Home - Sail Search Blog - Light Start for La Solitiare du Figaro ...

Light Start for La Solitiare du Figaro 2008

Posted 4 months, 10 days ago

Light Start for La Solitiare du Figaro 2008
www.Sail-Search.com: The 50 sailors competing in this year’s Solitaire du Figaro finally got off today on the first leg from La Rochelle in France to the Galician port of Vigo in Northern Spain. This is the first of three legs that make up 1,880 miles long race between France and Spain via the Northern Irish Sea. The start of the La Solitaire du Figaro. First leg: La Rochelle to Vigo (Spain) The lack of wind forced the Race Committee to delay the start by just over an hour, but under grey skies and drizzle with a light southerly breeze, the impressive fleet of 50 Figaro’s set sail for the 465-mile leg. Three boats suffered individual recalls, Romain Attanasio (DCNS 62), Laurent Guezigoux (Hillion) and Eric Drouglazet (Luisina). Two miles into the race, Laurent Pellecuer (Docteur Valnet – Aromatherapie) and Jean Paul Mouren (M@rseillentreprises) led off the offset mark. Both sailors joined forces earlier this year to win the coveted Transat AG2R race. Jean Paul, now 55 years old is on a record 22nd participation in the event, a record he will hold to for years to come. With the race starting in such light winds, it was the boats that where patient and read the current right that gained the most from this start. With a strong current pushing the fleet to the west, half the boats found themselves too far right going up the first beat and had fight to get back to the windward mark, this was exaggerated by a few big shifts that left some boats hoisting their spinnaker to bring themslves back in the impossibly light conditions. Andy Greenwood, sailing in his first La Solitaire du Figaro got off to a good start by staying away from the main bunch and keeping himself in the middle of the course, although not at the favored end of the line he had clear wind and no boats around him to cause problems leaving him room to sail his own tactics and play the little shifts that where coming down the course, he also showed good boat speed up against the competition, something that will be required in the long nights ahead. La Solitaire, currently in it’s 39th year, enjoys the continued participation of the world’s top solo sailors, however with Michel Desjoyeaux preparing for his Vendee Globe this year and Alain Gautier, busy with America’s Cup training commitments, the road is clear a whole new generation of very talented sailors. It is just these rock stars of solo sailing that have paved the pay for some for future sailors; Gautier has handed the Foncia Figaro boat tiller over to Nicolas Lunven, the rookie winner of the 2007 edition. Marc Thiercelin together with his sponsor DCNS is responsible for the two Figaro boats skippered by experienced sailors, Romain Attanasio and Christopher Pratt all hungry for success. Full Story »

Comments are currently disabled