Tom Dolan Secures 12th Place Finish in Solo Concarneau Before August's Figaro Race

28th July 2023

Afloat.ie Team

After two days of inshore races, Ireland's Tom Dolan recovered from a disappointing start to the offshore race of the Solo Concarneau Credit: Gilles Dedeurwaerder

Irish solo sailor Tom Dolan achieved a tenth-place finish on the 395-mile offshore race of the event, which took place on Friday afternoon.

After two days of inshore races, Dolan recovered from a disappointing start to the offshore race and gradually worked his way up to the top third of the fleet between the Ile de Yeu and the finish line in Concarneau.

Dolan narrowly missed ninth place by a few seconds.

He finished 12th overall based on points aggregated over the two inshore races and the long offshore.

"I need to to stay clear-headed and focused right to the end"

Dolan acknowledged that the hierarchy was established early in the race and there were no strategic options to play, but he managed to gain a few places back on sheer speed.

The County Meath man stated that he performs better in longer races and when he stays clear-headed and focused until the end.

"The longer the races are, the better I seem to do, and when I don’t make mistakes, I am certainly fast,” he said after racing.

Dolan will take a short break before the La Solitaire du Figaro, which starts on August 27th.

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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.