Solitaire du Figaro – Bomby establishes himself in top five skippers

by Artemis Offshore Academy on 13 Jun 2015 In the Solitaire du Figaro, with less than 50 miles to the finish of the shortened leg two, Eric Bompard Cachemire (330 miles), Henry Bomby has established himself in the top five skippers.

On Wednesday 10th June, the 39 boat Solitaire du Figaro – Eric Bompard Cachemire fleet left La Coruña to start the second leg of the race. Leg two was annulled after leaving Sanxenxo on Sunday 7th June due to inclement weather, the fleet sent on a revised 330-mile course direct to La Cornouaille (Concarneau), across the Bay of Biscay. At 1300, the fleet raced out of the Spanish port in which they’d been sheltering from the weather, the skippers keen to get back into race mode after two nights in comfy hotel beds.

Choppy seas and strong winds kept the start of leg two interesting. While most of the competitors converged on the start line, some were late as the skippers took the time to decide which headsail would be most effective, hoisting in the final minutes to the start. This resulted in some boats missing the start, but a sporting 25kt breeze soon propelled them forward to meet the rest of the fleet racing around the Spanish coast.

British skipper Alan Roberts (Magma Structures) excelled himself over the start line, rounding the Radio France Buoy in third place behind Vendee Globe winner Alain Gautier (Generali 40) and leg one winner Thierry Chabagny (Gedimat), and ahead of Adrien Hardy (Agir Recouvrement). Alan was unhappy with his leg one result, admitting to having ‘weaknesses in light winds and with the spinnaker.’ Clearly enjoying the initial strong winds, Alan has applied his experience and knowledge from leg one to the now lighter winds of leg two, and sits currently with Henry inside the top ten.

The first night saw the fleet split into three groups, arranged north west to south east. Leg one winner Thierry Chabagny (Gedimat) chose the most southerly group, along with Academy Alumnus Nick Cherry (Redshift). Solitaire du Figaro favourite Jérémie Beyou (Mâitre Coq) sailed in the north-west group, and was joined by Academy Rookie Andrew Baker (Artemis 23). However, it was the middle group that really made the gains against its flanks, allowing British sailor Henry Bomby (Rockfish Red) to climb the ranks and sit in the top five, where he remained once the fleet regrouped.

Sébastien Simon leads the race and is currently around 45 miles away from La Cornouaille (Concarneau). With leg one winner Thierry Chabagny towards the back of the fleet, leg two is shaping up to be an interesting leg, and a change at the top of the leaderboard seems almost certain.

The first boats are expected to arrive in La Cornouaille, France between 2100 and 2330 tonight.

For more updates on the progress of the British skippers, please visit the Artemis Offshore Academy website,