Solo Sailing and Circumavigation News

Tom Dolan – holding third with less than thirty miles to the finish of Stage 1 of Transgascogne 2017

Tom Dolan Lying Third in Final Thirty Miles of First Stage of Transgascogne 2017

1st August 2017 Tom Dolan

Tom Dolan’s Pogo 3 IRL 910 lies third in class this morning as the leaders go into the final thirty miles of the Les Sables D’Olonne to Aviles first stage of the Transgascogne 2017 writes W M Nixon Front runner Erwin…

With the wind on his starboard quarter, Tom Dolan is storming along for Aviles

Tom Dolan Gets to Grip With Lead in Close Second Place

31st July 2017 Tom Dolan

Ireland’s Tom Dolan has had a magic second afternoon in the first stage of the Transgascogne 2017 race from Les Sables d’Olonne to Aviles in northwest Spain. With the wind now round in the northeast, the Meathman has been revelling…

The start of the Transgascogne 2017 yesterday afternoon was bedevlled by the light winds which have resulted in a shortening of the course to Aviles by removing a first leg to Belle Ile.

Tom Dolan Up to Fifth Place & Closing on leader as Transgasogne 2017 Works the Tricky Biscay Winds

31st July 2017 Tom Dolan

With 138 miles to go to the finish of the first leg at Aviles in northwest Spain, Ireland’s Tom Dolan is coping well with the vagaries of the summer winds of the Bay of Biscay in the Mini 650 Transgascogne…

Tom Dolan in his Pogo 3 IRL 910. Although he has several sponsorship support packages in place, he still needs a main sponsor for the big event, the Mini-Transat in October, and so his boat is sailing the current Trans Gascogne 2017 under the name of Still Seeking A Sponsor

Tom Dolan Currently Eighth in Mini 650 Biscay Race

29th November -0001 Tom Dolan

Ireland’s solo sailor Tom Dolan currently lies a close 8th in the Mini 650 class in the Trans Gascogne Race 2017, which started yesterday from Les Sables d’Olonne writes W M Nixon. A two-stage event across the southern half of…

Solo sailor – NYC Commodore Ronan Beirne (left) salutes NYC member and Mini Transat entrant Tom Dolan in Dun Laoghaire

National Yacht Club's Tom Dolan Saluted for Mini Transat Campaign

14th July 2017 Tom Dolan

With 80–days to go to the 2017 Mini Transat Race, solo sailor Tom Dolan was in Dun Laoghaire at his club, the National Yacht Club, to coach some friends out in the bay in an evening of fresh winds. Tom…

Crowded finish – IRL 910 (Tom Dolan & Francois Jambou) coming in to Douarnenez ahead of the crowd for the 600-mile Mini-Fastnet finish, taking third just five minutes and twelve seconds behind the winner

Tom Dolan Gets on the Podium in Mini-Fastnet Despite Being Fouled by Fishing Net

28th June 2017 Tom Dolan

Tom Dolan and his co-skipper Francois Jambou are back up to speed in Brittany and well rested after a mixture of experiences in the Douarnenez Mini-Fastnet two-hander writes W M Nixon. The race to the Fastnet and back is part…

This is what it looks like when 62 boats are starting together in the Mini-Fastnet 2017 at Douarnenez. The best boats in the fleet are still close together after two days of racing, and Tm Dolan & Francois Jambou are doing well after rounding the Fastnet this morning at 0720 hrs Irish time, when they were making 8.3 knots

Tom Dolan Picks Up Places Getting Round Fastnet During Mini-Transat

20th June 2017 Tom Dolan

Perhaps it was the boost of racing along the coastline of his homeland, but through the early part of this morning Tom Dolan, sailing with Francoise Jambou in the 62-boat Two-Handed 600-mile Mini-Fastnet from Douarnenez, has moved up three places…

BAM! placed second overall in OSTSAR 2017 and first in the Gispy Moth class

Conor Fogerty Finishes OSTAR In Hugely Successful Style

19th June 2017 Solo Sailing

#OSTAR - Ireland’s Conor Fogerty of Howth Yacht Club has burned off the last 40 miles of the OSTAR in blazing style, zooming in to Newport, Rhode Island to cross the finish line at 1545 hrs Irish time this afternoon…

