Ireland's Tom Dolan opens his 53rd La Solitaire du Figaro positively

Run - Ambiance sur le village de la Solitaire du Figaro © Alexis Courcoux

Irish skipper Tom Dolan made a strong start to his fifth La Solitaire du Figaro on Sunday, helped in part by the lack of a complex opening circuit, the light airs and his early season training which focused on making better starts and improving close quarters combat skills.

Sailing Smurfit Kappa - Kingspan Dolan was among the first group to break the start line when French Vendée Globe racer and Paralympic Medallist Damien Seguin completed the countdown to begin the marathon 648 nautical miles leg which will take the 34 solo racers from the Loire's entrance off Saint Nazaire to a northernmost turning mark at Skokholm Island and to a finish line in Port La Forêt, Brittany where the leaders should arrive Thursday morning.

Light to moderate winds are forecast with many stop, start sequences expected over Monday and Tuesday as small troughs of low pressure are encountered. After turning around the tiny bird sanctuary island which is positioned just two miles off the Pembroke coast in Wales, the racers should have a faster downwind run back to Brittany. It is a similar weather scenario and course to the last stage of last year's La Solitaire when Dolan finished third into Saint Nazaire.

Looking relaxed before he docked out of Saint Nazaire to head for start to the three stage French solo offshore race, Dolan said "It is looking a lot lighter than it was originally expected. The rebounds, the compression and expansions, are going to be even more pronounced. There will be a lot of opportunities to catch up right to the finish. And I am pleased that the start is not having a lot of circuits before we leave as I don't like them, I like a clean start. That should suit. I feel great, excited and ready to go. Now on my fifth race I know what to expect and I think I get into the race rhythm earlier, how I manage the boat and myself, all comes earlier. The key in the first 24 hours up to the Chaussée de Sein is looking a bit complicated, there are little fronts with different windshifts, so no time to rest, eat and sleep. There can be big speed differences between offshore where the breeze might be and inshore, but getting to the west might be the hard part. All the changes are coming from there but it is complicated to get there."

Two hours after the start Dolan was in 12th, alongside Brit Alan Roberts (Seacat Services) and pre-race favourite Tom Laperche (Région Bretagne-CMB Perfmormance).