As solo star Tom Dolan said when he arrived this week in Greystones to position himself on stand-by for his waiting-game round Ireland record challenge from the Kish Lighthouse, the current increasingly Autumnal weather pattern is much more encouragingly dynamic than it was when he made his previous attempt in the Spring.

It’s the Meath Maestro’s first time back in Ireland with the boat since he emerged as the winner of Stage 1 of the Figaro Solo Paprec 2023 in Kinsale on the last day of August, after racing over an artificially lengthened, extremely challenging and complex 620-mile course from Caen in Normandy.

While the Figaro 3 can certainly make to windward with enthusiasm - as seen here in the 2023 Figaro Solo Paprec in which Tom Dolan won the first stage from Caen to Kinsale – the strategic minimizing of windward work is essential to a successful Round Ireland challenge

The Figaro concluded, he then teamed up with fellow Figaro racer Gaston Morvan on Region Bretagne, and with three others aboard they contested the crewed season-concluding Figaro 3 Nationals at Lorient on October 7th, and won. As it was sailed while the late summer weather prevailed in heatwave conditions, subsequently choosing to sail north in Smurfit-Kappa Kingspan when the summer shutters came down with a bang on Ireland was inevitably a matter of going suddenly into a very different world. But it’s typical of Tom’s approach to challenges that he can put a cheerful spin on it all.

This was just a fortnight ago in South Brittany - Gaston Morvan and Tom Dolan and their crew basking in late summer sunshine after winning the Figaro 3 National at Lorient

STORM BABET? SHE WAS DEFINITELY “DYNAMIC”

And certainly “dynamic” is normally used in this positive way. Yet those who have been at the receiving end of Storm Babet in recent days - whether through wind damage, flooding, power outage, or just plain inconvenience - might find different and often unprintable words to describe the current rapidly moving chaotic kaleidoscope of conditions. It’s doubtful they’d enjoy being told they’ve just had a dynamic experience, accentuated by the brief bursts of sunshine lasting just long enough to emphasise the meteorological horrors in between.

These have included yesterday’s near-visit by Babet’s un-named little sister. While in development form, she went slowly past to the south of us, heading in an eastward direction in deepening mode. Then, having gained power, the nameless one unfairly turned back to have a whack at Ireland’s East Coast yesterday afternoon before settling down over England to start the messy process of fading away.

FLOATING ON DOLAN ENTHUSIASM

So what else can we do other than let ourselves be carried along by Tom’s bubbling enthusiasm? The Irish weather may be adversely under the heel of the jet-stream at its most malignant. And there are too many places in the world where intractable people-made horrors prevail ashore. Yet when we look at what this weekend has to offer as that latest low pressure area grinds away to the eastward while slowly filling, we find Irish sailors coming out for more sport at home and abroad.

Unlikely as it might have seemed early in the night, the final race may be sailed this afternoon in the monday.com Autumn League at Howth. And although there’ll be a real nip to the northerly wind, there are enough close placings at the top of various leaderboards to make it well worthwhile competing.

When Autumn sailing is good, it’s very very good – the Autumn League at Howth celebrated its 40th Anniversary last year, and memories tend to be like this, as seen with the two Howth 17s Leila and Aura, both of 1898 vintage. Photo: HYC

As for the seasonal leagues in Cork and Kinsale, being further west and using more of the weekend, they can expect even gentler conditions.

OUR NAVY OF ARMCHAIR ADMIRALS

But meanwhile, the considerable presence of Ireland’s navy of Armchair Admirals has been glued to weather observation and prediction charts as they wait and opinionate about Tom and Smurfit-Kappa Kingspan making their move.

It’s easy enough to say that wind directions were near enough just right to take off anti-clockwise on Tuesday. But severe easterly gales and zilch visibility in the shipping-busy North Channel would have been unnecessarily and extremely hazardous when the campaign has the luxury of time.

