By Thomas Campion — La Solitaire du Figaro
Aboard the 60-foot catamaran “No Limit” as a guest of Race Direction, Alexis Loison, winner of the 2025 La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, gives us his perspective on the final hours of racing. “We’re currently off Penmarc’h with the whole fleet pretty spread out over a good fifteen miles. The leaders are tacking tight to the rocks – it’s absolutely brilliant. They’re sheltering from the adverse current and getting a flatter sea state. Tonight they’ll manage to round Île de Sein, which is also the intermediate sprint. That’ll get them through this close-hauled section where they’ve been working hard for over 24 hours now. Then it’s into another phase that won’t be a breeze, because the wind’s going to pick up significantly. We’re talking over 30 knots with gusts pushing 40 in the Channel in some spots. So they’ll need to nail the right sail configuration to deliver a fantastic finish up to Le Havre in Normandy. What’s certain is this is far from over. You can see the experienced guys are leading, but in a blow, five minutes, twenty minutes, half an hour – even an hour – can easily be gained or lost. So it’s definitely not decided, and it’s magnificent to be watching it unfold from the inside. That said, Tom Dolan’s showing real mastery at the moment. I reckon as General leader, being out front is the only thing that gives him hope of taking the win. But right now he’s putting in a faultless display. Though like I said, it’s really far from done. So watch this space – it’s going to be brilliant.”
Originally published in French by La Solitaire du Figaro.
