Karine Fauconnier daughter of a sailor
On 31st May 2004, yachtswoman Karine Fauconnier, skipper of the trimaran
Sergio Tacchini, will be lining up on the start of the most difficult
transatlantic yacht race, which the French refer to as the English Transat
and which this year is being run under the name The Transat. Karine is
competing 20 years after her father Yvon Fauconnier won the race on his
trimaran Umupro Jardin V, on 18th June 1984. A rather special win it was
too as Yvon changed course for several hours to rescue Philippe Jeantot
whose boat had capsized. Sailing in the wake of where her father raced his
way into international yacht racing history represents a major challenge
for Karine. In a few weeks, the only female skipper of a 60 foot trimaran,
currently lying third in the world rankings of the discipline, may well
add a further win to the Fauconnier family track record.
Under the new name of “The Transat”, this single-handed passage is run
from Plymouth to Boston. Since 1960, this race has been considered as the
most trying of all transatlantic yacht races, taking the boats through the
cold and ice of the North Atlantic. Along with Yvon Fauconnier (1984),
other well-known yachtsmen feature in the race’s history - Sir Francis
Chichester (1960), Eric Tabarly (1964 and 1976), Geoffrey Williams (1968),
Alain Colas (1972), Philip Weld (1980), Philippe Poupon (1988), Loïck
Peyron (1992 and 1996), Francis Joyon (2000),…
Karine was just 12 years old when she welcomed her father as he crossed
the finishing line to win the race in Newport (finish from 1964 to 2000).
Yvon belongs to the generation of ocean-racing pioneers from the 1980’s
and this race remains the highlight of his racing career.
Yvon’s win remained in people’s minds for a long time. Yvon rescued
Philippe Jeantot whose catamaran Crédit Agricole II had capsized. Jeantot
used the radio on Umupro Jardin V to organise his boat’s recovery. Yvon
spent 16 hours assisting his fellow competitor. In the home stretch of his
race, he sailed very fast indeed thanks to an excellent southerly option,
crossing the line just 11 hours after the first boat in to Newport, namely
Philippe Poupon. When the 16 hours were deducted from his race time, Yvon
was declared winner.
As the daughter of a yachtsman, Karine was lucky enough to spend the
first years of her life on board the famous Vendredi 13. The three-masted
schooner took part in several transatlantic races and was chartered in the
Carribean where she became the meeting point for a whole generation of
sailors. Karine grew up hearing tales of maritime adventures undertaken by
her the famous sailors who surrounded her - Philippe Poupon, Titouan
Lamazou, Florence Arthaud…
At the age of 24, she decided to set out in offshore racing. Since
starting out, she has made her mark on the Figaro circuit, winning the
Lorient-St Barth in 2000 with Lionel Lemonchois. Afterwards, in just two
seasons on board her trimaran Sergio Tacchini, she took 3rd in last
November’s Transat Jacques Vabre 2003. Karine currently ranks 3rd in the
world in this discipline.
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