12.07.2010 Back to news

Figaro: Groupe Bel is already in Le Havre!

© Gilles Martin-Raget

Kito likes to get to the start of event ports early and once again he has honoured this tradition. Yesterday evening, after a two and a half day delivery from Lorient, the "small" Groupe Bel (10.10m) entered the Le Havre marina from which the Solitaire Le Figaro single-handed race will set off on 27 July 2010. At the same time in Port Camargue, the "large" 60 foot Groupe Bel, was carrying out the last test sails before going back to the boatyard for the final Route du Rhum preparations.

What a season! Yes, the Bel Tchiz Team never stops, and their skipper even less so! After the stopovers in Lisbon and Tangier, following the Giraglia Rolex Cup then the Sharing Smiles Regatta, Kito is now focussing on his 8th participation in the Solitaire du Figaro.

"It is already July. Time seems to have flown" said Kito the day before he left Lorient. “We have a very full programme this year with Groupe Bel. We're going from the cock to the donkey, via cows (laughs)! But we're managing to get it all done while enjoying ouselves at the same time. I'm now going to get back to Figaro single-handed racing. I'm going to sail a few miles and do some manoeuvring as I head up to Le Havre.”

The skipper from Montpellier won the Solitaire du Figaro back in 2002. This victory was as valuable for the sailor as it was unexpected for the "racing circle", which discovered Kito and welcomed him with open arms into the family of great single-handed racers. This will be his third Solitaire du Figaro with the Bel Group, after 2005 and 2006.  For the Groupe Bel skipper, and for many sailors, this race, as tyrannical as it may be, is one of the finest. “It is a true test of endurance. You need to be mentally prepared, because all the legs are difficult. I'm fairly familiar with how it goes. We're going to have successive sleepless nights, we'll have to play with winds veering in all directions and currents changing at the wrong time, and all this surrounded by dozens of contenders hungering for victory. An increasing number of skippers enjoy Figaro sailing throughout the year and the level is much more consistent. This makes it all the more difficult to find a place in the sun, but experience is very important. You need to be strong minded and sail fast!”

Solitaire du Figaro 2010 calendar:
20 July: all the boats must be at the start in Le Havre.
25 July: prologue at Le Havre
27 July: start of leg 1 between Le Havre and Gijon (Spain), 515 miles (955 km)
3 August: start of leg 2 between Gijon and Brest, 418 miles (755 km)
9 August: start of leg 3 between Brest and Kinsale (Ireland), 349 miles (645 km)
16 August: start of leg 4 between Kinsale and Cherbourg, 435 miles (805 km)

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