Charles-Etienne "Charly" Devanneaux
CEO
Born into a sailing family in Brittany, France, Charly has been a sailor his entire life, developing an early passion for offshore racing, performance sailing, and cruising.
In 2011, he won the Newport–Cabo Race and, the same year, finished second in class in the Transpac aboard a Beneteau First 40. The following year, Charly won the double-handed division of the 2012 Pacific Cup, racing from San Francisco to Hawaii aboard a Beneteau First 30.
He returned to the Pacific Cup in 2014, again racing double-handed aboard the Beneteau First 30 Thirsty and finishing second in class. In 2016, he competed double-handed once more aboard Sailing for ALS, another Beneteau First 30, sailing without electronics or autopilot, taking second in class and earning the Passage Nautical Trophy.
For the 2018 Pacific Cup, Charly took on a very different challenge aboard the new foiling Beneteau Figaro 3, A Fond le Girafon. Racing double-handed as an experimental entry, the boat was the first foil-equipped yacht ever entered in the Pacific Cup. Charly captured line honors as the first boat to finish in Hawaii, demonstrating the potential of a new generation of offshore foiling monohulls.
In 2019, he returned to the Transpac, sailing double-handed on one of the smallest boats in the fleet and finishing fourth in division.
His offshore racing continued with the 2023 Transpac aboard the new Beneteau First 44, where he finished second in class. Later that year, he competed in the legendary Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, which he considers one of his most challenging offshore sailing experiences.
In the 2025 Transpac, Charly raced Rahan, a stripped-down Beneteau First 36, double-handed with Fred Courouble. Despite being the smallest boat in the fleet and the race’s only double-handed entry, Rahan was the second boat to cross the finish line in Hawaii and finished second in class.
In 2026, Charly and Fred returned aboard Rahan for the Pacific Cup from San Francisco to Hawaii. The First 36 delivered an exceptional performance, becoming the first boat of the entire fleet to reach Hawaii after approximately 2,070 miles and just nine and a half days at sea. Rahan went on to win the Doublehanded ORR – Bobbi Tosse Division and finish second overall under ORR, behind only the fully crewed 65-foot Ragtime. The result added another Pacific Cup line-honors performance to Charly’s record, eight years after his 2018 first-to-finish achievement.
Before founding Naos Yachts in Southern California, Charly worked as a manager in the marine division of Yamaha Motor Europe. He is a graduate of the UCLA John E. Anderson School of Management.
Charly has sailed extensively across the world’s oceans and has also achieved podium finishes aboard cruising catamarans, including third-place finishes in the 2012 and 2016 ARC across the Atlantic.
When he is not racing or working with clients, Charly can often be found cruising aboard his Lagoon 52 with his family around Catalina Island, the Channel Islands, or the Sea of Cortez—usually taking the opportunity to test new boats, equipment, and sailing technology.
In 2011, he won the Newport–Cabo Race and, the same year, finished second in class in the Transpac aboard a Beneteau First 40. The following year, Charly won the double-handed division of the 2012 Pacific Cup, racing from San Francisco to Hawaii aboard a Beneteau First 30.
He returned to the Pacific Cup in 2014, again racing double-handed aboard the Beneteau First 30 Thirsty and finishing second in class. In 2016, he competed double-handed once more aboard Sailing for ALS, another Beneteau First 30, sailing without electronics or autopilot, taking second in class and earning the Passage Nautical Trophy.
For the 2018 Pacific Cup, Charly took on a very different challenge aboard the new foiling Beneteau Figaro 3, A Fond le Girafon. Racing double-handed as an experimental entry, the boat was the first foil-equipped yacht ever entered in the Pacific Cup. Charly captured line honors as the first boat to finish in Hawaii, demonstrating the potential of a new generation of offshore foiling monohulls.
In 2019, he returned to the Transpac, sailing double-handed on one of the smallest boats in the fleet and finishing fourth in division.
His offshore racing continued with the 2023 Transpac aboard the new Beneteau First 44, where he finished second in class. Later that year, he competed in the legendary Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, which he considers one of his most challenging offshore sailing experiences.
In the 2025 Transpac, Charly raced Rahan, a stripped-down Beneteau First 36, double-handed with Fred Courouble. Despite being the smallest boat in the fleet and the race’s only double-handed entry, Rahan was the second boat to cross the finish line in Hawaii and finished second in class.
In 2026, Charly and Fred returned aboard Rahan for the Pacific Cup from San Francisco to Hawaii. The First 36 delivered an exceptional performance, becoming the first boat of the entire fleet to reach Hawaii after approximately 2,070 miles and just nine and a half days at sea. Rahan went on to win the Doublehanded ORR – Bobbi Tosse Division and finish second overall under ORR, behind only the fully crewed 65-foot Ragtime. The result added another Pacific Cup line-honors performance to Charly’s record, eight years after his 2018 first-to-finish achievement.
Before founding Naos Yachts in Southern California, Charly worked as a manager in the marine division of Yamaha Motor Europe. He is a graduate of the UCLA John E. Anderson School of Management.
Charly has sailed extensively across the world’s oceans and has also achieved podium finishes aboard cruising catamarans, including third-place finishes in the 2012 and 2016 ARC across the Atlantic.
When he is not racing or working with clients, Charly can often be found cruising aboard his Lagoon 52 with his family around Catalina Island, the Channel Islands, or the Sea of Cortez—usually taking the opportunity to test new boats, equipment, and sailing technology.
