By thomashowson2 — La Solitaire du Figaro
The weather has done a complete about-face in the 57th edition of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec. After the squalls and low pressure systems, an anticyclone has moved in – and it’s playing havoc with the fleet’s push towards Cape Finisterre and the finish in Vigo, marking the end of this opening leg. It’s recovery time now, with skippers running through their boat systems to ensure they’re firing on all cylinders for this final stretch. The much calmer conditions have given the sailors a chance to get some maintenance done on the hull and rigging. Hugo Cardon on Sarth’Atlantique has been up the mast twice – nothing serious, but it’s quite a feat when the sea’s only moderately friendly. “I reckon I’m not the only one who’s been up the stick today,” Cardon said. “Plenty of competitors have been chatting on the VHF to race control about heading aloft. I’d say there’s still some small jobs left over from that front we copped two nights back, except conditions were way too rough to climb before now. For me personally, there was no safety risk to the boat – it was more about not losing ground towards the finish if I need to fly all my canvas. Pretty full-on stuff. Took a knock on the left arm and right ankle but I’ll live. The leftover swell’s what makes it tricky up there – you’re getting thrown around something fierce.” ©Thomas Campion
Hugo Dhallenne’s westernmost positioning during the long descent from the Brittany coast has him leading the fleet on Skipper Macif 2025. Clean sailing and smart tactics have put him perfectly placed to tackle this final leg – and what a leg it is. “Beautiful to finally get some decent weather,” Dhallenne said. “It was pretty relentless in the wind and rain before that. We’re buzzing to be beating in manageable seas with the sun on our backs. Pretty happy – nothing’s broken. I was keen to stay high and west to sort things out when we get to Spain. So far it’s working. I’m sailing a bit wide of the rhumb line, hoping my angle sorts itself out and I’ll have the right line to gate through and finish with the breeze behind me to the gate.”
In second, Davy Beaudart on Nautymor’s made a smart move in the shift. “Like everyone else, we were pretty much white-knuckling it for 48 hours with the boat absolutely glued over and hammering into the waves,” he said. “I tried not to push too hard on that leg – just looked after the boat and the skipper – and I’m stoked. I’ve got a boat in tip-top shape and a skipper in the same state! To get stuck into the next bit, I’ve gone through all the systems from scratch and then dried the boat out as much as I can. She’s in good nick to tackle the final leg, which is shaping up to be pretty tactical.”
Originally published in French by La Solitaire du Figaro.
