Around midday this Monday the lead group of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec have left the Raz Blanchard – the tricky, tidal Alderney Race – behind them and have less than 100 miles to make to the turn south at Wolf Rock.
The wily, hugely experienced Alex Loison (GROUPE REEL), on his 18th La Solitaire, leads the pack by just over half a mile. Last year’s runner up Basile Bourgnon (Edenred) is second and third is Loïs Berrehar (Skipper Macif 2022). The next few hours should be slightly more favorable for recovering from a rough first night since leaving Le Havre, dealing with the strong tides off the Cotentin peninsula, an area which is very much Loison’s home playground. Spain’s Pep Costa (VSF Sports) is in ninth and Ireland’s Tom Dolan 13th.
Loison said this morning, “We have been going well since Barfleur, we had to slalom through the rocks a bit. It was the right timing to cross Cherbourg harbor. It’s still a bit chaotic at the moment but it’s starting to get it back together. We’ll be able to take advantage of it to try to rest. The weather is quite grey this morning, the sea is messy but I’m glad the first night is over. We had up to 25 knots of wind and now it’s down to 18 knots.”
In third Loïs Berrehar on Skipper Macif 2022 is hanging on and despite the conditions, is enjoying himself.
"It was a pretty intense night with a lot of manoeuvres in the rocks to be able to protect ourselves from the current along the Cotentin coast. We went to look for the counter-currents on land. It was nice but not very relaxing. Next time, we'll have to do it during the day, it should be a little nicer. The sea was relatively flat along the coast, but on the other side, to go towards Alderney, the wind against the current was like driving piles. The wind is currently blowing between 15 and 20 knots, easing off a little. The conditions are good but we have it in our noses. We're going to have an almost direct route to Wolf Rock, we'll be able to rest a little".
