the pre season races how much difference small changes made by guys like Yann Eliès, Armel Le Cléac'h or others, who have this experience and ability to find the little things that can quickly make the difference. But that applies to the free thinking young rookies, some of whom are pushed by their training groups to find these little details but that too applies to older guys like Loïck Peyron who has done some nice things. We can expect some big surprises. And the endurance factor, sheer determination and stamina will be just as important. You have to be able to stay lucid all the time.

Have there been any surprises so far?
Achille Nebout, who won the first round of the Solo Maitre CoQ, he is quiet and discrete but has been in the match all the time. And with the rookies Tom Laperche is a serious prospect. I think Martin Le Pape is sharp and always in the game, he also has now accumulated a lot experience. What is nice this year is that the training centers have all grown, between Port-la-Forêt, Saint-Gilles and Lorient, we see that the all the approaches to the new boat are different. And between the centres it will be even more competitive.

 

So Doug, if readers here rely on the information in THIS article that you posted, will you make sneering remarks about them doing so in three months time?

If you are going to make sneering remarks at me for relying on information YOU POSTED why should anyone ever rely on anything you post again?

 

So Doug, how about an answer?

Is the information about the cost of the Figaro foils that you linked to TWICE correct, or not?

Why do you make unpleasant posts about people who believe the articles YOU link to? Don't you stand by the information YOU post?
If YOU post information that is incorrect why don't YOU apologise?

 

From Tip & Shaft Newsletter Friday May 31,2019:


© Christophe Breschi / Solo Maître CoQ


WHO WILL WIN THE SOLITAIRE DU FIGARO?


On Sunday off Nantes 47 solo sailors will take the start of the first leg of the 50th La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro to KInsale, Ireland. As we do before each major race Tip & Shaft speak with a panel of experts, soliciting their ideas of who might win. This time, with the introduction of the new Figaro Beneteau 3, the month long, four stage race is very open and hard to call. Nontheless a stellar panel have put their necks on the line including the last two winners of the Solitaire, Sébastien Simon and Nicolas Lunven, as well as Charlie Dalin, Sam Davies, Paul Meilhat, Pascal Bidégorry, Tanguy Leglatin, coach of the Lorient race group, Denis Hugues who is race director of Solo Maitre CoQ, Charles Darbyshire head of the Offshore Academy in England, journalists Serge Messager (Le Figaro) and Frédéric Pelatan (Journal de Nautisme).

So 47 sailors will go on Sunday on the first of this year's four stages of La Solitaire Urgo Le Figaro. The arrival of the new Figaro 3, "opens the game" for all our commetators who all really did dissect the field and individual strengths and weaknesses before delivering their forecasts. From their deliberations three names stand out clearly: Armel Le Cléac'h (chosen nine times as a podium finisher three times as overall winner), not far behind is Xavier Macaire (eight / three) and Yann Eliès (seven / two). They are three winners of the pre-season races, the Solo Concarneau-Trophy Guy Cotten for Le Cléac'h, the Solo Maitre CoQ for Macaire and the Sardinha Cup for Eliès.

"I'm amazed by Armel's level, from the beginning he showed that he was in the game, he is very impressive and clearly does not fear anyone," notes Sebastien Simon last year's La Solitaire winner. "He has a particular impetus this year which we often find among the winners of the Solitaire. Probably because he has not a big win since the Vendée Globe, he is hungry for it," adds Paul Meilhat. Charlie Dalin thinks that the double winner of the Solitaire (2003 and 2010) "ticks a lot of boxes: he is physically strong, is used to the faster, bigger boat and is at home on this format of the Solitaire".

Many people believe that the physical requirement will be an essential element for top performance on a boat which is universally deemed more demanding. "This is a factor that will be so much more important than on the Figaro 2, especially if you look at the course, really other than the first stage, there are many short legs on which you don't really have the time to recover with a lot of sail changes and weed to remove, not to mention the stacking on a lower deck which is more difficult, "confirms Charlie Dalin.

