Over the last 20 years, the Figaro Bénéteau Class has established itself as a model for dynamic competition, demanding sailing and fairness. Right from the beginning, it has brought together one-design owners, skippers and race organisers, giving a voice to everyone involved and giving them the opportunity to meet regularly.
Throughout its existence, this body has made diversity and one-design racing its focus. The result has been the opportunity for professional skippers and dedicated amateurs to compete headto-head in the greatest competitions, all with different objectives but all united by the single desire to do battle in exceptional events.
 There can be no doubt that one-design competition and the opportunity for everyone involved to measure themselves against their competitors on identical boats have created this diverse and happy mix. With a French Single-Handed Offshore Racing Championship, as well as two-handed and crewed events fought out on equal terms, this is a very rare formula, and one that has underwritten the success of the Figaro Bénéteau Class for the last 20 years. From Belle-Ile-en-Mer to Marie Galante, the coasts of Brittany and Normandy and Spain, the
Vendée and Ireland, the Figaro Bénéteau Class racers performed brilliantly once again in 2009, delivering spectacular racing on equal terms that kept everyone in suspense from the beginning of the season to the end.
After three single-handed events generally held to be the most demanding - the Transat BPE, Quiberon Solo and Solitaire du Figaro – Gildas Morvan emerged as the French Single-Handed Offshore Racing Champion. He will receive the award officially at 6 p.m. on Saturday 5 December on the Bénéteau Sail stand at Nautic in Paris.
The French Single-Handed Offshore Racing Championship 2009 was decided on the basis of 3 races: the Transat BPE, the Quiberon Solo and the Solitaire du Figaro – Suzuki. Scores are attributed to the general classification of each competition. Each leg of the Solitaire du Figaro – Suzuki also attracts a score.
The top three from each event
Transat BPE
1. Gildas Morvan – Cercle Vert
2. Erwan Tabarly – Athema
3. François Gabart – Espoir Région Bretagne
Quiberon Solo
1. Erwan Tabarly – Athema
2. Nicolas Bérenger – Kone Elevators
3. Nicolas Lunven – CGPI
Solitaire du Figaro – Suzuki
1. Nicolas Lunven – CGPI
2. Yann Eliès – Generali
3. Frédéric Duthil – Bbox Bouygues Telecom
The Top 10 for the French Single-Handed Offshore Racing Championship 2009
1. Gildas Morvan – Cercle Vert
2. Erwan Tabarly – Athema
3. François Gabart – Espoir Région Bretagne
4. Thierry Chabagny – Suzuki Automobiles
5. Gérald Véniard – Skipper Macif
6. Nicolas Troussel – Financo – Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne
7. Armel Tripon – Gedimat
8. Franck Le Gal – Lenze
9. Adrien Hardy – Agir Recouvrement
10. Eric Drouglazet – Luisina
The top newcomer was Fabien Delahaye on Port de Caen Ouistreham who finished the championship in 18th place.
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