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19.07.2010 Back to news
Kito de Pavant back on the Solitaire!
 | © Gilles Martin-Raget |
Since 2007, the Mediterranean sailor has been racing on a 60 footer, under the Groupe Bel colors; the loyal partner with which he has an appointment this autumn on the Route du Rhum. So, to be good at single-handed sailing, you need to sail single-handed, and the Solitaire is perfect training for this. Indeed, it is a real test for the man, who will be taking part in it for the 8th time in his career. Absent for the last three races, he is returning with the same knot in his stomach, the same nerves as a young first timer.
He never stops!
Since the beginning of the season, Kito has raced the two-handed Transat Ag2r-La Mondiale with Sébastien Audigane and stopped over at Lisbon and then Tangier with the 60 Footer to meet the Groupe Bel workers of the subsidiaries. He also qualified single-handed for the Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale, ran in the Giraglia Rolex Cup with a crew, always on board his IMOCA monohull, then welcomed 150 Bel members from more than 20 countries in Port Camargue for the large Sharing Smiles Regatta, an international regatta that was a really huge success.
Whew! When does he go on holiday? Well no, Kito may live on the Espiguette beach in Camargue, the pedalos and sun loungers are for the customers of his open-air café. As for him, he is preparing the next part of his calendar.
To start with, a single-handed delivery of his Figaro Groupe Bel was carried out in early July, from Lorient to Le Havre, from where he will set off on 27 July for the first leg of the 41st Solitaire du Figaro, heading for Gijon (Spain). This should be enough to get him back into the rhythm of things, as if he really needed to. Well, actually he does need to a little bit, since like all top level sportsmen, he has his doubts, his abilities, his resistance and his level, faced with the tough contenders of this race.
Kito talks about the Solitaire du Figaro
“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.
What I really like about this race is that it’s a very full race. There's close contact racing among the rocks as well as offshore and fierce competition between the racers. We all race at the same speed and you have to try and be fairly detached from the fleet, know how to take risks at certain moments and not take others. Some sailors are particularly suited to this kind of event. I hope I still am. It is true that achieving a performance on the Solitaire will not be the easiest thing to do.”
Message written by the skipper a few days before the start
"And here we are again, heading for Le Havre to meet the large Solitaire du Figaro family that I left behind me four years ago.” Read more…click here
Schedule for the 2010 race
Saturday 24/07 at 18:00: Safety briefing and Suzuki prologue briefing
Sunday 25/07 at 12:00: Suzuki Prologue
Sunday 25/07 at 18:00: Prologue prize giving
Monday 26/07 at 18:00: Weather briefing and start
Tuesday 27/07 at 14:00: Start of Leg 1 Le Havre - Gijon (Spain), 515 miles (955 km)
Tuesday 03/08 at 14:00: Start of Leg 2 Gijon - Brest, 418 miles (755 km)
Monday 09/08 at 14:00: Start of Leg 3 Brest - Kinsale (Ireland), 349 miles (645 km)
Monday 16/08 at 14:00: Start Leg 4 Kinsale – Cherbourg-Octeville, 435 miles (805 km)
Saturday 21/08 at 20:00: Prize giving and official dinner
List of skippers who have registered fro the Solitaire du Figaro 2010: click here
Follow the race on www.lasolitaire.com
Extracts of Kito de Pavant's record of achievements
Born on 23 February 1961 in Saint Pardoux la Rivière (Dordogne)
Lives in Montferrier (Hérault) with Françoise and their five children
7 “Solitaire du Figaro”, victory in 2002
4 “Transat AG2R”, victory in 2006
5 “Transat Jacques Vabre”, two podiums
36 Atlantic crossings
Several crossings of the Indian Ocean, China Sea, and the Mediterranean
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