For a skipper's partner to have ties to Burgundy seemed impossible, but that is exactly what we managed to do in 2009 with Arnaud Godart-Philippe.
Our Auxerre-born skipper completed his entire schooling in our region. Attracted to the sea from a very early age and active in various water sports during school holidays (successfully completing his sailing mentoring at the young age of 15), he navigated his studies toward his passion, earning a BTS in shipbuilding from the French Naval Academy.
His training and career in the French Navy prepared him to:
- Enter the national and international Surprises and Mumm 30 competitions (placing 3rd in the Surprises European Championship in 2003)
- Develop highly advanced skills in various technical areas, including sail design for racing boats. He also designed his own sails for his boat, a Figaro Bénéteau II.

In 2005, he became a high-level sportsperson after winning the Mumm 30 French Championship. Two years later, he took an unpaid leave in order to pursue his goal of participating in the Figaro Bénéteau race (which includes the Solitaire du Figaro).

In 2009, he finally got his Category A Figaro Bénéteau II and started a busy 2010 season. His hard work was rewarded with a 27th-place finish (out of 51) at the Championnat de France Solitaire de Course au Large in 2010, 18 positions better than in 2009.

Awards:

2010 SEASON
- 27th in the Championnat de France Solitaire de Course au Large
- 24th in the Cap Istanbul (Solo)
- 39th in the Solitaire du Figaro (Solo)
- 30th in the Quiberon Solo (Solo)
- 9th in the Transmanche (Solo)

2009 SEASON
- 11th in the Tour de Bretagne (Double)
- 47th in the Solitaire du Figaro (Solo)
- 23rd in the Solo Ports de France (Solo)
- 31st in the Quiberon Solo (Solo)
- 15th in the Transmanche (Solo)

For more information, visit his website at http://www.agp-courseaularge.fr/page.php, his blog at http://www.agp-courseaularge.com/, and YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/AGPcourseaularge .