12 PROFESSIONAL BOATBUILDERFigaro Bénéteau 3 as the European Yacht of the Year 2018
in the Special Yacht category.
e VPLP design was commissioned as a one-design for a
speci c event, the 2019 La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro. (For
more on the French design rm VPLP, which specializes
in long-distance monohull and multihull racing yachts, see
Professional BoatBuilder No. 91.) is coastal multi-port
event in France and Spain will mark the 50th anniversary of
its running. e rst, in 1970, was called the L’Aurore, a er
the sponsoring news paper; in 1980, Le Figaro newspaper
bought L’Aurore, and the name was changed. Later sponsorsCompiled by Dan Spurr
ROVINGS
The newest iteration of the one-design composite Figaro Bénéteau 3 is a 32' (9.75m) high-performance sloop with port and starboard
curved foils that improve lift and stability. The boat was designed by multihull specialists VPLP Design for La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro, a
multi-port race along the French and Spanish coasts.COURTESY BÉNÉTEAU (ALL)
Left—The deck, with hardware installed, is lowered onto the hull with bulkheads in place. Note the opening in the topsides for the port
foil. Right—Figaro’s foils, built by Multiplast (Vannes, France), are totally rigid, though adjustable for different points of sail.A Bénéteau with Foils
Followers of extreme sailing may know of Bénéteau’s
several-year program to develop a production monohull
with foils. Well, let’s qualify the term foils. e new 32'
(9.75m) Figaro Bénéteau 3 does not rise out of the water like
a Moth dinghy or multihulls on T-foil appendages installed
on the centerline of the hull; instead, it has C-shaped port
and starboard foils that increase li and improve stability,
while still retaining a deep, narrow-chord keel blade and
ballast bulb. Bénéteau is jazzed, calling it “the world’s rst
production foiling monohull.” e concept resonated with
members of the European yachting press, who chose theRovings172-ADFinal.indd 12 2/22/18 5:11 PM