Solo Concarneau - Henry Bomby first at the mark + Video

by Artemis Offshore Academy on 3 May 2014 Surfing down the rolling waves of the Brittany coast, yesterday (Thursday 1st May) at 14:00 BST 32 Figaros squeezed together to cross the Solo Concarneau start line at the highly favoured committee boat end of the line.

Beating upwind towards the Glénans Archipelago in around 20 knots of fresh Atlantic breeze, it was young British skipper Henry Bomby (Red) who set himself up on the winning tack that saw him rounding the Solo Concarneau windward mark first – a proud first for Henry and the Artemis Offshore Academy. Making it a top ten hat-trick, Ed Hill (Macmillan Cancer Support) and Rookie Rich Mason (Artemis 77) rounded in sixth and eighth – a promising start to the race, particularly for Henry who had just hoped to get round the course with a fully functioning autopilot this time.

'For me the Solo Concarneau is a good chance to run through and check all of my onboard systems after what happened in the Solo Maître Coq,' Henry explained prior to the race. 'I finished this race in ninth in 2013, which was a great result for me. A repeat of this this year would be amazing, but I’m just going to go out there and sail the best race that I can and if I can feel I’ve had a good run and speed test alongside the better skippers afterwards – then I will be happy.'



As the breeze picked up to 25 knots into the first night, the 340-mile Solo Concarneau threw its 10 Rookies, seven Brits, 23 French, one Croatian and an Irishman at the mercy of the Raz de Sein. A passage through strong tidal waters and fierce rocks, the Raz de Sein, is difficult to negotiate whatever the weather and can make or break a race, and it was here that Academy Rookie Sam Matson (Artemis 21) began to shape his race. Picking boats off as he worked his way up the fleet, Sam surged from a lower mid-fleet position to fifth overnight, racing back down the north western coast of France alongside Yann Eliés, Jérémie Beyou, Frédéric Rivet and Adrien Hardy – a group with just a few Solitaire du Figaros and a couple of Vendée Globes between them. After a disappointing result in his first race of the season, Sam was out to prove himself in the Solo Concarneau: 'I know I can sail fast, and I want to show that in this race and to do this I need to make sure I plan ahead during the race, setting myself up for maneuvers and wind shifts so that I’m not left behind.'

While Sam dices with the front runners, the remaining British sailors are gathering together in the teens and early 20’s. Fighting to keep within the top 15 to the finish, Ed is still going strong moving between 11th and 15th as the fleet head south. Dropping down the fleet after his glory at the first mark, Henry is battling his way up the ranks currently in 17th. Getting caught up in the mix the windward mark, Alan Robert’s strong start off the line was soured as he was pushed out the back of the fleet, now sitting 20th just behind Sam Goodchild in 19th. Fellow Rookie Rich Mason is not far behind in 23rd and Jack Bouttell is 24th, but with a front expected to shake the fleet up as they reach the bottom mark on the course, it’s still all to play for as Jack explained: 'From the most southern point of Ile d’Yeu to the finish line, it looks like there will be a complicated cold fronts coming through, which could change everything again with just a few miles to go.'

There is no rest for the wicked, or Figaro sailors it would seem, as the Solo Concarneau race team report that conditions so far and forecast are ‘a bit hectic’. Currently two sail reaching back south through the choppy Bay of Biscay, the 19 knots of wind moving the fleet passed Île de Groix is set to drop to a manageable 14 tonight as race moves past Birvideaux lighthouse. After racing in the light airs of the Solo Maître Coq earlier this season, Rookie skipper Rich was looking forward to punchier conditions: 'In bigger breeze you have less time to think about what you’re going to do tactically and you’re energy goes into pulling off slick maneuvers and quickly and into sailing the boat. I’m don’t know that the conditions will make the race easier on harder, but we’ll still have a lot of new things on our plates.'

Racing into the second night, Rookies Sam, Rich, Alan and graduates Henry, Ed, Sam Goodchild and Jack still have over 100 miles of the Solo Concarneau course left to sail. Looping around Belle Île to port tonight, the fleet should be on the home straight by morning. The race is expected to take roughly 50 hours to complete, seeing the seven British skippers arrive back in Concarneau early evening tomorrow (Saturday 3rd May). You can track the final stages of their race here.

In other news, the newest double-handed duo on the Academy block, Robin Elsey and Will Harris are about to embark on their first Royal Ocean Racing Club race tomorrow, the Cervantes Trophy. A 110 mile race from Cowes to Le Harve, Robin knows the course well having finished sixth overall (out of 104 boats) and winning the double-handed division with previous co-skipper Sam Matson in 2013. Spending long hours working on their Figaro, Artemis 43, over the cold winter months, Robin and Will are now ready to race with Will especially looking forward to his first double-handed Figaro event: 'Both Robin and I have been preparing for the race for some time now, spending long hours working on the boat, as well as setting ourselves offshore and overnight training exercises to help us with both our sailing, and to become a better team. I’m really looking forward to racing now, and hopefully we can do as well as the guys did in 2013.' The Cervantes Trophy is set to finish in Le Harve on Sunday (4th May) morning.

Positions at the windward mark:

Skipper/Boat name/Rookie*

1. Henry Bomby/RED
2. Jérémie Beyou/Maître Coq
3. Adrien Hardy/AGIR Recouvrement
6. Ed Hill/Macmillan Cancer Support
8. Rich Mason/Artemis 77*
20. Jackson Bouttell/Artemis 20
22. Sam Matson/Artemis 21*
30. Alan Roberts/Artemis 23*
32. Sam Goodchild/ Team Plymouth

Solo Concarneau positions after 24 hours

Skipper/Boat name/Rookie*

1. Yann Elies/ Groupe Queguiner Leucemie Espoir
2. Adrien Hardy/AGIR Recouvrement
3. Jérémie Beyou/Maître Coq
9. Sam Matson/Artemis 21*
15. Ed Hill/Macmillan Cancer Support
17. Henry Bomby/Red
19. Sam Goodchild/Team Plymouth
20. Alan Roberts/Artemis 23*
23. Rich Mason/Artemis 77*
24. Jack Bouttell/Artemis Artemis Offshore Academy