Skipper NameFrançois Gabart (054pts)

About the Skipper

A professional skipper since 2008, François Gabart is considered to be one of the most gifted sailors of his generation. A trained engineer, who started out as an Olympic sailor, he spent four years in the French Tornado team from 2001 to 2005 and entered the world of ocean racing in the period between 2005 and 2007. There then followed a rapid climb to the top. Winner of the selection process to find the Brittany Region talent in 2008 and the 2010 Macif Skipper, he achieved a great set of results in the Figaro circuit. The year 2010 was when he was finally crowned, as he became French Offshore Racing Champion, after finishing second in the Solitaire du Figaro and after a brilliant win in the Cap Istanbul.

Meanwhile, François entered the IMOCA circuit, in the 2009 Transat Jacques Vabre on Groupe Bel alongside Kito de Pavant. After a close battle with Marc Guillemot’s Safran, the duo ended up in second place. In the Barcelona World Race, which was his second major race aboard an IMOCA boat, François Gabart was once again with an experienced skipper, as he was with none other than Michel Desjoyeaux on Foncia.

Now at the helm of his brand new MACIF, sistership of Foncia, François will take part in the forthcoming Transat Jacques Vabre with Sebastien Col and race back single-handed in the Transat B to B. The Macif Group has announced that they will be backing him in a four-year campaign in the IMOCA circuit, including taking part in the 2012-2013 Vendée Globe and the 2014 Route du Rhum.

A rising star in the IMOCA circuit, François Gabart has already shown that he masters the subtleties of solo ocean racing. He is likely to be a serious contender in the coming years.