Solo sailor Tom Dolan was fairly tired when I talked to him at Kinsale Yacht Club after he had finished second in the first leg of this year’s Figaro Race, sailing Smurfit Kappa into Kinsale with a 14-minute advantage over what can be considered his normal rivals.
It was a “tough leg” he told me, with complicated weather patterns creating many challenges and calling for strong decision-making, the best of which was his strategic move when the 32-strong fleet passed through the Scilly Isles. That gave him an advantage heading for the Fastnet Rock, but it was “that big moment when you go your own way and the fleet goes another…” – which all sailors will know about!
Tom Dolan sails into second place at Kinsale this morning in the first leg of the 2023 Figaro Race Photo: Alexis Courcoux
We recalled that when I met him on the last Figaro Race into Kinsale in 2019, he had not done well. “That was on my mind, there was a lot of pressure on me, I wanted to do well into Ireland this time.”
And so he did.
Stage 2 of the Figaro starts from Kinsale on Sunday afternoon to Roscoff via the Isle of Man and the Welsh coast.
Listen to my interview with Tom Dolan below
