Fig'Armor Double

The final crash-test before the Solitaire

Lorient La Base, August 3-8, 2026: the fourth edition of the Fig'Armor is set to play its role as the ultimate litmus test. Since its inception, this race has established itself as the final dress rehearsal before the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, the event that haunts the nights of every Figaro sailor.

Organized by the Ligue Bretagne de Voile, the Centre d'Entraînement de Lorient, and the Classe Figaro Beneteau, the event cultivates a rare hybrid format: solo sailors — often young racers in training — and doublehanded crews share the same racecourse, the same clock, the same demands. For the doublehanded teams, the stakes are crystal clear: validate the year's technical progress and send a signal to the competition.

Three editions, already a legacy

The Fig'Armor has grown up fast. In three years, it's become a must-do for Breton racing teams — and a serious talent barometer.

• 2024: Hugo Dhallenne and Quentin Le Nabour win doublehanded. A victory that takes on full meaning in retrospect: Dhallenne would confirm his status as a top contender the following season.
• 2025: Calixte Benoît and Joseph Cloarec dominate the doublehanded category, while Dhallenne wins solo with just 3 minutes to spare over Maël Garnier after 41 hours of racing. The kind of margin that's built — or lost — on a downwind leg in the dark.

Fleet-wise, the solo category remains the most populated with 34 entries in 2025. Doublehanded, meanwhile, cultivates an unapologetic exclusivity: 7 crews at the start last year. Few boats, but a ferocious level of competition. Every botched maneuver gets paid for in full.

A format built for endurance

No coastal races, no rally: the Fig'Armor is decided on a single long offshore race, 2 to 3 nights at sea. It's the ideal format for testing sleep management, physical endurance, and clear thinking under pressure.

In 2025, the doublehanded winners completed the course in 1 day, 20 hours, and 35 minutes, covering more than 200 nautical miles. A brisk pace, comparable to a leg of the Solitaire — with the added intensity that comes from sailing with two aboard.

The Figaro 3, a machine for foils and decisions

The race is sailed exclusively on Figaro Beneteau 3 monotypes with foils that forgive no letup. Doublehanded, dividing up the roles becomes an art: one drives to keep the boat at maximum potential, the other manages navigation, weather, and provisioning. The stated goal of the Centre d'Entraînement de Lorient is unambiguous: a pure "sporting confrontation."

The playing field: a loop off southern Brittany

Start and finish at Lorient La Base. The course exploits the technical traps of southern Brittany — tidal streams, coastal wind shadows, and inshore shifts.

• Racing area: Bay of Biscay / Southern Brittany
• Estimated duration: 40 to 48 hours depending on conditions
• Exact route: adjusted based on current weather

The 2025 edition proved that everything can come down to the final miles. Three minutes' difference after 41 hours at sea: that's the Fig'Armor signature.

The contenders

The final 2026 entry list is still taking shape, but the results from the previous edition clearly lay out the competitive landscape. Here are the benchmarks to beat.

2025 Results

Dhallenne, winner doublehanded in 2024 and solo in 2025, stands as the absolute reference on this racecourse. Beating him here means proving you're ready for what comes next.

Find the full Figaro season calendar on spencer.club.

What's really at stake in August

The final validation before the Solitaire

Dhallenne summed it up after his 2025 victory: "It was good training before the Solitaire, mission accomplished!" The Fig'Armor allows crews to lock in final technical choices — sails, settings, onboard routines — and build confidence. Winning here means laying down a psychological marker one month before the main event.

Sponsors and visibility

Macif, Cerfrance, Kingspan: partners find exposure in a credible sporting context, amplified by social media. Tight duels — like the Dhallenne/Garnier showdown — generate strong digital engagement. Skippers' accounts become real-time information relays, sharing the raw tension of racing with an ever-growing audience.

For Lorient La Base, each edition reaffirms its status as the European capital of offshore racing.

Rendez-vous August 3

Will the Benoît/Cloarec crew defend their title? Will Dhallenne find a partner to aim for a solo-double double? The answers will play out on the water, between tidal currents and sleepless nights, from the first starting gun.

Compare the competing boats and follow Fig'Armor news on spencer.club.