They left their mark on sailing

Eric Tabarly, François Gabart, Michel Desjoyeaux: 3 sailing stars.

Discover in this article the profiles of 3 skippers known for their nautical performances.

Éric Tabarly , a sailor whose name resonates in memories, a symbol of sailing and a great navigator.
François Gabart , a skipper renowned for his competitiveness in regattas and his numerous victories.
Michel Desjoyeaux , representative of offshore racing, well known for his tenacity and his love of the oceans.

Eric Tabarly.

Éric Tabarly was born in 1934 in Nantes. From a very young age, Éric was invited to discover the oceans aboard his father's sailboat. This is how his passion for sailing was born.

After a youth spent surrounded by oceans and sailing , he joined the naval air force at 21. After years of loyal service as a petty officer in the naval air arm, Éric turned his attention to offshore regattas .

He thus embarked on the conquest of the oceans and won major prizes such as the Ostar in 1964 and 1976. Subsequently, Eric built Pen Duick IV (trimaran), one of the first offshore racing multihulls.

Éric Tabarly perished doing what he loved; he died in 1998 off the coast of Iceland after falling overboard. A tragic end for an exceptional sailor who left his mark on the history of sailing.

François Gabart.

François Gabart, originally from Angoulême, is today one of the greatest offshore sailors . His passion for sailing began in 1990 when he was sailing Optimists. French champion at the age of 14, he moved on to dinghies, winning the European title two years later.

At the age of 29, he won the Vendée Globe , a solo, non-stop, round-the-world sailing race.

The skipper sailed for Macif for 10 years and recently joined the Kresk group. François Gabart is among the legends of offshore racing , aboard his 100-foot multihull.

He boasts 18 victories out of 43 regattas . He triumphed in major races such as the Route du Rhum (in 2014), the Rolex Fastnet Race (in 2013), the Vendée Globe (in 2012 and 2013), and many others. The 2012/2013 Vendée Globe was the occasion for François to become a true legend, as he finished the race in 78 days. A new record!

François Gabart has established himself in recent years as one of the greatest French skippers and his exploits are promising for the future.

Michel Desjoyeaux.

Michel Desjoyeaux has been passionate about sailing since childhood. His father instilled in him a love for the sea. Raised on the port of Concarneau , he was fortunate to quickly progress in his chosen field. Indeed, he was only 20 years old when he was recruited by Eric Tabarly and then by Roland Jourdain to accompany him on the “Côte d'Or” regatta during the Whitbread Round the World Race .

Then, Philippe Jeantot chose him as a teammate to participate in the European race in 1985 on his catamaran.

His career was thus launched and the years allowed Michel to establish himself as one of the greatest skippers .

In 2000, Michel embarked on the Vendée Globe and finished the race first. He also won the Route du Rhum two years after his first victory before attempting the Vendée Globe again in 2008, this time in a monohull. He achieved a miracle , managing to win the race despite a 40-hour delay to the start (due to a technical problem on his boat, Foncia). An incredible performance that earned the admiration of all the participants and spectators of the Vendée Globe.

Since then, Michel Desjoyeaux has continued his career as a regatta sailor and still participates in major races. He finished 6th in the Route du Rhum in 2010, 7th in the Solitaire du Figaro , and 10th in the Transat AG2R in 2014. In 2019, he returned to competition in the Solitaire du Figaro and finished 12th.