The overall lead of the 55th La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec is finely balanced as the leaders on Stage 3 from Royan to La Turballe head for the finish line after a very tough Channel passage last night. At Skerries buoy the advantage had swung the way of Gaston Morvan (Région Bretagne-CMB Performance) who passed Skerries Bank more than an hour ahead of Ireland’s Tom Dolan (Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan) whose overall race lead ahead of the French skipper at the start of leg was 57 minutes.
But since the turn south off Dartmouth Dolan has closed to be 11 miles behind the leader, now Loïs Berrehar (Skipper MACIF 2022) and the Irishman is quickest this morning by a few tenths of a knot at times. He is now eight miles behind Morvan making 14 knots with 185 miles of this 710 miles moster leg to go to the finish line. It will be a battle to the finish line which will sap every last ounce of energy, experience and talent and at the moment it is really just about these two sailors. It is Morvan, who has never won a stage or finished on the podium yet and whose dad Gildas had one of the longest and most illustrious careers on La Solitaire finishing third three times in a row and second once but never quite winning overall, up against the Irish skipper who carries the internationals flag, looking to become the first non French winner since 1988 when the race was sailed in half tonners. Last night and yesterday evening saw the fleet on the very edge for hours on end with gusts to 40kts and averages in the high 20s and big, unruly seas. Several skippers shredded spinnakers. This morning the winds are abating and the sea is evening out as the leaders sail on starboard gybe with about 20 kts of NW’ly winds and some 20 miles – at 0700hrs HF – to the Point of Brittany. Ahead there are the fierce tidal races off the North Brittany coast to be traversed in the easing winds whilst the accumulated fatigue on top the acute physical and mental tiredness of this leg reflect the very essence of what La Solitaire du Figaro is all about, the toughest solo offshore racing in the world, ‘where legends are born’
Top 10 at Skerries Bank :1.REGION BRETAGNE CMB PERFORMANCE - 1h012.SKIPPER MACIF 2022 - 1h063.EDENRED - 1h104.YCSL PRIMATICE SLB PHARMA - 1h335.GROUPE REEL - 1h356.SMURFIT KAPPA KINGSPAN - 2h067.QUEGUINER LA VIE EN ROSE - 2h088.DEMAIN - 2h109.SKIPPER MACIF 2023 - 2h2410. REGION BRETAGNE CMB ESPOIR - 2h25