CHALLENGE OF 1986 GOT AWAY “BY SKIN OF ITS TEETH”

The last thing you need in a Round Ireland Record attempt is too much wind, even if it is favourable. Back in May 1986 when we were hanging around in Dun Laoghaire with Robin Knox-Johnston and his 60ft trimaran British Airways to inaugurate the current wave of non-racing Round Ireland records, we waited for winds from all sorts of easterly directions (with much rain) to abate a bit, and settle in a favourable direction.

Robin Knox-Johnston’s 60ft MacAlpine-Downie catamaran British Airways making away from Dublin Bay at the start of a successful Round Ireland record challenge in May 1986. Shortly after disappearing northeastwards into the murk, she was almost capsized in a sudden extra gust of wind. Photo: BA

All the ducks seemed to be in a row by Saturday, with a strong yet seemingly steady easterly. So off we went anti-clockwise in driving rain from the Kish, in sailing conditions which saw the big twin-hulled bucket at her noisy best. But she went so fast that we caught up with a line of squalls that had been retreating northwards, and one of them as near as dammit capsized us, though happily it’s a memory that had been largely obliterated by all the subsequent experiences before the job was done.

A FAVOURABLE GALE?

A favourable gale is just about manageable if you’re on a straight-line course, but a problem-filled challenge like the Ireland circuit is better off with good steady whole-sail winds and reaching conditions, just like Tom is enjoying in our header photo. So maybe after the current climatic chaos has fully departed, we can revert to the dynamic conditions the Meath skipper favours, and the show will be on the road.

And to think they might have been guiding a plough – former Meath farmboy Tom Dolan’s hands exfoliated by salt water at the end of a tough solo race

Yet while we’ve been left meteorologically punch-drunk at home by the hectic conditions, elsewhere Irish sailors are enjoying competition in something approaching summer, although it looks to be tough enough in Tangiers where Eve McMahon (Howth YC) is at the top of the table in the ILCA 6 U21 Worlds, which conclude tomorrow.

Thanks to Eve McMahon, IRL has been looking good at Tangiers this week in the ILCA6 U21 Worlds. Photo: ILCA Class

Meanwhile in Malta, it has been high summer by our standards in the countdown to today’s start in Valetta of the 609-mile Rolex Middle Sea Race, in which Conor Doyle’s xP50 Freya from Kinsale is defending an ORC Class podium place. Whether or not the strong wind conditions in Tangiers move eastward towards Malta is a moot point, as the Mediterranean weather is something of a law unto itself.

The ultimate in-harbour start: tradition dictates that the Rolex Middle Sea Race from Malta should start within Grand Harbour, Valetta. Photo: Rolex/Kurt Arrigo

She certainly gets around - Conor Doyle’s Freya from Kinsale in Dublin Bay. This morning (Saturday) she starts her second Middle Sea Race from Malta. Photo: Afloat.ie/David O’Brien

Either way, the smart money overall might be on Bryon Ehrhart’s Lucky from the US, as she is of course the former round Ireland mono-hull record-holder Rambler 88 with which George David and his team demonstrated that they probably had the best-all-round big boat on the planet, with overall victory - including a course record – being part of their track record in the Malta major.

“Sail clear through the gap….” Nobody knows how the gap opened up to let Rambler 88 through the smaller boats at the start of the record-breaking 2016 Round Ireland Race from Wicklow, but she was right there at the Naval Vessel end of the line, bang on time and going two or three times as fast as any other mono-hull. Photo: W M Nixon

TWO MONTHS TO SYDNEY-HOBART

Rambler 88 had yet to prove herself in the Sydney-Hobart Race, which is sailed again in just over two months time, but meanwhile, Down Under the new season is having its traditional opening in New Zealand this weekend with the Auckland-Russell coastal race numbering a fleet of 150-plus.