Coach Tanguy Leglatin adds. "It will be necessary to choose the times when it will be worth taking risks and when to steer because there will be gaps to be opened at key times but at the same time, you have to manage to be good overall four steps. That will be almost more important than pure performance, the gaps caused by fatigue can be significant."

For Paul Meilhat, the experience of other sailing including bigger boats, can be important especially in the breeze: "Psychologically, it will be more unsettling than the Figaro 2, you can get yourself into trouble. This boat has a greater capacity for acceleration, in 20 knots of wind you realize that you are going much faster as soon as you have more sail up. There can be fully 3 to 5 knots difference between someone who will put up the big spinnaker when others are under small spinnaker, for example. I think that in strong wind only a very few will be able to hold this and make it work. They might well be the the ones who have the experience of the big boat and so there can be an advantage over others." Pascal Bidégorry confirms: "Having experience on big boats does not hurt: when you have managed big sails and lots of power, there is not much that unsettles you on a smaller boat".

Contrary to that theory Xavier Macaire has only done a little, on an IMOCA, but it is his ability to perform on the Figaro 3 (third in the Sardinha Cup and winner of the Solo Master CoQ) which excites our observers. "Xavier is sharp, he quickly got to grips with the boat, he was comfortable faster with the Figaro 3 than on the 2", analyzes Denis Hugues. Frédéric Pelatan believes that the skipper of Groupe Snef "has the knife between his teeth, he has this Solitaire to win after having been so close so many times." For Paul Meilhat, however, everything will depend on the conditions: "If there is a breeze I go with Xavier Macaire, hard to beat. If it is a light winds La Solitaire I go with Yann, because he has a very special feel in these conditions."

His feel is an asset which, in the eyes of Sam Davies, will be an essential ingredient to perform on a boat that everyone is still discovering: "Nobody has written the complete bible for how to make the boat work perfectly and we know that the settings will still really evolve during this Solitaire. Those who are going to make the most progress between the first and the last stages will have gained the advantage. I think that sailors who come from Olympic sailing have this feeling. I know Yann has it: I sailed with him on the Sardinha Cup, I felt that as soon as it was night, we were better, he just did not seem to need to be able to see. "

Sébastien Simon puts forward the highly competitive mindset of the skipper of StMichel: "Yann has an incredible head for the game, he has talked openly of his ambitions to win and often, when he says that he does it. " Simon, winner of La Solitaire 2018, likewise made an impression with his openly ambitious speech last year, reveals: "It's Yann who inspired me to do things this way: he loves to play this psychological game, I think it's important. "

Charles Darbyshire believes "Yann excels on the Figaro format, it is his discipline", Pascal Bidégorry concludes: "He seems to me one of strongest, he is almost clairvoyant, builds up his legs well, is never extreme, always head out of the boat, and he always manages to to profit during the the key transition phases. "

After this projected podium there are many underdogs. Seventeen other skippers have been mentioned by our panel three stand out, Adrien Hardy, who, despite limited means, "has the profile of an attacker that suits this Solitaire" (Tanguy Leglatin who adds Eric Peron to this profile), Anthony Marchand of whom veteran journalist Serge Messager says: "He had two stage victories last year, he knows this is a turning point in his career and that a victory might be what allows him to move on to a big project. "

The other most mentioned outsider is Martin Le Pape who, by winning the long race of the Solo Maitre CoQ and finishing second in the Solo Concarneau highlights his potential: "I have the impression that he made the step up," confirms Sebastien Simon, while Charlie Dalin believes that "his strong point, in addition to his speed, is his fitness, he is one of the most physically fit and strong in the field and that will be important."

Also tipped for the podium is Morgan Lagravière, who "has the urgent need to re-establish himself the top level of the offshore scene. He has been consistent since the start of the season and has what it takes. " (Frédéric Pélatan) Also Alexis Loison, who Sebastien Simon sees "much stronger mentally than the on other years, ready to get up there", Gildas Mahé, "someone very intuitive who sails a lot according to the fee and can make the Figaro 3 go in all conditions "(Nicolas Lunven), and Jérémie Beyou who Serge Messager finds" sharp as when he was 25 years old and who has nothing to prove ".

