By thomashowson2 — La Solitaire du Figaro
©Marin Carnot Just days after his Figaro suffered a spectacular dismasting off Wolf Rock lighthouse in Cornwall, skipper Marin Carnot is on track for an unlikely comeback in the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec. Thanks to an extraordinary mobilisation by his technical team, sponsors and numerous players across the marine industry, the boat bearing the Fondation Jérôme Lejeune colours has been repaired and re-rigged in under 48 hours.
Under the coordination of his boat prep manager Timothée Courmont, who’s been flat out since the boat arrived in port, all technical work has been executed at pace to get the skipper back in the hunt. Several chandleries and technical partners have stepped up in a pinch to supply the necessary gear, while insurers have fast-tracked the essential paperwork to get the boat back on the water.
What looked like certain retirement after the incident just metres from Wolf Rock lighthouse now looks avoidable – Carnot should reach Vigo on Saturday and line up for the second leg start on Sunday morning, just squeezing in under the wire.
“When you take down a mast like that, your first thought is it’s all over,” Carnot said. “But seeing an entire team mobilise to get the boat back racing gives you incredible drive. Racing under the colours of a foundation dedicated to disability also fuels resilience – I think of everyone living with genetic diseases and their families, who must push forward every single day despite the obstacles, often with a quiet courage and determination far more impressive than ours.”
Originally published in French by La Solitaire du Figaro.
