By La Solitaire du Figaro — La Solitaire du Figaro
Tomorrow, Sunday 31 May at 7pm, 36 skippers will line up for the final stage of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec 2026. The race from Pornichet to Le Havre is shaping up to be fiercely competitive, with everything on the line for the top three contenders and plenty of others harbouring ambitions further down the fleet. With the leaderboard incredibly tight, every competitor will be throwing everything at it to claw back the few minutes needed to seal victory or hit their targets. The opening miles along the Atlantic coast should play out in manageable conditions, with orderly seas and moderate winds as the fleet heads towards the Gironde estuary. This could well see the fleet stay bunched together, with every tactical move scrutinised closely in what remains a wide-open battle for overall honours.
@Vincent Olivaud / OC Sport Pen Duick
But as the hours and days unfold, the character of the stage will shift dramatically. As the fleet pushes towards the Channel and closes in on the English coast, the sailors will encounter a noticeably stronger south-westerly flow coupled with bigger seas. That’s when the Figaro Beneteau 3s come into their element – rapid reaching angles where speed ramps up significantly and gaps can open up in just a few hours. After rounding the Eddystone Light, the fleet will make one final push across the Channel towards Le Havre and the finish line.
So who will claim the top step of the podium? Tom Dolan (Kingspan), Nicolas Lunven (PRB), or Alexis Thomas (Wings Of The Ocean)? But don’t sleep on the outsiders either. Paul Loiseau (Région Bretagne – CMB Espoir) is just 33 minutes 11 seconds back, while Paul Morvan (Foricher – French Touch) sits at 1 hour 5 minutes 37 seconds. Martin Le Pape (Paprec) is 1 hour 33 minutes 17 seconds adrift, and Loïs Berrehar, currently seventh aboard Banque Populaire at 1 hour 50 minutes 7 seconds, will be hoping to make up ground and climb the ladder. On this final leg, anything is genuinely possible.
@Mathieu Rivrin / OC Sport Pen Duick
One last stage under the gun: managing the clock and the pressure
The key is staying locked in on your navigation without letting the pressure of the result get in your head. Finding that sweet spot between attacking hard and sailing smart, managing the fatigue that’s built up since the start, keeping your wits about you when it counts – that’s what usually separates the winners from the rest. More than ever, this final stage is a test of mental strength. The best sailors will be those who can channel the tension into positive energy and deliver when it matters most.
Originally published in French by La Solitaire du Figaro.