Among them is “The Irish Boat”, Mick Martin’s TP52 Frantic (ex-Patches). She won the new Sydney-Auckland Race - a 1250-mile marathon – a week ago, with Trevor Smyth, formerly of Clontarf and one of the legendary Sailing Smyths, in the afterguard. After the Auckland-Russell contest, Frantic heads back to Australia and the Hobart count-down, with Trevor Smyth aboard for his second Sydney-Hobart.

While you can have year-round sailing in Auckland, for many New Zealanders the annual Auckland-Russell Race (seen starting here) marks the beginning of “the real season”

IRISH RUFFIANS IN HONG KONG

Thousands of miles to the north in Hong Kong, yesterday they were enjoying 25 degrees Centigrade, but on a cloudy day. Over the weekend, the temperature will drop a little, but the sky will clear, while the winds – 18 km/h today from just east of north - will freshen to 23-24 km/h fr between north and northeast.

It may be the other side of the world, but it’s of nationwide interest in Ireland today, as the Irish Ruffian 23 Class is carrying its Golden Jubilee celebrations to a new level with the resumption post-Covid of the biennial inter-port contest between the Irish and Hong Kong fleets.

This weekend sees the Irish Ruffian 23 Class in Hong Kong defending the inter-port trophy which they narrowly won in Dun Laoghaire pre-lockdown in 2018

In the fast-changing Hong Kong sailing scene, the relatively venerabe Ruffian 23s are seen as something of a mascot class in the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, where they’re much celebrated. That will reach new heights today as Ann Kirwan of the National YC – a former Dublin Bay SC Commodore – has managed the logistical challenge of getting an all-Ireland team of twenty Ruffian 23 sailors from half a dozen widespread clubs out to Hong Kong for a long weekend of international sport and celebration.

The Ruffian 23 Hong Kong class’s trophies on display in the Royal Hong Kong YC

That Ruffian 23 international Corinthian contest is probably about as far as you can get – both in real distance and spirit – from top level sailing in France. As has been said maybe too often, the past is a different country, they do things differently there.

THE FRENCH WAY IS DIFFERENT

Certainly as far as sailing is concerned, at the top level France is indeed a very foreign and different country, with the corporate structures of its society reflected at the highest levels of professional sailing. The talented sailors compete for the support of promotion-geared companies which recognise that there’s an enormous appetite for news of extreme sailing among the population, most of whom live at some distance from the nearest bit of sea. And ashore, the gung-ho regional authorities vie with each other through big budget campaigns to host the starred events.

Obviously we’re looking at an Irish take on this with Tom Dolan’s Smurfit-Kappa Kingspan support. But in a week’s time one of the the really big one is right on top of the agenda with Le Havre hyper-alive with the crowds gathered for the start on Sunday, October 29th of the Transat Jaques Vabre to Martinique in the Caribbean.

Irish interest has never been higher, as Pamela Lee of Greystones – currently holder of two of the most meaningful Round Ireland Records as the two-handed champ and women’s record titleist - is on the line for the two-handed division with her loaned Class 40 and lead sponsorship from Brittany Ferries.

THE 2024 VENDEE GLOBE?

At the moment, there’s no noise from any of the four Irish sailors who announced potential campaigns three years ago towards the November 2024 Vendee Globe solo from Les Sables d’Olonne in IMOCA 60s, but the outcome of the upcoming Transat Jacques Vabre might put a different spin on that.

Fast women. Pamela Lee (right) and Catherin Hunt in speed mode on the Figaro 3 with which they established a solid Round Ireland in October 2020

Irish solo sailor Tom Dolan is back in Ireland with his Figaro Beneteau 3 Smurfit Kappa Kingspan, aiming to set a Round Ireland speed sailing record, a bid sparking debate about the status of solo sailing in Irish waters and the records themselves, which Afloat concluded in May, was all a bit of a mess.

