Irish Solo Skipper Tom Dolan Prepares for 54th Solitaire du Figaro

8th August 2023

Afloat.ie Team

Irish Solo Skipper Tom Dolan Credit: Afloat

Tom Dolan, the Irish solo skipper of Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan, is gearing up for the upcoming 54th edition of the Solitaire du Figaro.

With only 20 days remaining until the race, Dolan is devoting all his time to final preparations. The Solitaire du Figaro, which is considered the most difficult offshore race, consists of three stages this year.

The fleet, including Dolan, will first head to his home country of Ireland, before making their way to the Bay of Morlaix and finishing in Piriac sur Mer on the French Atlantic coast near Saint Nazaire.

Dolan has been working tirelessly since January to ensure that he will be in the best possible position to achieve a good result in the race, with his ultimate goal being to finish on the podium. Michel Desjoyeaux, a famous French ocean racer who has won the Solitaire du Figaro three times and the Vendée Globe twice, attests to the difficulty of the race.

As the start date of the Solitaire du Figaro approaches, Dolan remains focused and prepared, with his boat also ready for the challenge ahead.

Published in Tom Dolan, Figaro

Published in Tom Dolan

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Tom Dolan

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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.