Please select your home edition
Edition
P&B

Tom Dolan promises prudence and a 'foot to the floor' attack on Leg 1 of La Solitaire du Figaro

by Tom Dolan Racing 23 Aug 2021 09:35 BST
Tom Dolan - La Solitaire du Figaro © Tom Dolan

Tom Dolan, the leading Irish solo sailor, started the first stage of the 52nd La Solitaire du Figaro in perfect conditions from Saint-Nazaire - on outer reaches of France's Loire estuary - pledging to stick to his strategy but to give everything to be near the front of the peloton when the 34 strong fleet turns at La Coruna for the return upwind to the finish at Lorient where the leaders should arrive Thursday afternoon.

Starting his fourth La Solitaire du Figaro La Solitaire, the 34 year old skipper of Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan would love to emulate the dream opening to his race last year when he was in the leading group to the Fastnet rock. But on this 300-miles downwind sprint to the NW Spanish coast will see the breeze increase as the race progresses he admits he will be happy to be in the leading group for the turn.

Three exclusion zones have been introduced by Race Direction to keep the fleet away from a French Navy exercise on the Bay of Biscay. The choice of how to pass them, in particular with regard to the timing relative to the shifts in the wind direction, may shape the leg and Dolan has a well prepared choice of options.

"I know what I would like to do but I won't say before the start," grins Dolan, "It will be all about the timing when we get there. But always I will stick to my plan, I have done my homework and learned now to be confident in my choices for the right reasons."

"That said," he continues, "We have to make sure we don't get into the exclusion zones as you will be disqualified. Whoever is in front will get the increasing advantage because the boat tends to accelerate more the more wind, going downwind. With the zone of high pressure in the Bay of Biscay like this then there is always this zone of acceleration there. There could, however, be some flap-flap, light wind at La Coruna where we will round very early morning and it is very close in to the coast."

The course has been shortened because of the possibility of light winds near the Lorient finish line on Thursday afternoon.

"Some of the weather files are showing very light winds at the finish and so we can maybe go out there and kill ourselves for three days and all end up in the same spot near the finish. Who knows? Really this is a typical Figaro leg. It will be important to be foot to the floor off the start line to get into the downwind well. It will be hard to scrape back miles on the upwind. So downwind that means a lot of driving and pushing hard. Initially not too much wind, 10-12kts on the first night, fairly calm. At Spain we will maybe see 25kts maybe 30 and so it will be important not to destroy the big spinnaker on the first leg."

In champagne sailing conditions bright sunshine and moderate breezes Dolan was mid-fleet as the race left the bay at Saint Nazaire.

www.lasolitaire.com/en

Related Articles

Erica Lush completes Solo Guy Cotten race
American sailor passes first qualifier for Solitaire du Figaro Rhode Island sailor Erica Lush completed her first qualifying race for the Solitaire du Figaro this week after competing in the Solo Guy Cotten Regatta. Lush completed the regatta's offshore course with a time of one day 22 hours. Posted on 1 Apr
Tom Dolan reflects after the Solo Guy Cotten
A productive winter and confidence restored Even before leaving the dock in Concarneau, Tom Dolan had set the tone: he wanted to enjoy sailing "at home," validate the hard work done over the winter, and above all, take pleasure racing. Posted on 29 Mar
Tom Dolan at 49th Solo Guy Cotten update
"Can't wait to get stuck into the big race!" As part of the 49th edition of the Solo Guy Cotten — the opening leg of the 2025 French Elite Offshore Racing Championship — Tom Dolan and the 40 other skippers have already completed two days of inshore races in Concarneau. Posted on 26 Mar
Tom Dolan kicks off his 2025 season
The 49th edition of the Solo Guy Cotten sets sail today The 49th edition of the Solo Guy Cotten sets sail this Monday, March 24th, from Concarneau. Nearly 40 Figaro Bénéteau 3 are expected to participate in the 2025 French Elite Offshore Racing Championship - one of the ultimate test for offshore sailing. Posted on 24 Mar
19 mixed duos set for the Transat Paprec
All the skippers and partners have gathered at Paprec Bretagne's headquarters in Le Rheu A key race in the calendar and in the French Elite Ocean Racing Championship, the first transatlantic race to be sailed on equal terms and to be entirely mixed since the previous edition, the Transat Paprec promises a great battle across the Atlantic. Posted on 20 Mar
Transat Paprec: new impetus for gender diversity
It's the story of a revolution at the heart of a fundamental movement For the second time in its long history, the double-handed transatlantic race on equal terms will be entirely made up of mixed doubles. Posted on 14 Mar
Tom Dolan honoured as Irish Sailor of the Year
A new milestone in an exceptional career Tom Dolan, the winner of the 2024 Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, received the Irish Sailing "Sailor of the Year" award yesterday at the Irish Sailing awards event in Dublin. Posted on 1 Mar
Revealing talents, from Desjoyeaux to Dalin
The Transat Paprec continues to make history Many of the sailors that took part in the Vendée Globe started out in the Figaro class and had also taken part in the Transat Paprec. Posted on 26 Feb
Erica Lush gears up for Solo Guy Cotten race
First Solitaire Du Figaro qualifier for the American offshore sailor American offshore sailor Erica Lush is making her first attempt to qualify for the prestigious Solitaire Du Figaro next month in the Solo Guy Cotten race in Concarneau. Posted on 19 Feb
Henri-Lloyd supports Team Solan for Transat Paprec
The pair are setting their sights on success in the prestigious race Henri-Lloyd has been announced as the Official Technical Clothing partner for Team Solan Ocean Racing. Posted on 11 Feb