Young talents and top internationals set to shine on the 53rd edition of La Solitaire du Figaro

La Solitaire du Figaro © Alexis Courcoux

True to its strapline 'where legends are born' the 53rd edition of La Solitaire du Figaro is set to feature a galaxy of future stars. Even if some of the sailors who are household names in France are now required to be so totally focused on their main projects - IMOCA 60s, Ultimes and Class40s - that there is no spare capacity to do La Solitaire each summer, the level of talent and promise to be found among the 34 strong La Solitaire fleet is as high as ever.

That is in part because the level, competitiveness and duration of the work at the French training 'Pôles', or centres, is at an all-time high attributable directly to the 'Vendee Globe' effect. So buoyant is interest in the four yearly solo non-stop race around the world that there are legions of young French solo racers harbouring realistic Vendée Globe dreams, training hard at these centres of excellence. And La Solitaire is the de facto essential learning and proving ground.

Sunday start

After a week of festivities in host city Nantes, the 2002 La Solitaire du Figaro starts off Saint Michel Chef Chef at the entrance to the Loire on Sunday August 21 at 1540hrs local time. Reflecting the strong interest in La Solitaire among the 34 solo racers are nine rookies, five women and ten international sailors.

Once more this year there are no past overall winners among a fleet which is set to compete over three long demanding legs, Nantes - Port-la-Forêt (644 nautical miles), Port-la-Forêt - Royan (635 miles) and Royan - Saint-Nazaire (700 miles). The outstanding favourite is Tom Laperche (Bretagne Region - CMB Performance).

Now very much the understudy of François Gabart and co-skipper on his Ultime, 25 year old Laperche was third in 2021 and 2020. He leads the season championship the French Elite Offshore Racing Championship at the moment and is seen to be a step above his rivals. He seems able to take just the right level of risk at just the right time to win races. Laperche has won all three solo races this season the Solo Maître Coq, Le Havre All Mer Cup and the Solo Guy Cotten and was third on the two handed Sardinha cup.

Also among the podium contenders should be Loïs Berrehar (Skipper Macif 2021) a stage winner in 2020 and winner of the 2022 BPGO Trophy and his Macif cohort Skipper Macif 2020's Erwan Le Draoulec. Or Gaston Morvan (Région Bretagne - CMB Espoir), who made a strong debut on the circuit last year by finishing 1st rookie and 7th overall in La Solitaire du Figaro. And Corentin Horeau (Mutuelle Bleue) has also made a good start to the season after coming back to 8th last year after a five years break

Well capable and ready to step up to the podium are Briton Alan Roberts (Seacat Services) and Ireland's Tom Dolan (Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan). Roberts starts his ninth La Solitaire du Figaro and has composed a strong series of early season solo results and Dolan is also consistently among the top group in racing in training, looking to better or match his career best fifth overall in 2020.

The Brit says, ""This year I am going out thinking I can win the event or finish on the podium. I am going to go out and sail the weather rather than the fleet, my bias is towards the weather than racing the fleet. On a three leg race like this there will be more skippers in contention on the last leg than a classic four stage Solitaire. I think we will see more people taking more aggressive options."

And Dolan, known in France as 'the Flying Irishman' is in a positive mood in Nantes despite a couple of setbacks during early season races. While Dolan is on his fifth La Solitaire France's Fred Duthil (Le Journal des Entreprises) already has 12 Solitaire du Figaro on the clock. "I am really very attached to this race which really marks my sailing career from 2004 to 2013, it brings together everything I like: close-contact racing, one-design, a mix of racing and offshore, the physical and psychological difficulties that force you to find your absolute limits", says the sailor who as a sailmaker has run the Technique Voile sailmaker since 2016. He came back in 2020 and took second place overall. Now at 48 years all he remarks, "I no longer have the will to win at all costs. I go there to maintain myself at a good level, just keeping my hand in. It's good for my job. It allows me to have a good chats with the racers and understand their needs."

Nine sailors pitching for the Bénéteau rookie prize

Nine rookies this year reflect very diverse profiles, from ex Olympic classes racers to older skippers looking to test themselves. Just as Laperche is clear favourite in the general classification Guillaume Pirouelle (Région Normandie) stands out in the rookie fleet. He was a top French 420 and 470 racers, winning the Junior 470 Worlds as well as latterly the Tour Voile with the Beijaflore team. He has been the understudy to Alexis Loison before taking over his boat. The 28 year old who races out of Le Havre lies third on the French Elite Offshore Racing Championship.

Pirouelle says, "My goal is the rookie ranking, but I want to do better than that. In the first races of the season, I didn't really know where to place myself. It's a bit the same thing here, except that the stages are longer and that we have to do three of them. This challenge is is more difficult. I want to sail cleanly and be happy with my legs."

Among the other Rookie challengers are Basile Bourgnon (EDENRED) whose late father, Swiss sailor Laurent won the race in 1988 at his first attempt at the age of 22. Basile is the youngest competitor on this 2022 edition. Davy Beaudart, 37, has won most of the Mini 650 honours during his career and is Louis Burton's close friend and preferred co-skipper on the IMOCA Bureau Vallée but he is new to the Figaro class. Germany's Susann Beucke (The Race Is Female) is a Tokyo 49er FX silver medallist (see story on German skippers here) setting out in the Figaro class for what she considers a medium to long term participation in the Figaro.

The Vivi Trophy... nine challengers

The 2022 entry also has a strong international accent with no less than ten foreigners registered, including past winners of the trophy which awards the top non-French skipper on the general classification. Dolan and Roberts have shared the Vivi trophy each year but now Germany's Jörg Riechers (Alva Yachts) is back after a first participation in 2005; Barcelona's Pep Costa (Team Play to B - Terravia) is on his second La Solitaire and Swiss sailors Nils Palmieri (Teamwork), winner of the Transat 2021 with Julien Villion. Palmieri remarks, "I have had good results but I would like to take things a step further this year. I want to sail in my own way, with my style, my qualities and my faults, avoiding looking at what others are doing. And to finish the race telling myself that I was the best possible version of myself."

Five female skippers

And just as there were in 2021, five women are taking part in La Solitaire du Figaro including Buecke Violette Dorange (Devenir) and Elodie Bonafous (Quéguiner - La Vie en Rose). Tenth on the Figaro season standings Bonafous says, "It would be nice for a woman to get into the Top 10 of this La Solitaire."

Find out more at www.lasolitaire.com