Philippe Hartz received the combativeness award for his first race

The first leg of the Circuit du Figaro has come to an end for Chief Petty Officer Philippe Hartz. The Solo Maître Coq race, which took place over three legs from Monday, March 22, to Saturday, March 27, allowed our skipper to get a feel for his Figaro Bénéteau 3 sailboat and finish without any damage and with an exceptional result.

The final leg of the Solo Maître Coq took place from Thursday through Saturday. A premature start—forcing him to return to the starting line—and a poorly executed mark rounding affected Philippe Hartz’s ranking, but not his motivation! The last competitors were scheduled to cross the finish line at 6:35 p.m., 12 hours after the first finisher. Only 18 of the 29 participants managed to do so. Despite his mistakes—which were difficult to recover from—and nearly no wind late Saturday afternoon, the Premier Maître chose to complete the course, finishing at 3 a.m.
Classified as “out of time” for this final leg, the race organizers awarded him a special prize for his fighting spirit. He finished25thin the overall standings of the Solo Maître Coq.

Philippe Hartz: “I finished the race as the last one at sea, but I was determined to finish under sail, despite the lack of wind. It was unthinkable for me to give up, given all my partners who are supporting me in this project. I’m happy to find in the Figaro class exactly what I came looking for: camaraderie with the other skippers, the challenge of battling the elements, the kindness of the fans, and the high caliber of the competitors… I can’t wait to get back out there!”

Next stop: April 7 for the start of the Sardinha Cup! #EquipHartz