From what proved to be a very closely fought, light winds psychological roller coaster Ireland’s Tom Dolan returned a solid, middle of the fleet 14th place in the Solo Concarneau Trophée Guy Cotten which finished Saturday.

For Kenny Rumball, Ireland's second entry in the solo race, it was a tough debut before September's Figaro Race.

After two days and three hundred nautical miles of racing Dolan on Smurfit Kappa finished 32 minutes after race winner Pierre Quiroga on Skipper Macif 2019.

Dolan was especially pleased that he had stuck rigidly to his pre-race plan and had not allowed his concentration to be derailed early in the offshore race when he found himself deep in the pack.

Between four and five hours after Thursday’s start Dolan had to stop Smurfit Kappa, to back up to try and remove clumps of weed off his appendages. In the end he had no alternative than to dive in and pull the weed clear.

“I lost about ten places and then was pretty much last but I really did not let it upset me and just stayed cool knowing opportunities would come my way. I really stuck to what I knew was my strategy, my road book and everything just worked out progressively. So 14th may not be brilliant but I am very pleased that I held it together and that gives me a lot of confidence for La Solitaire.” Dolan reported.

“It was pretty light all the way, never more than 13 kts at any point in the race. One thing now with these boats is that until they get a bit lively at 14kts of windspeed everyone is pretty much going at the same speeds now. It is so much down to the little things which are making a difference here and there around the course.” Dolan recalls, “I am happy this time not to have made any stupid mistakes. In this case, I could have done better but it was one of those races you could have sailed really well and still done worse than 14th.”

Looking ahead to La Solitaire du Figaro which starts 30th August in the Baie de Saint Brieuc, Dolan feels he is in decent shape, “I will do a little work on the boat between then and now and I’d maybe like just a bit more reaching speed but I am happy with the way I am sailing and the choices I am making. You can spend days looking for the perfect sail shape or tenths of a knot here and there but if you go the wrong way or lose your focus when it goes wrong then that is worth nothing. So I am pleased with my mental preparation and can’t wait for La Solitaire.” He concludes

#fullirish – The first night of this year's Solo Concarneau has been a tough one writes Marcus Hutchinson. The first 12 hours of the race have been a solid beat in 25 knots of wind. To add to the complexity the first few hours of darkness fell at the point on the course where the fleet had to short tack along the beach of the Bay of Audierne to avoid the strong south going tide.

The passage through the Raz de Sein took place just as the tide was turning favorable meaning this notoriously dangerous stretch of water could be navigated safely. And then the first of the tactical options played out

Getting to the left hand side of the course initially to benefit from a stronger north going tide was what seemed to work for several boats on the way to the ultimate windward mark the Pierre's Verte buoy just South of Ushant. One of the biggest gainers on this leg was Artemis Rookie Sam Matson who moved up 10 places to round in the top eight.

David Kenefick's Full Irish kept a steady pace working with the group he was in, managing the risk of moving away from the pack to round in the high teens. The next leg, sailed in the pre-dawn hours of this morning was a simple broad reach against the tide allowing all skippers to get some rest and som food afterthought 12 hour beat before the next section

As of midday Friday the fleet is running downwind in best VMG mode past the pointe de Pen March. The tracker shows some boats tubing earlier as they attempt to position themselves better in anticipation of an initially shift to the right and fresher breeze coming from offshore as the sea beesw may fill in. Those that haven't gybed early are not so sure about the thermal situation as the sky is still fairly overcast over the course area.

The rest of Friday will play out according to the evolution of the thermal component on top of the gradient wind that is itself shifting around to the N orth East.

Keep watching the tracker (above)

#soloconcarneau – 25 knots of wind from the West, a big lumpy sea, a foul tide and 31 other boats met David Kenefick's FULL IRISH on the start line for the 340-mile Solo Concarneau writes Marcus Hutchinson. Starting and finishing in the Breton port of Concarneau the course is taking the fleet of Beneteau Figaro IIs up through the Raz de Sein to a buoy just South of Ushant before a long dowind leg via the Birvidaux lighthouse near Quiberon to round the Ile d'Yeu off Les Sables d'Olonne before heading back North to finish in Concarneau. The estimated finish time is currently sometime on Saturday evening, but things can evolve as the forecasts roll through.

The start got away on time with a short upwind leg to the first weather mark to split the fleet up a bit. The wind shifted to the right almost at the start which meant the committee boat was the best place to be, David managed to get a second row start just at the boat and tack out to the right quickly to clear his air. There was very little port tack to sail and when he tacked back he was more than comfortable on the layline. Many boats to leeward however were struggling to lay and the middle of the fleet all missed the mark and had to gybe around and find a way back into the train of boats approaching on starboard.

The wind is going to keep the sailors more than busy over the next 18 hours as they make their way upwind in physical conditions. The first big decisions on strategy will kick in as they head across the Bay of Audierne. The foul tide will keep them inshore initially but as the tide prepares to turn their will be a timed exit from the shore to place themselves sufficiently far offshore to either get far enough to the West to sail outside the infamous Chausée de Sein and have the strongest fair tide for the longest time or to remain to the right, benefit from the forecast right hand shift and flatter water after the Raz de Sein.

Endless analysis of all of these points before the start can only go so far. A delay in the start or a bigger squall under the first cloud and a larger shift can alter angles and arrival times at strategic points by margins that throw everything into doubt. Decisions have to be made, evaluated, re-assessed and maybe modified all the time. In short there is a lot for the sailors to think about as they sail alone around the tip of Brittany.

The leaders in the early stages include several of the usual suspects in the class such as Jeremie Beyou and winner of the last two Solitaire du Figaros Yann Elies. The first boat at the first mark was Briton Henry Bomby sailing Red.