If our boats are so reliable, manoeuvrable, comfortable and protective, it’s because they are the result of the best French know-how, but also of the experience of many experienced sailors who share the fruit of hundreds of thousands of nautical miles sailed.
Discover those who participate in the expertise at our yard.
Unique know-how
Sailors, naval architects, designers, so many passionate experts
The design of Garcia boats is based on the experience of the teams at the shipyard but also on that of the best architects and designers in France, combined with that of great sailors, such as Jimmy Cornell who shared his most daring dreams with us.
Our boats are the fruit of an extraordinary collaboration between people who know how to blend rigour with passion. And from this beautiful complicity is born our most beautiful projects.
We are proud to present those who have participated and who still participate today in the international reputation of Garcia Yachts:
- Naval architects Philippe Harlé, Michel Joubert,Francois Lucas, Yannis Mavrikios, Alain Mortain, Jean Charles Nahon, Bernard Nivelt, Dominique Presles, Olivier Racoupeau, Guy Saillard and Gilles Vaton
- Designers Franck Darnet, Pierre Frutschi, André Rameau and Isabelle Racoupeau
The Exploration range of sailing boats is also the result of a close collaboration with specialists in extreme sailing:
Sébastien Roubinet
Sébastien Roubinet, is a true adventurer. A French explorer passionate about sailing, he is the first man to have crossed the Northwest Passage exclusively under sail.
In 2007, he and his crew departed Anchorage, Alaska, for the Greenland coast. After three months and 21 days of sailing, and nothing else, they reached their goal on board their boat Babouche.
Designed and built by Sébastien himself and Anne-Lise Vacher, Babouche is a lightweight and ice-resistant catamaran, capable of sailing on water and sliding on ice.
In love with challenges and nature, Sébastien was also the second in command of Tara, ex-Antarctica, the famous polar schooner designed in 1989 by Jean-Louis Etienne, during an expedition to Greenland.
These many experiences have made Sébastien a specialist in extreme conditions, which is why the expertise he brought to the design of Garcia Yachts’ Exploration range was absolutely essential.
Currently Sébastien is embarking on a new adventure aboard La Voie du Pôle, a sailing trip across the Arctic Ocean.
Halvard Mabire
Halvard Mabire is undoubtedly the contemporary Norman navigator with the most miles offshore. He has competed in five crewed round the world races, seven Solitaires du Figaro and 32 transatlantic races with some of the greatest skippers of the last forty years: Eric Tabarly, Bruno Peyron, Ross Field, Chris Dickson and Daniel Gilard. Accumulating more than 300,000 nautical miles on his log.
A specialist in short-handed, two-handed and even solo races, his expertise and advice on the organisation of the Exploration deck plan were invaluable. The solutions chosen, the result of unrivalled experience, make Exploration boats easy and safe to operate in all wind and sea conditions.
Jimmy Cornell
A successful sailor and author, Jimmy Cornell has covered more than 200,000 miles on all the world’s oceans, including three circumnavigations, as well as trips to Antarctica, Patagonia, Alaska, Tierra del Fuego, the Canadian Arctic and Spitzbergen.
Jimmy Cornell’s books, including the bestselling World Cruising Routes, have helped thousands of sailors realize their dreams of discovering the world.
Over the past three decades, Jimmy Cornell has organized 32 transatlantic rallies, five round-the-world rallies and one round-the-world trip. More than 3,000 boats and 15,000 sailors have taken part in his sailing events.
Nowhere are the consequences of climate change more visible than in the Northwest Passage. Jimmy called on Garcia Yachts to build his ideal boat: a boat capable of transiting the Northwest Passage. A successful bet for the man who, after having designed the Exploration range with Garcia Yachts, succeeded in transiting the Northwest Passage on his second attempt aboard Exploration 45 N°1. A successful bet also for Garcia Yachts, which saw the same boat twice crowned in the United States with the title “Best Boat” from Sail Magazine and “Boat of the Year” by Cruising World magazine.