For his second participation, the native of Saint-Malo has all the assets to do well in this 2024 edition. He won the Suzuki prize for combativeness on the 2nd stage.
Special envoy to Royan
Originally from Saint-Malo, Hugo Dhalenne (YCSL-Primatice-SLB Pharma) has always lived with seawater as his vital fluid. His father, Arnaud, who tragically disappeared in 2019 during a storm 700 miles from the Falkland Islands, was well known in the world of ocean racing. Taking part in transatlantic races such as the Route du Rhum or Québec Saint-Malo and twice in the Solitaire du Figaro in 1985 and 1986. Hugo is therefore following in his footsteps. As a child, his weekends were spent around the Channel Islands on Pen Duick VI, accompanying his father with clients on cruises. As a teenager, during his summer holidays, the same iconic boat took him to Iceland, Greenland, the West Indies and even on a Pacific crossing. “Extraordinary memories. At 14, finding yourself on the deck of a boat, all alone at the helm in the middle of the night to go to Greenland, it’s huge. Since then, I feel comfortable on the water,” explains the man who will celebrate his 34th birthday at the end of the month.
The studies are serious. After a professional license in on-board marine electronic systems in Brest, Hugo Dhalenne found himself doing an internship with Benoît Charon on the Tour de France Voile in M 34, managing the electronics and performance of the boat while sailing. It then became his job, he has been self-employed since 2013: “I have done Minis, Class40s, Multi 50s and I followed two Imocas in the 2020 Vendée Globe. Now, I am continuing to do Class40s outside the Figaro season. One this winter and the next in the fall. When Thibaut Vauchel-Camus’ multihull was being built in Dubai in 2017, I cracked. I told myself that it was time for me to do competitive boating. Between two trips to the Emirates, I stopped at the Paris Boat Show to order a Maxi 6.50 from the IDB Marine shipyard, the first production scow. Then began my three years on the Mini circuit in 2019.”
I won almost everything in 2021. A great season where everything aligned perfectly. Up to a victory in the Mini Transat
Hugo Dhalenne
The results are there. After the Covid period, he won the PLM in Lorient in doubles with Thibaut Vauchel-Camus: “It triggered something in me. I won almost everything in 2021. A great season where everything lined up perfectly. Up to a victory in the Mini Transat. That’s when the Yacht Club de Saint-Lunaire started to help me find partners. The return to reality is hard and I find myself pulling cables at the bottom of the boats. But the desire to sail solo again is still there. The desire to do the Figaro is very, very strong.”
The year 2023 and the start of Hugo Dhalenne’s new adventure: “I found a boat that wasn’t too expensive for the season. I did the Transat Paprec with Chloé Le Bars (Endobreizh). While training in parallel in Port-la-Forêt with her and with Bertrand Pacé in Lorient solo. I made enormous progress. Learning a lot of things because people shared. On the Solitaire, I had a great 2nd leg, 30 hours in the lead, but a DST separated us from the leaders and I spent a free night in front of Roscoff waiting for the wind. I finished 15 hours behind. It was prohibitive and I’m having a hard time digesting it. But I had to bounce back quickly for the following season.”
To find partners, it’s not enough to be a good sailor. You need networks. I’m working on improving myself to sell myself.
Hugo Dhalenne
With a smaller budget this year, he is back, still with the bit between his teeth: “I’m coming back with the boat that belongs to Franck Cammas. A boat that has been lacking love for two years in a parking lot. There was a trade-off at the beginning of the year. A provision of the Figaro Beneteau 3 in exchange for its restoration. With a rental for the Solitaire. A helping hand that does good. To find partners, sailing well is not enough. You need networks. I’m working on improving myself to sell myself. Selling something is easier than selling yourself. Even with the patrons and sponsors who follow me, I’m at 20-30% of some people’s budgets. Despite everything, I left with new sails thanks to SLB Pharma. Last year was with second-hand sails, I can feel the difference.”
In this 55th edition of the Solitaire du Figaro, Hugo Dhalenne did better than defend himself by being 4th at 1 hour and 1 minute behind the leader Tom Dolan (Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan). Obtaining the Suzuki prize for combativeness on the 2nd stage. “The goal was to make a Top 10, for now I’m in it. This season, not fighting for the rookie ranking, I’m sailing more freely, trying things when I feel like it. It’s much more enjoyable without looking in the rearview mirror to see where my friends are. We have fun taking risks,” concludes the father of two girls aged 4 and 2.
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