The National Yacht Club sailor wants to break the long-standing record of 4 days, 1 hour and 53 minutes and 29 seconds established by Michel Kleinjans aboard a Class40 in 2005, but, he says, the World Speed Sailing Record Council (WSSRC) do not accept singlehanded record attempts, so Dolan has lodged a double-handed speed record bid.

"I will be sailing around Ireland single-handed with an onboard reporter (OBR)", he explained to Afloat. 

Dolan says the OBR has been quite common in offshore racing since the role was introduced in the Ocean Race 2012. (The first single-handed race with an OBR was transatlantic from New York to Vendee in 2016). "So I do all the sailing, he does all the filming!" he told Afloat. 

Nevertheless, some say it asks what record the Irish Figaro star attempts to break; the solo or double-handed record? Or will it set a new time as the first circumnavigation with an onboard reporter?

"Pointing at Michel’s record as a reference time makes no sense. Respect the current record and call this attempt what it is: a double-handed round Ireland record attempt as defined by the WSSRC", former Round Ireland record holder Mick Liddy told Afloat.

Female duo Pam Lee and Catherine Hunt set a double-handed record time in 2020 of 3 days, 19 hours, 41 minutes and 39 seconds.

As regular Afloat readers know, Dolan similarly completed a circumnavigation in May but finished some hours outside Kleinjans reference time, as time and tide ran out.

He completed the course in 4 days, 11 hours, 54 minutes and 31 seconds but maintains that it is possible for him (with his OBR) to complete the 688-mile course in three and a half days if the weather window is good.

Now, in October, he says is under no time pressure on his second quest and can wait for an ideal weather sequence that will give him the best chance.

It would be a fitting conclusion to a hectic solo season, where he scored a spectacular leg one win into Kinsale in the Figaro race in September before ultimately ending up 18th overall. 

He will wait for an ideal weather sequence. While the weather seems very unsettled this week, Dolan is confident that he has much less time pressure now and can afford to wait. The weather at this time of year is much more dynamic than in the summer, with more lows coming sweeping in from the Atlantic. 

Dolan is still unsure whether the best way is to go anticlockwise or clockwise. He needs a system that will give him a sequence of shifts in wind direction. "The key is always that northeast corner where the strong tides are. Normally, I'd say you want to get through and deal with them first, and then you are not worried about getting stuck at the end, but you need the wind to work for you," says Dolan. 

The long hours of darkness and cold will be much more unpleasant than his summer attempt, but he is accustomed to the ocean's late autumn and early winter conditions. Dolan notes that weight is not super critical, as it is in La Solitaire du Figaro, so he can ensure he has a good supply of hot food and drinks and can carry more sails. 

Like the last attempt, Dolan's boat is in Greystones Harbour in County Wicklow, less than seven miles from the record starting line between Dun Laoghaire and the Kish Bank lighthouse, and is all set and ready to go. 

The annual French solo, multi-stage one-design offshore race, La Solitaire du Figaro is an incredible sporting challenge, and this year’s edition, the 54th La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, which finished into Piriac-sur-Mer on Thursday morning was no exception. Although there were no major gales it was a long, Doldrums like calm at the finish of Stage 2 into Roscoff which shaped the final outcome of the race.

While escaping the shutdown in the breeze at the finish, which lasted overnight and through the best part of the next morning, was beaten by the three French sailors who took the podium places today, it proved a cruel setback for Ireland’s Tom Dolan. After the skipper of Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan had made history by winning the opening stage into Kinsale from Caen, Dolan was one of the many left drifting on not one, but two tides off Roscoff, losing more than a dozen hours against the solo sailors who finished top three today, Corentin Horeau (Banque Populaire), Basile Bourgnon (Edenred) and Lois Berrehar (Skipper MACIF 2022).

Dolan dropped to 17th overall and, despite a great final stage today – finishing eighth into Piriac-sur-Mer – ended his sixth La Solitaire du Figaro in 18th.

