Tabarly, Eric (1931-1998), a French yachtsman, gained international fame during his sailing career. He won several ocean races in his six sailing yachts, all named Pen Duick. His achievements included victories in the 1964 and 1976 Observer single-handed Transatlantic Race from Plymouth, England, to Newport, Rhode Island, United States; the 1967 Fastnet Race; the 1969 Solo Transpacific Race; and the 1972 Los Angeles-Tahiti Race. In 1980, in his hydrofoil-borne, multihulled yacht Paul Ricard, Tabarly broke the 75-year-old speed race record for a crossing of the Atlantic Ocean from west to east. He came in fourth in the 1984 Transatlantic Race. His exploits made him the idol of France. After Tabarly won his first single-handed Transatlantic Race in 1964, President Charles de Gaulle made him an officer of the Legion of Honor, France’s highest civilian award. Many other awards followed. Tabarly also wrote several books about his sailing achievements.
Tabarly influenced a generation of talented French yachtsmen and sailors. He learned to sail aboard the first Pen Duick, a vessel bought by his father in 1938 when it was already 40 years old. Tabarly later bought Pen Duick from his father. He also built a series of boats bearing the same name, incorporating many original and advanced design features. For example, in Pen Duick VI he used spent uranium in the metallic keel (bottom) of the boat to give it extra stability. His experiments often failed because they were rushed, but they still proved a major inspiration to later designers of racing boats.
Eric Marcel Guy Tabarly was born on July 24, 1931, in Nantes, France, the son of a businessman. After attending the École Navale, France’s main maritime college, he joined the French navy. After retiring from the navy, he worked for the Ministry of Youth and Sport. In 1971, he became an inspector of sailing at the École des Sports Interarmes (Combined Services School for Sports), at Fontainebleau. He drowned on June 12, 1998, while sailing the original Pen Duick, a vessel he loved, off Wales. He had just celebrated the 100th anniversary of the boat’s existence.
