Nicolas Charbonnier’s career started more than 30 years ago. At the age of nine, he began competing on Optimist. He won two French titles before moving to the 420, where he won four world championship titles and a European one. His next transition was, naturally, to the Olympic-class double-handed dinghy, the 470, with two European titles. There then followed many more podium places internationally in diverse match racing competitions and regattas on varied boats: Melges, Mumm 30, MOD 70, or the 60-ft ORMA Sodebo.

From 2004 to 2006 the America's Cup class came calling and Nicolas took a position in the rearguard for K-Challenge, later to be called Areva Challenge. However, in 2007, the lure of the Olympics meant that he returned to dinghy racing. A good decision, because in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics, where he and Olivier Bausset took home the bronze medal in the 470 class for France.

In 2009, Nicolas made his D35 debut on Lake Geneva and won that championship a year later with Banque Populaire. Since joining Alinghi ten years ago, Nicolas raced the 2012 D35 Trophy season. As a shrewd tactician, he was a major contributor to the team's success in that championship in 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019. In 2016, he joined Alinghi's GC32 crew and helped the team to its victory in the Extreme Sailing Series that year and in 2018. In 2019, he is onboard when the team wins the GC32 World title in Lagos and as well in 2019 and 2021 winning the GC32 Racing Tour annual championship.