Solitaire du Figaro - A wide open and complex second leg

by Mathilde Mermod on 15 Jun 2014 It’s back. At 2226hrs (French time) on Saturday, after waiting patiently for nearly three hours, the 38 competitors in the 45th edition of La Solitaire du Figaro Eric Bompard cachemire set sail from Plymouth for Roscoff via the famous Fastnet lighthouse in Ireland.

After a three-day restorative stopover, Gwénolé Gahinet, the skipper of the Figaro Safran-Guy Cotten, is ready to face the longest of the four legs in this edition: a 535-mile (983km) race, where the objective will be to stay in the hunt and hopefully take a few precious minutes off Britain’s Sam Matson (Artemis 21), who is the leader of the Bénéteau rookie ranking.

With Plymouth bay still under a high-pressure system, the start of the second leg was played out in slow motion in nine knots of wind. After passing a marker buoy 1.2 miles from the Sound, the Figaro Safran-Guy Cotten headed west towards Lizard Point, the most southerly tip of England.

'I’ve been able to recover from the first leg with some nice weather in Plymouth,' Gahinet said. 'I did some sessions in the pool and had some physio to relax my muscles. My back is still a little sensitive and though it doesn’t bother me at sea, on land it can get in the way of my recovery. Today, I’m feeling ready for this second leg, even though three days is a brief rest period. La Solitaire is intense on the land and the water, but ultimately that's why we do it.' Indeed, it is all the details that make this the queen of races on the circuit: the sequence of legs over the month, and the very short recovery periods, which require the skippers to be clean-living and to really look after themselves.

On paper, this 535-mile offshore leg has everything to please Gahinet, who is more comfortable in solo racing over long distances. But in practice, the road to Roscoff is littered with pitfalls. 'There are hurdles all the way along the course, including the four TSS (Traffic Separation Scheme) areas to negotiate safely,' Gahinet said just before leaving the pontoon. 'From the files this afternoon, it seems to be a case of either going north of the Isles of Scilly or to the south of the eastern TSS. But that could still change...Then the wind will harden a bit, to around 15 knots, approaching the Irish Sea, where there will also be a lot of current. Our routes will definitely have some wiggle, which will means that there will sail changes.'

With a height of 54 metres, the Fastnet Lighthouse is the largest in Ireland. Built in 1853 on an imposing rock about six kilometres from the coast, it has become a legendary offshore racing mark thanks to the Fastnet Race since 1925. The approach to the famous 'rock' looks tricky for the 38 solo sailors in a softening wind. It is a strategic passage that Gahinet knows well as this will be the fourth time he has done it. 'We have to be prepared for anything,' he said. 'This is clearly the most risky part of this course. With the wind from the north-east, we will be in the wind shadow of Ireland, and then add to that the effects of the sea breeze and the currents. That's a lot of factors to take into account. But the Fastnet, I've passed it three times, including last year on the Mini Fastnet. That was really beautiful and I was leading and a long way ahead. The landscape, the wild coast…This is an awesome place.'

Then there is a 270-mile loop to race to Roscoff in Brittany, on a tack made for speed but where it is necessary to manage the TSS traffic separation zones, where the sailors are forbidden to enter. 'I think we will pass to the north of the Isles of Scilly, but that’s in three days,' Gahinet said. 'So, there is some uncertainty about the finish and that casts doubt on which strategy to adopt. At the moment, I don’t care too much about the rookie rankings, the key is to be in the right place at the right time and fight it out with whoever’s the best, it’s not yet the time to try and define my rivals.' Arrivals are expected between June 17 and 18.

Reminder of the ranking of Gwénolé Gahinet after leg 1: Deauville - Plymouth

Ranking leg 1: 13th, 1h 17min 55secs behind the winner Alexis Loison (Fiva Group)

Bénéteau rookie ranking: second, 19 min 06secs behind Sam Matson (Artemis 21)