Irish skipper Tom Dolan has taken a exceptional victory within the gruelling multi-stage solo offshore race, the Solitaire du Figaro
Irish skipper Tom Dolan stated that he needed to cry with pleasure as he secured a historic win in La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec on Wednesday 11 September 2024.
La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec is without doubt one of the most gruelling, prestigious and famend of all of the solo French offshore races, and it’s been the proving floor of a few of ocean racings best stars.
Nonetheless, it has additionally been exceptionally French dominated, with simply two worldwide skippers ever having gained it: the Belgian Joan de Kat in 1970 and the Swiss skipper Laurent Bourgnon in 1988.
In a usually nail-biting state of affairs for the Figaro, which is a one-design race during which end positions are calculated on cumulative time, the highest 20 boats all completed leg 1 inside 5 minutes of one another after 615 miles of racing and 4 days from Rouen to Gijón, Spain. Irish sailor Tom Dolan completed ninth within the first stage, however with the fleet so shut the race successfully restarted for Leg 2.
He then gained the second leg from Gijon to Royan, one other 515 mile stage, additionally choosing up a 5 minutes time bonus for profitable an Intermediate Dash race, earlier than main the race all the best way again throughout the Bay of Biscay. This left him in first general going into the ultimate stage.
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Dolan secured his win on a very epic third and remaining leg from Gijon to La Turballe, western France, during which the solo skippers – already exhausted after two 500-plus mile phases – needed to deal with notably boisterous circumstances. The monster 700-mile course for the ultimate stage despatched the remaining 31 solo skippers on an categorical passage throughout the English Channel to Portland Invoice then again to Skerries off Dartmouth earlier than heading south to the end line.
On the ultimate stage the fleet additionally compressed and prolonged repeatedly, the leaders briefly escaping earlier than the pack closed in on them as soon as once more, with the ultimate outcome unsure till the end earlier than the general race podium winners may very well be topped.
Dolan on Smurfit Kappa – Kingspan, completed in seventh at 5:18 am native time in the present day, Thursday 12 September, to safe victory within the general rating.
Photograph: Alexis Courcoux
“I haven’t actually acquired my head round what’s simply occurred but. The Solitaire du Figaro is a race I’d hoped to win at some point and in the present day actually is a dream come true! It’s utterly loopy!” stated a beaming Tom Dolan on the dockside early this morning.
“All in all, we had some actually boisterous circumstances. The pasting we took off southern England with 30 knots of established wind, gusting to 35, was notably notable.
“At that time, I used to be now not close by of the others and we have been actually taking a hammering. My sole obsession was to maintain the small spinnaker within the air and to make as quick headway as attainable with out careering off the observe.
“It was full-on, it must be stated. Actually, I’d go so far as to say that it was even a little bit scary through the gybes. In the long run, we solely had a small respite earlier than passing the Skerries Financial institution after which we hit a lightweight patch offshore of Brest.
“On a private stage, I spent an enormous period of time on the helm and I by no means let up regardless of the fatigue. It was very important to maintain tempo and that required an unlimited quantity of dedication as everybody was attacking like loopy on the head of the fleet!”
That is Dolan’s seventh entry within the race. “This victory is the reward for years of labor and sacrifice, each for me and in addition for these round me. After the second leg, I knew I used to be nicely positioned with a lead of 57 minutes over the 2nd boat however I attempted to maintain a cool head and I strived to place as little stress on my shoulders as attainable.
Photograph: Alexis Courcoux
“I admit that there have been numerous instances after I’ve doubted myself. To be trustworthy, a couple of hours in the past, I used to be simply hoping that I’d have the ability to save myself a spot on the rostrum. I went by means of all of the numbers out on the water, counting and recounting the instances.
“I’d imagined that some monstrous gaps had opened up between me and the leaders with the present on the Raz de Sein. After I crossed the end line, I wasn’t positive whether or not or not I’d taken the win however I quickly acquired the image after I heard individuals congratulating me. At that second, I type of doubled up in my boat. I needed to cry, albeit with tears of pleasure.
“Finally, all of it got here right down to a transition through the second leg between Gijón and Royan, which was the tiniest of issues. That’s usually the way it goes within the Solitaire. That was the way it performed out within the final version when the state of affairs didn’t work in my favour. This time I had karma on my aspect!”
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