By Thomas Campion — La Solitaire du Figaro
Are we witnessing the big breakout moment? Along a tight line hugging the coast, a cluster of Figaro sailors is making a calculated gamble to break free from the pack. Led by Alexis Thomas (Wings of the Océan) furthest west, he’s got company in Loïs Berrehar (Banque Populaire), Nicolas Lunven (PRB), Martin le Pape (Paprec), Paul Morvan (Foricher – French Touch), Tiphaine Ragueneau (ORCOM) and Edouard Golbery (SOS Village d’Enfants) furthest east. It’s a move that hasn’t paid dividends on the leaderboard just yet, but could well be the masterstroke before long. Slightly further back but on a more westerly angle, Tom Dolan (Kingspan), Arno Biston (Article.1), Paul Loiseau (Région Bretagne CMB Espoir) and Victor Mathieu (Elitys) are also well-positioned. Provisional leader Hugo Dhallenne (Skipper Macif 2025) is looking over his shoulder at both groups—unless he can find more breeze and push south towards Cape Finisterre. The approaches to La Coruña and that iconic cape remain anything but predictable. This rugged, high-relief coastline with all its nasty coastal effects is a headache for anyone trying to make southbound progress. While the pressure’s mounting on the fleet, there’s at least one silver lining: the weather gods have relented, serving up wall-to-wall sunshine and near-summer conditions. Perfect timing for the skippers to recharge before the final push of this first leg of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec. All signs point to a hectic night ahead, and come dawn, a few surprises wouldn’t go amiss.
Originally published in French by La Solitaire du Figaro.