Tom Dolan: “Sometimes La Solitaire is a war, sometimes a dance, sometimes a chess match”

“It was quite a race I felt good all the way through this stage and quite comfortable until very early this morning when I lost my temper when I caught something in my keel. It took me a while to realise it and the others passed me” said the sailor who grew up in County Meath and now lives in Concarneau.

He is disappointed with his final finish position, which falls short of his 5th in 2020 7th in 2022, but he will always treasure the victory in Kinsale. “Winning and doing it at home in Ireland was an incredible moment, without doubt the best of my sporting career!”

Dolan’s race and that of others was ultimately lost at Saint David’s Head on the northwest corner of Wales. He was among the leading group who went outside, west of the Smalls TSS and became becalmed in contrary tide.
“It was just bad timing. At that time on the forecast we had, there was no reason to go inshore, but the boats behind did. ” Recalled the Irish skipper.

He finished a very creditable eighth into Piriac-sur-Mer this morning – losing Berrehar and Horeau in the final miles after he caught a rope round his keel - but weighted down by that Stage 2 finish, Dolan ends up 18th overall and wins the Vivi Trophy for the best international skipper.

Looking exhausted and spent, he was philosophical, “This stage felt long but it was shorter than the one before. It was intense, it was a real race that I really found cool. This Solitaire was a lot of hard work. And I'm quite happy with the way I sailed on the first stage, even if the second was a little bit cruel for me and many other sailors. I feel good, and I was quite comfortable with the boat, until this morning when I lost my temper when I caught something in the keel. It took me quite a while to realize that I had something on it, while the others were passing me.”

Even in his deeply fatigued state, Dolan smiled, “I feel like I sailed well, I sailed the boat fast and made good decisions. With the information I had I would still make the same choices at Saint David’s and indeed I am pretty happy with all the choices I made. I don’t feel like I made mistakes or bad choices.”

He quipped, “If I could, I would love to do this every month, haha! It's so good, there's nothing better. Sometimes it's a war where you're attached to the helm that you can't let go, other times it's a game of chess, and sometimes it's a dance or at the slightest shift in the wind everything the world turns at the same time. It’s incredible and intense. I recommend to everyone, and I already want to come back next year.”

Tom Dolan of Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan has made a commendable climb up the leaderboard in the latest update from the 2023 La Solitaire du Figaro, positioning himself in sixth place. He was 4.5 miles behind the leader, Benoît Tuduri of CAPSO en Cavale. Dolan was going well upwind, positioned slightly offshore of the boats around him, which could benefit him by sailing a shorter distance to the last marks of the course.

With just over 70 nautical miles to sail at 1800hrs this (Wednesday) evening, the battle for the overall title hangs in the balance. Basile Bourgnon (Edenred) trails two miles directly behind second-placed Corentin Horeau (Banque Populaire) as they beat back up the Vendée coast between Les Sables d’Olonne and Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie after starting the third and final 470 miles stage from Roscoff to Priac-sur-Mer with a lead of 8 minutes and 55 seconds over Horeau.

The theoretical time difference between Horeau and Bourgnon is around 20-25 minutes, giving the advantage to Horeau by a matter of ten or 11 minutes. It is increasingly looking like Horeau, the older, more experienced sailor, finally has the most coveted solo one design offshore title within his grasp on his seventh attempt. The breeze is likely to ease over the duration of the evening and night, and will head them to ensure the last dozen miles will be directly upwind. But most forecasts do not predict a shutdown.

Loïs Berrehar, who was in third going into the final stage, is 32 minutes and 42 seconds behind Bourgnon and 23 minutes and 47 seconds behind Horeau. He is in seventh place but only a few hundred metres ahead of Horeau. It's worth noting that the strategy for the podium is being in front of the other two.

The race is expected to end tonight, and all eyes are on the top contenders, namely Horeau, Bourgnon, and Tuduri.