"Yoann Richomme does not have the experience of the boat yet because he took over the project late, but he has the level," adds Paul Meilhat, and Serge Messager says about Pierre Quiroga: "He is so talented and has arrived to Port-La-Forêt which has undoubtedly allowed him to work on his weak points. " Also named is British Alan Roberts about whom Charles Darbyshire says: "Alan is due a result, he had two good legs last year, one bad manouevre then had to do a buffalo girls go round the outside on the last leg to try and recover but he has the skills".

Rookies or 'bizuths' our experts quote the same three: Benjamin Schwartz, Achille Nebout and Tom Laperche, "who can also be up there in the general classification", notes also Nicolas Lunven. "For me, Benjamin Schwartz is even a big outsider for the the general, adds Frédéric Pelatan. "He has been under the radar for years, but we see that it has been very consistent since the beginning of the season. "

Tanguy Leglatin, who coaches Schwartz in Lorient adds: "Benjamin is hard to beat he is physically and mentally strong, but I must admit that Achilles also really impressed me in his way of sailing and in everything else while he had his Figaro very late."

What about the "golden fifties", Michel Desjoyeaux, Alain Gautier, and Loïck Peyron? No one sees them on the podium or in the Top 5, but Loïck made an impression on Solo Maitre CoQ (11th): "Loïck has a different approach, always happy to push and not the kind not to put the boat first but he remains an excellent sailor, I am impressed by his longevity ", says Denis Hugues.

Nicolas Lunven cites Michel Desjoyeaux, despite his abandon in the Solo Concarneau: "The last time he did the Solitaire (2013), he was not impressive in the pre-season races but still in the game on the Solitaire (7th). I am wary of the old fox who on a stage like that between Nantes and Kinsale, can leave the pack because he knows that it will not be about a perfect gybe but about positioning on the race course."

Our panel's Top 5: 1. Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire), 2. Xavier Macaire (Groupe Snef), 3. Yann Eliès (StMichel), 4. Adrien Hardy (Sans nature, pas de futur !), 5. Anthony Marchand (Groupe Royer-Secours Populaire)

 

Here is the tracking of the on-going first race :
La Solitaire - Cartographie https://www.lasolitaire-urgo.com/cartographie

 

The video of the start ( from 11:00 ) :

 

After 24 h of patchs of light wind here and there, ahead now is the crossing Ouessant-Fastnet . Yann Elies is currently leading but the fleet is still grouped,, the first 36 are within 10NM.
Tracking : La Solitaire - Cartographie https://www.lasolitaire-urgo.com/cartographie

 

Interesting to see the 3 various options, in particular the North one taken alone by Armel Le Cleac'h, will it pay if the wind turns North ? Among the young sailors, you can follow Mathieu Damerval that you already know, he was the co-skipper of the Figaro 3 prototype which did a brilliant Pacific Cup last year, and thanks to this result he got a sponsor. He is presently 10th, still in good position for a win. Also very solid in second position is Yoann Richomme, the winner of the Class 40 race at the last Route du Rhum. He recovered in April the boat which was meant to Charles Caudrelier, who is now involved with Frank Cammas on Gitana 17 Ultim. Due to the complex meteo situation, the finish of this race is really uncertain.
La Solitaire - Cartographie https://www.lasolitaire-urgo.com/cartographie

 

The first have now rounded the Fastnet Rock and are going to Kinsale at small speed. Yoann Richomme seems in position to lead and control the close followers, but the final is still uncertain due to the persistent light wind, indeed the dominant factor of this first race. The ones of the West group are very late, a lot of lost hours that will be difficult to recover within the 3 next legs.
La Solitaire - Cartographie https://www.lasolitaire-urgo.com/cartographie