By thomashowson2 — La Solitaire du Figaro
It’s a brutal blow for any sailor. After months of preparation, hunting down sponsors, and intensive training, watching your mast come down after just 19 hours of racing is enough to test even the strongest resolve. But for Marin Carnot, giving up was never on the cards.
“My first thought was straightforward: ‘That’s it, but I’m not quitting,”‘ he recalls. “I’ve put so much time into finding sponsors and getting race-ready that this can’t end after 19 hours.”
Carnot’s Figaro Beneteau 3 took a hit near Wolf Rock shortly after the start of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec. The Fondation Jérôme Lejeune skipper was picked up by the lead boat Express and towed back to Brest, where an extraordinary logistical effort was waiting in the wings.
The Brest miracle
His technical team was already mobilised when the boat hit port. Within 48 hours, Iroise Gréement pulled off a genuine logistical masterclass—fitting a new mast, reinstalling all the electronics, and getting the yacht race-ready again. The solidarity on show transcended the project itself, buoyed by messages of support from mates and visits from Marin’s crew.
“It keeps you fired up, pulls you out of the dark patch,” Marin says, clearly moved by the outpouring of support.
Back on the chase
After a gruelling 30-hour motor to rejoin the fleet—physically and mentally taxing in equal measure—the skipper finally made it back into contention. Now wrung out but relieved, the plan is straightforward: get some proper kip whilst ticking off the last technical boxes before lining up for the second leg, which is shaping as a real barnstormer.
There’s one thing on his mind, delivered with a wry grin: “Making sure it doesn’t fall down again!” The race is on.
Originally published in French by La Solitaire du Figaro.
