By Thomas Campion — La Solitaire du Figaro
The fleet of 36 solo racers has left the English Channel in their wake, now cruising at a steady clip on relatively calm seas. All eyes are fixed on Wolf Rock, the next turning mark they’ll be rounding late tonight. It’s been a textbook start to the race before things get serious in the Bay of Biscay.
As the hours tick by, two distinct groups are forming. The leading contingent, steered by Loïs Berrehar (Banque Populaire), numbers around 17 boats. Close behind are Arno Biston (Article.1), Paul Morvan (Foricher les Moulins), Edouard Golbery (SOS Villages d’Enfants), and Hugo Dhalenne (Skipper Macif 2025), rounding out the current top five. The second group, sitting a bit further southwest, includes Alexis Thomas (Wings of the Océan), Eliaz Morineau (Demain sans HPV), Adrien Hardy (Sans nature, pas de futur!), and Tom Dolan (Kingspan), who’s tucked furthest to the west.
By 6pm, the first of the fleet had cleared the shipping lanes off Cornwall and were able to press on a bit more confidently toward the tip of Brittany. Tom Goron (XPlorassur), who was forced to make a technical pit stop, is battling back hard—sitting 6.7 nautical miles down at 6pm.
From the water:
Loïs Berrehar (Banque Populaire): “I’m absolutely buzzing about taking out the Trophée Paprec—that’s been the highlight. The coastal leg was genuinely enjoyable; you had to keep your wits about you with the tidal set, but everyone played it sensibly, which gave us all a clean getaway. The sea’s still reasonable at the moment and should kick up a bit once the wind fills in. We’ll need to make the most of the squalls—there’s plenty of work ahead. But for now, it’s ticking along nicely. The race is well and truly on.”
Paul Cousin (Région Normandie): “Cracking start with the sun breaking through at just the right moment—brilliant. Now it’s a long haul on the wind to Wolf Rock. We’ve got a solid beat in front of us, though there should be a few tricks to pull out of the bag. I’m staying focused on doing my job.”
Édouard Golbery (SOS Villages d’Enfants): “It’s been a solid beginning so far. I’ve come through the coastal leg in third, which I’m pretty pleased with. It’s roughly what I had in my head, so no complaints. I’ve tackled my first hard-boiled eggs and starting to settle into a rhythm. We’re keeping tabs on each other, but I need to read the conditions carefully to stick to my gameplan.”
Arno Biston (Article.1): “The race committee laid out a cracking coastal course. We got some genuine racing in, and it all felt safe and fair. But now we’re into the real grind. Time to leave everything on the water.”
Originally published in French by La Solitaire du Figaro.