ETA on the finish line is between 0300 and 0600hrs local time Thursday

Benoît Tuduri of CAPSO en Cavale has made a formidable comeback on the third and final stage of the 54th La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec. Tuduri was denied the Stage 1 win due to a rookie rules transgression but has now made a late bid for glory, threatening long-time stage leader Elodie Bonafous of Quéguiner-La Vie en Rose. Tuduri and Jules Delpech of ORCOM were coming in with speed, having worked an inshore, easterly route down the Vendée coast past La Rochelle. Both were looking like they might get a share of the time bonuses for passing the Intermediate Sprint line buoy. 

The fleet of 31 boats has been making solid progress under spinnaker today, allowing the exhausted solo skippers to grab some short catnaps to recharge their batteries. Despite this, the main peloton led by Bonafous remains very tightly packed, with less than five miles between the top ten and two miles separating the top five. 

Basile Bourgnon of EDENRED still holds the advantage in the battle for overall top honours, but Tuduri's late surge has made the final leg worth watching. Bourgnon won Stage 2 and is directly in front of Corentin Horeau of Banque Populaire and Lois Berrehar of Skipper MACIF 2022 respectively. His main goal now will be to monitor Horeau's every move and cover him as much as possible on what should be a one-upwind leg 140 miles back to Piriac-sur-Mer on the French Loire Atlantique coast just west of La Baule. 

Irish sailor Tom Dolan of Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan is also in a good position, currently in ninth place, and has a chance to make some gains as they converge on the mark, only six miles off the coast between Arcachon and the entrance to the Gironde Estuary. 

As the race enters its final stages, the excitement is palpable, with Tuduri's comeback story adding a thrilling twist to the proceedings.

Ireland's Tom Dolan was eighth at the first turning mark in the third and final leg of the  La Solitaire Figaro this Sunday afternoon and well in the match in the race.

Last Thursday and Friday, Roscoff may have yielded one of the slowest and most frustrating finishes to a stage in the long history of the race, long hours of windless Doldrums leaving many of the pre-race favourites becalmed. In a three-week, three-stage solo race, which is usually won or lost by minutes, some of the race stars were rendered more than a dozen hours behind the top three finishers.

But today the Bay of Morlaix – one of Brittany’s most important sailing hubs which has produced solo offshore stars such as Armel Le Cléac’h, Jérémie Beyou and Nico Troussel - atoned somewhat, by giving the 54th La Solitaire Figaro Paprec fleet a great send off on to what still promises to be a slow, problematic 470 miles decisive final stage to Piriac-sur-Mer, just north of Saint Nazaire on the Loire Atlantique coast.

In 12-14kts of SW’ly wind, a warm sun lost at times behind an occasionally swirling sea mist – the fleet took on a short circuit in the Bay. And it was Corentin Horeau (Banque Populaire) – who lies second on the general classification – who laid down the gauntlet with an immaculate display of round-the-buoys precision and slick, smooth solo boat handling.

In front of knowledgeable, partisan La Solitaire fans on and off the water, Horeau, 34, highlighted why he is one of the pre-race favourites, leading by a few boat lengths ahead of young Basile Bourgnon (EDENRED) – the 22 year old Stage 2 winner who is his nearest title rival and 26-year-old Guillaume Pirouelle (Région Normandie), last year’s runner up who is one of many favourites languishing in the depths of the fleet, more than half a day behind the GC leaders.

With little to lose because the deltas through the fleet are now so big, the fleet showed some urgency on the start line, resulting first in a general recall and then three skippers jumping the gun when this concluding stage finally got away at a little after 1430hrs local time.

The opening section of the leg takes them around the headland of NW Brittany into one of the most technically challenging regular Figaro playing fields – the highly tidal Chaussée de Sein and the Pointe de Raz - whilst negotiating a high pressure ridge of light winds which will slow the leaders and compress the fleet. The southernmost turning mark is between the entrance to the Gironde and Arcachon.

