Beneteau Figaro 3 Finishes 1st in Pacific Cup Race

The fourth and final starting group from the Pacific Cup to Hawaii’s 20th Edition set out on July 13, and word is, racers who’d taken off on days two and three struggled to settle into a solid pace as they headed out under the Golden Gate Bridge, leaving the leaderboard somewhat scattered throughout the fleet. Still, a wave of moderate, northerly pressure offered those competitors the pocket of wind needed so they could begin sailing their way towards the finish line.

Also known as the “FUN Race to Hawaii,” the Pacific Cup has run every year since 1980, along a course from San Francisco to the Aloha State, with participants covering more than a million miles in total thus far.

This year, the first teams of two cast off on the week of July 9, with a familiar charge to race hard and fast to the shores of Kaneohe Bay, Oahu. As fate would have it, the first wave’s most northerly boat was Charles Devanneaux’s Beneteau Figaro 3 A Fond le Girafon (sold by NAOS Yachts), which beat out the competition in fine fashion with the help of the first ever series-built production foiling monohull. In addition to Prospector, A Fond le Girafon was the fleet’s only other Friday (July 20) finisher, coming in just after 1 p.m. local time.

Helmed by the two Frenchman, including co-skipper Matthieu Damerval, they sailed into Kaneohe with an elapsed time of 11 days, 4 hours and 24 minutes. Having led the initial wave of starters from the outset, the all new Figaro carved a fast track, making history by becoming the first “foiling” boat to enter since the race began nearly four decades ago.

Thanks to a collaboration between Beneteau’s skilled team and naval architects Van Peteghem Lauriot-Prévost (VPLP), the Figaro 3 is innovative and unique. Boasting a better performing ballast-free hull, a more slender and deeper keel, a setback mast and more extensive, larger sail plan, she’s sleek, modern and reliable.

Although A Fond le Girafon’s “experimental” rating might add a twist to the overall rankings, skipper Charles Devanneaux’s Figaro certainly made her mark. Sailing to raise funds and awareness for ALS, he has now completed four Pacific Cups, with many eager to see him cross the finish line on his fifth. 

Check out the clip below for more on how this one-of-a-kind design looks and moves.