Noémie Catalano, the Bordeaux-based offshore sailor, is stepping up to a Figaro Beneteau 3 for 2026, with the Tour Voile and a full season of major circuit events firmly in her sights.
Her new boat, Ninita, arrives in January 2026 once she returns to France from her mini Transat campaign. The vessel carries a strong racing pedigree as the former Figaro of accomplished sailor Charles Caudrelier, whose history with the boat lends it genuine credibility. Ninita will be based in Lorient, and for Catalano and her team, the coming season marks a significant step forward in her offshore racing career.
Joining her for the campaign is Hugo Cardon, a skilled regatta sailor who took line honours in the second stage of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec 2025. The two have already accumulated three years of shared experience, and their collaboration continues with three headline events planned: the Tour Voile, Figarmor, and the National Figaro championships. Sustaining that partnership across multiple seasons rather than reshuffling crew between campaigns is itself a strategic decision, one aimed at developing the depth and mutual understanding that rotating combinations rarely produce.
Their ambitions reach well beyond 2026. The pair are deliberately using the coming season to lay groundwork for a mixed-double transatlantic race scheduled for 2027, an offshore challenge that will demand precisely the complementary skills and accumulated trust they are working to build now. Mixed crews are increasingly prominent in major offshore competition, and that transatlantic represents a significant milestone in that evolving landscape.
Catalano has been open about the philosophy underpinning the partnership. "The objective is to demonstrate that diversity and complementarity can be genuine drivers of performance," she said. "Hugo brings technical expertise and his background as a regatta racer, while I bring offshore experience and communication skills."
That pairing is intentional in its design. Cardon's precision and circuit racing knowledge complement Catalano's ocean-going fluency and emphasis on communication, building a framework around what each sailor brings rather than simply adding a second person to an existing model. The combination is aimed at sharpening both tactical decision-making and the practical demands of long-distance racing at the highest level.
With the Figaro Beneteau 3 fleet building momentum heading into the new season, and the Tour Voile 2026 shaping up as its marquee event, Catalano and Cardon's debut together will be among the more closely watched partnerships on the circuit.
