“Honestly, it’s probably the hardest I’ve ever done. It was hell.” That was Irish skipper Tom Dolan's verdict after completing a punishing second leg of La Solitaire du Figaro and retaining the overall race lead.
The Kingspan-backed sailor finished fifth after five days of racing between Vigo and Pornichet, in conditions ranging from flat calms to 40-knot gusts. The result leaves Dolan leading the overall standings by three minutes and 38 seconds heading into the decisive final leg.
Race Leader — Tom Dolan holds the overall leader's board after the second leg of La Solitaire du Figaro, where the Irish skipper retained his advantage heading into the decisive final stage.
Throughout the stage, Dolan remained locked in a close battle with French rivals Nicolas Lunven (PRB) and Alexis Thomas (Wings of an Ocean), who now sit second and third overall.
The fleet repeatedly compressed and scattered as unstable weather tested both sailors and strategy. “On the second night, we spent hours under jib just watching the wind shift,” Dolan said. “As soon as it seemed to stabilise, I'd start a ten-minute timer thinking I might be able to eat or close my eyes. Nine times out of ten, I'd be up before it went off because the temperature had already swung twenty degrees one way or the other.”
A key moment came when Dolan abandoned the favoured inshore route along the Spanish coast. “I realised quickly it wasn't the right move,” he said.
Instead, he headed north into open water where conditions appeared more favourable, allowing him to stay in contention as positions changed repeatedly across the fleet.
At The Helm — Tom Dolan during the second leg of La Solitaire du Figaro, a five-day test of endurance and concentration that he described as “probably the hardest I’ve ever done”. Photo: Kingspan
The closing miles brought further drama. “I probably lost about twenty minutes in the final stretch coming into the finish, but if you told me a couple of years ago I'd be a couple of minutes ahead of Nicolas going into the final leg, I'd be a happy man,” Dolan said.
Despite surrendering time near the finish, the Irish skipper remains in control of the overall standings ahead of the final 630-nautical-mile stage.
The decisive leg starts from Pornichet on Sunday evening and finishes in Le Havre via the Gironde estuary. Dolan opened his 2026 Solitaire du Figaro campaign with victory in Race One before adding a fifth-place finish in Race Two. With one stage remaining, the County Meath sailor remains firmly in contention for one of the biggest achievements of his offshore racing career.
