Skipper NameKito De Pavant (027pts)

About the Skipper

Nothing gave an inkling that one day Kito de Pavant would become a professional racer. When he was young, his passion was horses and nature… But with a father, who built small cruising yachts like Cap Corse boats, from Dordogne you start to look further afield. First of all it was aboard dinghies that he discovered sailing off La Rochelle. Then, he moved to racing aboard small cruisers (Micro, Mini Tonner, Quarter…).

When the family moved to le Grau du Roi, Kito was able to spend more and more time on the water, and it became his job, when he became skipper of charter yachts in the Mediterranean, and later in the French West Indies… Ten years later, he was really into racing and 2000 was the turning point in his career, as he entered the demanding Figaro circuit. In 2002, on his third Solitaire du Figaro, he won the event in style. This victory opened doors to him and allowed him to discover other classes of boat such as ORMA trimarans and IMOCA monohulls.

In 2005 he obtained the support of Groupe Bel in the Figaro circuit. A good set of results followed with a third place in the Solitaire, then wins in the Transat AG2R and the 2006 Solo Méditerranée. There then followed the construction of a 60-foot IMOCA boat in 2007. With this new boat, Kito de Pavant won sixth place in the 2007 Transat Jacques Vabre. Unfortunately the 2008-2009 Vendée Globe adventure was to come to a sudden end after 28 hours of racing when his boat was dismasted in the Bay of Biscay.The skipper of Groupe Bel has managed since to bounce back and has made his way to the forefront of the sailing world, thanks in particular to a great second place in the 2009 Transat Jacques Vabre.

2010 was a difficult season for Kito, for he was forced to retire both from the Route du Rhum and the Barcelona World Race, both times due to keel damage.

His major goal remains taking part in the 2012-2013 Vendée Globe.