2015 Solitaire du Figaro – Leg 4 underway

by Artemis Offshore Academy on 22 Jun 2015 At 1600 on Sunday 21st June, the Solitaire du Figaro – Eric Bompard Cachemire raced off the start line in Torbay for the shortened leg four (470 nautical miles) to Dieppe, France. The conditions were perfect for a race start, with both bright sunshine and 15kts of wind – a real luxury after the previous starting conditions we’ve seen during this year’s Solitaire! This will have come as a great relief to Academy Rookie, Robin Elsey (Artemis 43) who declared he was “living in hope” that the conditions weren’t anything like the shifty winds of the Pro-Am!

Out on the water, the Artemis Offshore Academy skippers favoured the starboard side of the course, with local boy Sam Matson (Chatham) sailing the furthest inshore. Clearly he was putting his knowledge of the area to good use as he rounded the first mark in sixth place, just behind leg three top Brit, Alan Roberts (Magma Structures). Before the race, Sam spoke of his aims for leg four. “I need to try to maintain my top 15 position – I’m currently in 14th,” he explained. “I’m going to be pushing it as hard as I can and just racing the race as I normally do. I’m not going to do be doing anything special or random, I’m just going to push as hard as possible.”

Sam continued to demonstrate excellent sailing as he exited the bay. Reaching the Radio France buoy in 10th place, the British skipper positioned himself well for the rest of the race. It was Redshift skipper Nick Cherry, however, who really climbed the ranks and shone on the water. In leg three, Nick ran into a rock off Ile de Batz, requiring him to abandon the race to make repairs. Redshift was out of the water in Dartmouth, for much of the stopover in Torbay, but now the Figaro seems to be in better condition than ever – and Nick is out to take leg four by storm! Prior to the race, Nick was asked what he hoped for in leg four. “I’ve got no specific goals,” he replied, “but I’d feel a lot better if I got a decent result on this one, so I’m just going to give it all I’ve got.” It certainly seems like he’s giving it everything – Nick reached the Radio France buoy in fourth place, quite a way to start!

The rest of the leg will be tough for the skippers. The course – shortened due to anticipated light winds – takes the fleet around Land’s End to a mark just north of St. Ives, then back south to Wolf Rock, past the Isle of Wight to Owers, and across the English Channel to Dieppe. With 20 knots of wind forecast for the first 24 hours, the race starts well for the skippers. However, the course includes many tidal gates and takes the skippers through a section of light wind in the English Channel towards the end of the race – at a time when all the skippers will want to do is sleep, they’ll have to be out on deck, willing the boat to move towards the finish line in Dieppe.

You can track the eight British skippers as they race to the finish in Dieppe here.

For further updates on the race, please visit the Artemis Offshore Academy website, Facebook and Twitter.