Tom Dolan & Tanguy Bouroullec Get to Grips with Figaro class’s Transat AG2R 2018

25th April 2018

Tom Dolan in the pit, Tanguy Bourouulec at the mast as Smurfit Kappa-CerFrance gets away from Concarneau

Tom Dolan and Tanguy Bouroullec’s intro to two-handed Figaro sailing with Smurfit Kappa-CerFrance was always going to be a very steep learning curve writes W M Nixon. They had very limited time to prepare their boat and hone their skills, going in less than two months from a standing start to the actual start on Sunday at Concarneau of the Transat AG2R.

This takes the fleet in two stages to St Barthlemy in the Caribbean, via a stop in the Canaries. A hasty message sent last night by Tom in his own special style gets the mood:

“Well, we're off anyway and after a typical Dolan start (we were last leaving Concarneau, seaweed issues) we managed to work our way back up the fleet a bit. Not easy keeping with the best in the game, but we're happy enough.

After 2 days crossing Biscay in light winds, it’s finally up to 25 knots, the ballast tanks are full, the rudders are spread and the drysuit is being dusted off. Smurfit Kappa / CerFrance is over on her ear, and screaming along. Macif is just ahead and Teamwork just behind - we think we’re mid fleet.

Next on the menu is Cap Finistere, gusts of up to 45 knots and a hairy enough gybe in a lumpy sea to benefit as much as possible from the "curves" of the isobars, thanks to the low pressure over Spain. Briefly got coverage just now, so I decided I’d send you this quick email and a pic of us rounding Cabo Ortegal when the winds were lighter”.

smurfit kappa ortegal2 Smooth and swift sailing past Cabo Ortegal in northwest Spain

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