Marc Pajot (born 21 September 1953 in
La Baule
La Baule-Escoublac (; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Écoubiâ'', , ), commonly referred to as La Baule, is a communes of France, commune in Loire-Atlantique, a departments of France, department in Pays de la Loire, western France.
History
Seaside re ...
) is a French
sailor
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor'' ...
. He has been a crew member on
Éric Tabarly’s boats.
Noted for winning the silver medal at the 1972 Olympics at 19 with his older brother Yves, 5 times world champion, winner of the cross-Atlantic
Route du Rhum
The Route du Rhum is a wikt:transatlantic, transatlantic Single-handed sailing, single-handed yacht racing, yacht race, which takes place every four years in November. The course is between Saint Malo, Brittany, Metropolitan France and Pointe-Ã - ...
, twice semi-finalist representing France at the
America’s Cup as a Project Manager and Skipper, he has been representing French sailing achievement around the world.
Member of French Maritime Academy, the French Yacht Club, and the Monaco Yacht Club he is now settled in Cannes, Côte d’Azur, running a Yacht Selection activity and a consulting activity in marina landscaping.
Sailing career
From the age of 14 to 23, with his brother Yves
Marc Pajot accumulates national and international titles :
* Olympic Silver Medal winner, in 1972 in
Flying Dutchman
The ''Flying Dutchman'' () is a legendary ghost ship, allegedly never able to make port, but doomed to sail the sea forever. The myths and ghost stories are likely to have originated from the 17th-century Golden Age of the Dutch East India C ...
.
* 5 times World Champion
* 7 times French Champion
10 years competing on the oceans
Marc Pajot sets out to conquer the oceans under the wing of
Eric Tabarly and crosses the Cap Horn at the age of 20 during the first team race around the world, the Whitbread (See
Volvo Ocean Race
The Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every three or four years since 1973. Originally named the Whitbread Round the World Race after its initiating sponsor, British brewing company Whitbread, in 2001 it became the Volvo Ocean Rac ...
) in 1973.
He sets the professional standards for high seas regattas by promoting his sponsors, amongst which ''Paul Ricard'' and ''Elf Aquitaine'' with whom he will lead on to accomplish extraordinary performances.
He takes the 2nd place in 1979 at the double handed transatlantic race Lorient-Burmuda-Lorient with the hydrofoil ''Paul Ricard''.
Elf Aquitaine – Titan of the seas
His Elf Aquitaine catamarans – will enable him to accomplish a series of performances between 1980 and 1983:
* Winner La Baule Dakar race 1980
* Atlantic record holder in 1981
* Winner singlehanded race Route du Rhum 1982
Marc Pajot has so far crossed 15 times the Atlantic Ocean as a skipper, crew member, or single handed.
The America’s Cup
As a project manager, Skipper and helmsman, Marc Pajot has been able to federate the best in the profession, sponsors, naval architects, engineers, tacticians and crew, to run after the America’s Cup for four challenges:
* ''French Kiss'' team 1987, Perth, Australia
* ''Ville de Paris'' team 1992, San Diego, USA
* ''France 2'' team 1995, San Diego, USA
* First America’s Cup Swiss team 2000, Auckland, NZ
Twice he succeeded in skippering the French challenge to the semi-finals of the
Louis Vuitton Cup
The Louis Vuitton Cup is the name of the Challenger (America's Cup), Challenger Selection Series sailing competition from 1983, named after its Sponsor (commercial), sponsor, Louis Vuitton. The winner of the competition became the Challenger (A ...
.
* with ''French Kiss'' in 1987
* with ''Ville de Paris'' in 1992
During those 25 years of competitions, Marc Pajot has managed and overseen the conception and creation of over 15 boats from 45 to 100 ft.
Other areas within the sailing world
Since 2000 Marc Pajot has also become a yacht broker providing yacht selection services and does consultancy in Marina landscaping around the world.
Yachting accomplishments
* East to West transatlantic record holder on the ''Elf-Aquitaine''
catamaran
A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a watercraft with two parallel hull (watercraft), hulls of equal size. The wide distance between a catamaran's hulls imparts stability through resistance to rolling and overturning; no ballast is requi ...
in 1981 (9d 10h 6s 34c).
* Vice Olympic champion of
Flying Dutchman
The ''Flying Dutchman'' () is a legendary ghost ship, allegedly never able to make port, but doomed to sail the sea forever. The myths and ghost stories are likely to have originated from the 17th-century Golden Age of the Dutch East India C ...
in
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
, with
Yves Pajot, his older brother
* Vice world champion
505 en 1968
* High seas regatta:
**
La Baule
La Baule-Escoublac (; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Écoubiâ'', , ), commonly referred to as La Baule, is a communes of France, commune in Loire-Atlantique, a departments of France, department in Pays de la Loire, western France.
History
Seaside re ...
-
Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...
in 1980 on ''Elf-Aquitaine'' (EA) with François Boucher and Paul Ayasse
**
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
-
Lizard Point, Cornwall-
Brest in 1981 on ''EA''
** Multihull trophy in 1981 and 1982 on ''EA''
**
Route du Rhum
The Route du Rhum is a wikt:transatlantic, transatlantic Single-handed sailing, single-handed yacht racing, yacht race, which takes place every four years in November. The course is between Saint Malo, Brittany, Metropolitan France and Pointe-Ã - ...
in 1982 on ''EA''
** Multi Cup in 1983 on ''EA''
* Second place in the Two-Handed Transatlantic Race
Lorient
Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France.
History
Prehistory and classical antiquity
Beginn ...
-
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest.
Bermuda is an ...
-Lorient in 1979 with
Éric Tabarly on ''Paul Ricard''.
* Third place in the
Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race in 1984
* 3 participations as skipper in the
America's Cup, on French Challenge in 1987, 1992 and 1995
Distinctions
* only sportsman to be a two time laureat of the ''Guy Wildenstein Prize'' from the Académie des sports, in 1975 (with his brother Yves) and in 1981.
* Officer of the
Ordre national du Mérite
* Knight of the
Ordre du Mérite Maritime
The () is a French order established on 9 February 1930 for services rendered by seafarers to recognise the risks involved and the services rendered by seamen, and reflect the important economic role of the Merchant Navy to the country. The or ...
* Vermeil medal of the Ville de Paris
Publications
* Elf Aquitaine, un catamaran pour vaincre (édition Pen Duick)
* Voile Racontée par Marc Pajot (édition Hatier Rageot – 1985)
* Défi à la Coupe de l’América (édition Rivage – 1987)
* Des J.O. à la Coupe de l’América (édition Robert Laffont – 1991)
References
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pajot, Marc
1953 births
Living people
French male sailors (sport)
Olympic sailors for France
Sailors at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Flying Dutchman
Sailors at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Flying Dutchman
Olympic silver medalists for France
Olympic medalists in sailing
Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite
Knights of the Ordre du Mérite Maritime
Volvo Ocean Race sailors
1987 America's Cup sailors
1992 America's Cup sailors
1995 America's Cup sailors
2000 America's Cup sailors
505 class world champions
Flying Dutchman class world champions
World champions in sailing for France
Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Mediterranean Games gold medalists for France
20th-century French sportsmen