After an intense first half of the season, comprising multiple back-to-back races on the calendar since March, accumulated fatigue was evident on the race course in the final race of the Le Havre Allmer Cup.
But Ireland’s Tom Dolan kept his head and remained focused on returning a solid 10th place on the short inshore course to secure third place overall, one of the best-ever overall event results for the skipper of Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan, gained at the last regatta before the season’s pinnacle La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec.
“I did what I had to do today, that is to say, keeping an eye on my main rivals and staying with them, and so in the end, I am very happy with third overall. But I am pretty exhausted and looking forward to a good rest.” Said Dolan on the dock in Le Havre. “The wind was light today and shifting around a lot so it was not easy but there were a few collisions, some spinnakers in the water which shows there is tiredness in the fleet.”
After a hard won second place on the long offshore race, which finished Wednesday, the product of a fantastic comeback through the top half of the fleet along the south coast of England and back across the Channel to the Le Havre finish line, Dolan returned a pair of solid scores in the top half of the fleet over Friday and Saturday to take third step on the podium.
“I have been here to race three times now, and it is not an easy place to sail, so I am quite satisfied. It proves I am where I want to be ahead of La Solitaire and now can take the time to rest and prepare myself with no stress.” He commented. “And the key thing is I have stayed consistent at each event, and that is what I wanted to achieve in this first half of the season”
He is now up to fourth place overall in the French Elite Solo Championship, a five-event series that concludes with La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, which runs from mid-August to mid-September and starts off in Le Havre.
“I have made some good choices this year so far. Not doing too much winter training on the water has meant I have had enough energy. I have worked hard on my strength and conditioning – especially my upper body strength, which has made the difference. Burpees are free! But also sailing the Niji Transat on the Class 40 gave me a lot of food for thought, like different ways to sail fast downwind, sails and it has just given me a little extra confidence on the smaller boat.”
