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Tom Dolan is en Route to Dun Laoghaire for Round Ireland Speed Record Bid

16th April 2023
Tom Dolan (pictured) will attempt to beat the solo Round Ireland speed record held by Belgian Michel Kleinjans since 2005 (4 days, 1 hour, 53 minutes and 29 seconds)
Tom Dolan (pictured) will attempt to beat the solo Round Ireland speed record held by Belgian Michel Kleinjans since 2005 (4 days, 1 hour, 53 minutes and 29 seconds)

Irish sailor Tom Dolan bid farewell to his Figaro Beneteau 3 Smurfit Kappa – Kingspan today in Concarneau, France, as the boat left for the delivery to Dun Laoghaire where he will go on standby to wait for an optimum weather window to allow him to challenge for a new solo round Ireland record.

After fulfilling his family commitments at home in Concearneau and completing his final cycle of physical training, Dolan will travel by ferry next Friday to meet his 10 metre, foil assisted Beneteau One Design in Dun Laoghaire and make ready for the record challenge. He has entrusted the delivery to a pair of long-time friends of his who has known since he campaigned in the Mini 650 class.

"I will keep an eye on their progress, but they have great conditions and should get there on one gybe and I reckon on an ETA between Tuesday and Wednesday." Dolan remarked after seeing his boat off.

 

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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.