By Thomas Howson — La Solitaire du Figaro
This morning’s racing has tightened the screws considerably on this final leg of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec. After hours of graft trying to build their advantage, the frontrunners have watched a decent chunk of their lead evaporate mile by mile. A frustrating reality for those out front, whose hard yakka has delivered precious little in return. Provisional stage three leader Nicolas Lunven (PRB) knows it only too well—his efforts have come to nothing quickly. At the BXA mark, the intermediate waypoint at the mouth of the Gironde, the wind simply died away and reshuffled the deck. Alexis Thomas (Wings of the Ocean) has grabbed the reins thanks to sharp positioning, with Tom Goron (Xplorassur) and Eliaz Morineau (Demain sans HPV) rounding out the top three. ©Thomas Campion
Since first light, the fleet has been navigating genuinely tricky conditions. Light patches, wind oscillations and constant transitions have meant every mile requires total concentration. Alexis Thomas (Wings of the Ocean), first away from Pornichet, has spent much of the race in the thick of it and absolutely owns this first leg. But as La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec so often reminds us, nothing’s locked in. The skipper’s staying smart and sticking to his game plan.
Things are tightening at BXA
Behind him, Tom Goron (Xplorassur) and Eliaz Morineau (Demain sans HPV) remain perfectly positioned and keeping the suspense alive. More broadly, the whole fleet’s feeding off this general compression to stay in touch. At BXA, the gaps are razor-thin. Nineteen boats rounded the mark within 20 minutes. They’re now locked into a proper boat-on-boat battle on the beat and in the light air. From here it’s onwards to Île de Sein, 210 miles further northwest. A long leg that could be the real turning point of this final stage.
Calm before the breeze
The next few hours should still see light and patchy winds, but Météo Consult is flagging the arrival of a front overnight. Behind that, a 20-knot westerly is expected to set up progressively. The boats will finally get their legs back and gaps should start opening up properly. After hours of wrestling with the demons of light airs, the sailors are gagging for a chance to let their Figaros fly. Until that happens, concentration stays maxed out. When every trim adjustment instantly shifts the boat’s balance, competitors rarely step away from the sharp end. VHF chatter’s been thin on the ground this morning too. Hand on the sheet, hand on the stick, these single-handers are hunting for every tenth of a knot.
Originally published in French by La Solitaire du Figaro.