Handsome is as handsome does. Ian Lipinski’s scow-like Griffon.fr leads the fleet by a good margin as the 62 boats in the Mini-Fastnet 2017 take on the long haul from North Cornwall across to the next turn at the Stag Rocks in West Cork

Pace Easing for Dolan & Mini-Fastnet Competitors as Nor’East Winds Temporarily Soften

19th June 2017 Tom Dolan

The anticipated softening of the northeast wind which has been powering the fleet in the 600–mile two–handed Mini-Fastnet Race from Douarnenez in Brittanny to the famous rock, and back, has seen a slackening of the pace writes W M Nixon.…

Conor Fogerty’s Bam! racing fully-crewed in last year’s Volvo Round Ireland race, in which she narrowly beat sister-ship Mister Lucky (Mick Hipgrave). Bam! is due to finish today at Newport, Rhode Island in the OSTAR 2017, but this time round, she’s 500 miles ahead of Mister Lucky, and will be third on the water, with only a two-handed Open 40 and a single-handed Open 60 ahead of her

Conor Fogerty Should Finish Today After Blitzing Alone Across the Atlantic

19th June 2017 Solo Sailing

Ireland’s Conor Fogerty of Howth Yacht Club has just 40 miles to sail to Newport, Rhode Island, and a hyper-successful Transatlantic finish for his Jeanneau Sunfast 36 Bam! in the OSTAR 2017, which started from Plymouth in Devon on Monday 29th…

The Sunday morning start for the Mini Fastnet fleet at Douarnenez. An upper limit of 70 had been set on entries, but during the final prep days, the numbers were shaken down to 62 boats

Tom Dolan Holding Fourth in Two-Handed Mini-Fastnet (Tracker Here!)

19th June 2017 Tom Dolan

Ireland’s Tom Dolan currently lies fourth in class as the 62–strong fleet in the 600-mile Mini-Fastnet from Douarnenez in western Brittany goes into its first night, crossing the English Channel to the first mark at the Wolf Rock writes W…

Fogerty Maintains Ostar Transatlantic Progress, Autopilot Malfunction is Main Concern

15th June 2017 Solo Sailing

Conor Fogerty is making great westerly progress this morning following a windshift last night in the closing stages of the OSTAR Transtlantic Race. The Howth Yacht Club sailor is vying for overall honours after a storm ravaged crossing. He has…

BAM dances with TWOSTAR leader Rote 66 as the fleet leader Vento approached the Nova Scotian coast

‘Extreme Conditions’ Wreak Havoc On OSTAR & TWOSTAR Fleets, Ireland’s Conor Fogerty Clear of Worst of Atlantic Storm

11th June 2017 Solo Sailing

#OSTAR - The OSTAR and TWOSTAR fleets have seen a slew of retirements after a storm hit the fleet in the North Atlantic on Friday (9 June), leaving one yacht abandoned and another dismasted. According to Yachting & Boating World,…

Tom Dolan finished the MAP Trophy race on a high, but not quite high enough to give him a podium place

Tom Dolan Improves to Fourth in Class at Finish of MAP Trophy Race in Douarnenez

10th June 2017 Tom Dolan

Ireland’s Tom Dolan had improved his position to fourth in class when the 55-stong Mini Transat Class had a close finish in the 220 mile Marie-Agnes Peron Trophy race at Douarnenez during the night writes W M Nixon. While he…

Tom Dolan (910) showing what he can do with a breeze, but at the moment he does well to keep his speed above 7 knots.

Fight to the Finish for Tom Dolan in 220–Mile Marie-Agnes Peron Trophy

9th June 2017 Tom Dolan

Less than two miles separate Ireland’s Tom Dolan in his Mini 650 Cellastab.com (IRL 910) from leader Benoit Hantzperg (Mahi-Mahi, 869) as they approach the western turning point in the Atlantic far beyond the Ile de Seine in the 220-mile…

Ian Lipinski’s one-off Griffon is probably the oddest-looking boat in the Mini fleet, but once again she leads overall in the Open Division, this time in the current 220-mile Trophee Agnes Peron circuit from Douarnez

Tom Dolan Has Good Night Racing in Bay of Biscay

9th June 2017 Tom Dolan

Ireland’s Mini Transat campaigner Tom Dolan has moved up several places in a good night despite difficult racing in the Bay of Biscay in the 55-boat 220-mile Marie-Agnes Peron Trophy from Douarnenez writes W M Nixon. Having had to contend…