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 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. When 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. In 1976, after his second Transatlantic triumph, he received the British Yachtsman of the Year Trophy. He also wrote several books about his sailing achievements.