By romancrance3 — La Solitaire du Figaro
The moment of truth has arrived for all 36 skippers competing in this final stage of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec 2026. This Sunday evening at 7pm, the fleet will depart Pornichet bound for Le Havre in the 57th edition of the race. It’s a crossing that promises to be as demanding as it is decisive, with the overall standings wide open and only minutes separating the contenders for outright victory. Can Tom Dolan pull off back-to-back wins two years on? We’ll find out next Thursday… @Vincent Olivaud / OC Sport Pen Duick
After two fiercely competitive opening stages, it’s still anyone’s game. The leaders are separated by mere minutes, and every strategic call, every manoeuvre, and every weather decision could shuffle the overall leaderboard. More than ever, this final showdown will be about boat handling, commitment, and cool heads.
@Vincent Olivaud / OC Sport Pen Duick
The early miles should keep the fleet reasonably bunched along the Atlantic coast in manageable conditions. But as the fleet pushes towards the Channel, the picture will change dramatically. Skippers will need to navigate a stiff south-westerly breeze, a lumpy sea state, and increasingly challenging conditions, particularly as they approach the English coast and tackle the final Channel crossing. Beyond the fight for first place, every position in the overall standings carries real weight. Plenty of skippers will be hungry to salvage crucial minutes in this last leg that could reshape their final tally.
Tom Dolan (Kingspan) will need to hold his nerve across all 630 miles of the course if he’s to secure his second victory in La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec. But six skippers are breathing down his neck within two hours, and each one is eyeing a commanding stage win that could propel them to overall glory. So which of Nicolas Lunven (PRB), Alexis Thomas (Wings of the Ocean), Paul Loiseau (Région Bretagne – CMB Espoir), Paul Morvan (Foricher – French Touch), Martin Le Pape (Paprec), or Loïs Berrehar (Banque Populaire) will pull it off?
First boats are expected to cross the finish line at Le Havre on Thursday morning. As the days unfold, the tension will only mount, and the live race tracker will be essential viewing. Full standings heading into stage three are available on the official race website.
In their own words
Tom Dolan (Kingspan), leading the provisional overall standings after two stages with a cumulative race time of 7 days 20 hours 8 minutes and 46 seconds:
“I’m approaching this final stage with plenty of calm. Even though the course will be different to what’s come before, there are still plenty of strategic decisions to make—both heading up and down the Channel. Between the options around traffic separation schemes and the different approaches to the Channel..”
Originally published in French by La Solitaire du Figaro.