Ireland’s Tom Dolan (Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan), the Stage 1 winner who saw his chances of an overall place on the podium evaporate in the windless, sticky mess overnight Thursday, is gunning to finish on the podium on this stage, one of many top Figarists now left to salvage their pride and their morale with a strong final leg.

“It is looking light, it is looking flukey, it is looking complicated and at the end there will still be a lot of time difference but hopefully not another 15 hours.” Smiled Dolan as he cast off, “ There is a ridge of high pressure which we have to get across in the west of Brittany and whoever gets out of that first will get rich, a ‘rich get richer’ scenario. I have only had two nights in a bed and so I am a bit tired. Last week was a busy one, but this is a new week, a new leg and now I have to just look at each leg individually, and not be emotional at all, just concentrate on the processes.”

“It's going to be interesting along this north coast of Brittany in and out the rocks, but it won't be much easier afterwards because this ridge means uncertainty on the second half of the course. We have to play with the land breeze and the sea, thermal breeze, the calm areas we can’t avoid and the currents. I think we can expect a lot of stop-starts but also very little sleep because it will be difficult to maintain any kind of rhythm.”

Dolan was eighth at the first turning mark and well in the match.

Horeau, 34, has the bit between his teeth. Despite a strong early start to the season he lost his sponsor but was almost immediately called by Banque Populaire – sponsors of Armel Le Cléac’h who won his third La Solitaire du Figaro in their colours in 2020 – who wanted to make a return to the pinncacle solo, multi-stage offshore one design race.

The French racer from La Trinite whose career best is second in 2014 on the Figaro BÉNÉTEAU 2s – had all the ingredients to win last year and was tipped to do so but finished 13th. He has podiumed on all his solo Figaro races this season, and, as he docked out said, “I am where I want to be. I am approaching this last stage in the same way as I have the first two, I was with my mental coach just now and we said to ourselves that we had to do the same thing as I have from the beginning. That is what has worked since the start of the season. The objective is always the same, to have fun. I would like to let go a little more on this stage. Physically I am as good as before the start of the first stage. Mentally I even feel better, I am less stressed, more confident.”

Top of the General Classification Bourgnon headed out today with a lead of 8 minutes and 55 seconds over Horeau whilst Loïs Berrehar (Skipper MACIF 2022) is third 32 minutes and 42 seconds behind the top placed Bourgnon, who said,

“After winning a stage I am now able to approach this final one like the other two stages, that is to say in my own way, without restrictions because I am not sure I know how to do this and that would put pressure that I do not need.”

Before the start there was a collision between Cap Horn (Laurent Givry) and J'M Garnier (Maël Garnier). Garnier damaged two aft stanchions and carried on. Givry had a damaged foil and bowsprit and returned to port for repair. He left again around 1630hrs but is racing ‘hors concours’ as he had not crossed the start line, so does not rank as a starter.

Irish sailor Tom Dolan is preparing for the final stage of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, bracing himself for another bout of light winds that could present a significant challenge.

Dolan, who sails for Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan, had a disappointing second stage of the race, falling from first to 19th place after being becalmed for 16 hours before the finish in Roscoff.

Despite his setback, Dolan remains positive and aims to finish the race on a high note. He acknowledges, however, that his chances of finishing on the overall podium are slim, as he currently sits 15 hours and 13 minutes behind race leader Basile Bourgnon of France.

The final stage of the race has been shortened due to predicted light winds, with the 32-boat fleet now covering a distance of 470 miles instead of the planned 630 nautical miles. The course will take them to a mark on the French Atlantic coast between Arcachon and the mouth of the Gironde river, where Bordeaux sits.

Dolan is expecting a challenging race, with light, flukey winds and a ridge of high pressure to navigate. He is hoping to be the first to get across the ridge, giving him an advantage over his rivals. However, he acknowledges that the course will be complicated, with a mix of land and sea breezes, currents, and calm areas to navigate.

