By Thomas Campion — La Solitaire du Figaro
The 35 solo sailors are facing the real test as day two draws to a close in La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec. Since mid-afternoon, the entire fleet has hit the Traffic Separation Scheme boundary and been forced to tack to avoid breaching it. They’re now heading west-southwest in punchy conditions—winds gusting around 30 knots with seas pushing over two metres. It’s a tightly bunched fleet battling through this rough patch. Alexis Thomas on Wings for the Océan is leading the charge, with Loïs Berrehar (Banque Populaire), Nicolas Lunven (PRB), Tom Dolan (Kingspan) and Arno Biston (Article.1) all within a nautical mile of the leader. Laure Galley on Hauterive is holding sixth place, just ahead of Paul Cousin on Région Normandie. Further back, Tom Goron on Xplorassur is making up ground steadily—he’s sitting 30th on the 18:00 leaderboard, just in front of Lola Billy on Région de Bretagne CMB Océane. The next 24 hours demand grit and discipline. In these brutal conditions, clear thinking is everything. Getting the call right at the right time could be the difference between staying fresh and digging into the reserve tank. These sailors know these transition phases are where gaps open up. The night’s going to be a grind, but once the fleet tacks south again, things should ease up a touch—beam seas beat a slog into a headwind.
Originally published in French by La Solitaire du Figaro.
