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Tom Dolan 20th, Joan Mulloy 35th in Final Figaro Race

14th September 2018
 Sebastien Simon (above) is the provisional overall winner of the 49th edition of the La Solitaire du Figaro Sebastien Simon (above) is the provisional overall winner of the 49th edition of the La Solitaire du Figaro

A freshening nor’west to north wind brought life to the final stages of the concluding Stage 4 of the Solitaire URGO Figaro 2018 off Saint Gilles this afternoon, and kept Anthony Marchand in the lead at the finish of the 165 mile circuit course, bringing the leading boats to the finish three hours within the twenty-four being anticipated last night writes W M Nixon.

Vendee Globe 2020 entrant Charlie Dalin fulfilled his hopes of a good showing in this last dash by taking second, but the other Vendee Globe prospective, Sebastien Simon, had to be content with 14th out of 36 boats in a race whose final stages offered little opportunity for place changes.

Thus Ireland’s Tom Dolan continued to the finish in the 20th place with which he rounded the northern turn at Ile d’Yeu, but that kept him well ahead of Scotland’s Alan Roberts who had a frustrating race to come in at 30th, five places ahead of Joan Mulloy in Taste the Atlantic.

Race tracker and details here 

Published in Tom Dolan
WM Nixon

About The Author

WM Nixon

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William M Nixon has been writing about sailing in Ireland for many years in print and online, and his work has appeared internationally in magazines and books. His own experience ranges from club sailing to international offshore events, and he has cruised extensively under sail, often in his own boats which have ranged in size from an 11ft dinghy to a 35ft cruiser-racer. He has also been involved in the administration of several sailing organisations.

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Tom Dolan, Solo Offshore Sailor

Even when County Meath solo sailor Tom Dolan had been down the numbers in the early stages of the four-stage 2,000 mile 2020 Figaro Race, Dolan and his boat were soon eating their way up through the fleet in any situation which demanded difficult tactical decisions.

His fifth overall at the finish – the highest-placed non-French sailor and winner of the Vivi Cup – had him right among the international elite in one of 2020's few major events.

The 33-year-old who has lived in Concarneau, Brittany since 2009 but grew up on a farm in rural County Meath came into the gruelling four-stage race aiming to get into the top half of the fleet and to underline his potential to Irish sailing administrators considering the selection process for the 2024 Olympic Mixed Double Offshore category which comes in for the Paris games.