Despite the challenges, Dolan is determined to focus on the process, taking each leg of the race as it comes and not being emotional. He admits that he is a bit tired, having only had two nights in a bed, but he is looking forward to the race and expects to have little sleep due to the stop-start nature of the race.

The leaders are expected to arrive in Piriac-sur-Mer on Thursday, and Dolan will be hoping to secure a podium finish in the final stage of the race.

Irish skipper Tom Dolan's performance was a mixed bag in the first two legs of the 54th La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec race. He emerged victorious in the first leg, but encountered a challenging time in the second leg due to the brutal light winds. Dolan struggled significantly in the final four miles of the leg from Kinsale to Roscoff, taking more than 12 hours to cover that distance.

This resulted in him dropping from the top spot to the 19th position overall. Dolan completed the leg in 20th place at 09:27hrs this morning, 15 hours and 13 minutes after the current race leader Basile Bourgnon. Dolan was one of the many sailors who faced difficulties in making progress in the race's final miles due to the lack of wind and a strong current against them.

Despite the setback, Dolan remains optimistic and pragmatic. He believes that he did not commit any significant errors but merely faced unfortunate circumstances. He felt fatigued and hungry after the long and arduous leg. Dolan is now ready to compete for a second podium position during the final stage from Roscoff to Priac, sailing across the Bay of Biscay and back.

Irish sailor Tom Dolan is holding steady in eighth place as the 54th La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec enters its second stage. Dolan remains just under seven miles behind the leader, race veteran Alexis Loison of Groupe REEL, who took control of the stage as the fleet raced back down the Saint George's Channel.

Loison, competing in his 17th challenge, is looking to put his name on the list of overall winners. However, his nearest rival on this stage, Norman protégé Guillaume Pirouelle of Région Normandie, remains just under five miles behind.

The leaders are facing light winds as they pass the tidal currents of entrance to the Bristol Channel before taking on Land's End on Wednesday. Many of the pre-race favourites find themselves way behind where they would expect to be in this 32-strong fleet.

Despite the slow start, they can still hold on to hopes of compression and a chance to catch up before Land's End or even right at the finish off Roscoff

Irish sailor Tom Dolan battles strong tides and light winds to climb up the leaderboard on the second stage of the 54th La Solitaire du Figaro, the famous French offshore sailing race. Dolan, the winner of stage 1, is currently in tenth place, trailing French rookie Hugo Dhallene, who leads the fleet as they race north to the most northerly turn of a 570-mile course to the Bay of Morlaix. 

The climb to Chicken Rock lighthouse, south of the Isle of Man, is not for the faint-hearted among the 32 solo skippers competing in the race. The combination of strong tides, periods of light winds, and different strategic options creates big gaps in the fleet. 

Dhallene, an experienced offshore racer from Saint-Malo, led through the Intermediate Sprint at South Arklow, gaining himself a 5 minutes time bonus. Dolan was around 40 minutes behind but key for him is having some pre-race favourites like Gaston Morvan, Corentin Horeau, and Basile Bourgnon even further behind. Bourgnon – fifth into Kinsale – was two hours behind the leader at the so-called ‘sprint’ mark. 

Race Director Yann Chateau announced earlier in the day that the fleet will sail the long course, round the rock south of the Isle of Man rather than a possible shorter course which would have turned south offshore of Dublin Bay. The race is expected to finish in the Bay of Morlaix on Thursday, with the most optimistic models seeing the first finisher during the day and the most pessimistic in the evening.

Hugo Dhallenne (YC de Saint-Lunaire), after passing the mark of South Arklow:  “That's it, the intermediate sprint is over. Now to head due north to find Chicken Rock, near the Isle of Man. It is always upwind. The current is quite strong here. For the moment, we have it with us, but it will soon be reversed. We take every little thing we can take, and then you have to deal with it. It's very nice to pass a mark in the lead on the Solitaire, especially 24 hours after the start. But the stage is far from over. There is still work to do, I want to stay at the front.”