Michel Desjoyeaux – Foncia
Born on 16th July 1965 in Concarneau (Brittany, France)
Lives in La Forêt-Fouesnant (Brittany, France)
IMOCA Skipper since 2007
At the age of twenty Michel was recruited by Eric Tabarly to join the crew on what was to be his first round the world race. Since then, whether in monohull, multihull, small or big sailboat, round the buoys or round the world races, Michel Desjoyeaux has forged himself a second-to-none record in the sailing world. This single-handed specialist is the only sailor to have won the Solitaire du Figaro (in 1992, 1998 and 2007), the Vendée Globe (2000-2001), the Route du Rhum (2002) and the English Transat (2004). He does also particularly well in double-handed races, as he won the Transat Jacques Vabre 2007 with Emmanuel Le Borgne. Now aged 43, Michel Desjoyeaux, father of 3 children, lives with his family in La Forêt-Fouesnant in Finistère.
With a passion for competition, Michel takes his sport with a rarely seen professionalism. He is a true all-rounder, knowing how to innovate while fine tuning the most common of details. Each and every one of his victories has been built on dry land and at sea with the same exactitude in the design and finish of his boats, operations and weather strategies. Long time nicknamed “le professeur”, Michel has always been passionate about technology and innovation. All the boats he has navigated or designed bear his stamp and many of his developments have been taken up on a widespread basis in the sailing world.
His well-known human qualities make him a man with an endearing personality. He is always eager to share his love of the sea and a job well done with others thanks to his readiness and teaching skills. “The more of you there are, the cleverer you are”… with optimising his knowledge and skills in mind, Michel created the Ecurie de Course au Large Mer Agitée in 1999. As well as being a technical and administrative platform, Mer Agitée is aimed at developing synergies for projects in order to maximize each one.
Results (extract):
– 2007: Winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre, Winner of La Solitaire du Figaro, 3rd of the Transat B to B, Winner of the Record SNSM
– 2004: Winner of The Transat, 2nd of the ORMA Multihull Championship
– 2003: 2nd of the ORMA Multihull Championship
– 2002: Winner of the Route du Rhum
– 2001: Winner of the Vendée Globe
And also
10 Solitaire du Figaro, of which 3 victories: 1992, 1998 and 2007
3 Transat Ag2r, of which one victory in 1992