Henri-Lloyd supports Team Solan for Transat Paprec
by Henri-Lloyd 11 Feb 2025 08:00 PST
Team Solan - Champagne celebrations © Team Solan
Henri-Lloyd has been announced as the Official Technical Clothing partner for Team Solan Ocean Racing.
Representing England and Scotland in the world racing circuit, team members Maggie Adamson and Calanach Finlayson won the Offshore Double Handed World Championships in 2024 and are now gearing up for another great year.
For 2025, the pair are setting their sights on success in the prestigious Transat Paprec race, which departs from Concarneau in France in April, finishing in St Barths. The race, which takes place every two years, is the only one-design double handed Transat race, competing in Figaro Beneteau 3s. "This makes it unique as a race, and a pure test of skill and endurance," says Cal.
United by a mutual desire to succeed in the world of offshore racing, both Maggie and Cal started sailing at a young age - Maggie was only three when she was first stepped into a boat with her uncle, whilst Cal was 14 when he started dinghy racing - and the duo have gained many years and sea miles of experience racing internationally. "For several years we actually competed against each other, in races such as the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland, and the Fastnet," says Maggie, before the pair teamed up in 2022 to win the Nastro Rosa Veloce race in the mixed double handed category.
For the coming 2025 season Maggie and Cal will be amongst the first to use the revolutionary new Dynamic range with 4-way panel stretch. "Dynamic is set to revolutionise marine clothing," says Knut Frostad, CEO of Henri-Lloyd. "Its stretchable, flexible fit works for all shapes and sizes, and still has all the benefits of being breathable, waterproof and long-lasting, as well as super lightweight. Another key advantage is that the whole range is complementary, meaning that sailors can carry onboard fewer items, all of which pack down into a compact size, essential for offshore racing where less weight is a benefit."
Cal says: "In the 2024 Offshore Double Handed World Championships, the races are shorter and more "sprint" in style, which means there is inevitably a relatively high workload. Regular sail changes mean spending time at the front of the boat where you are constantly drenched by waves. Then with a tack or gybe I would be below deck moving the stack to the new high side which works up a decent sweat. Regular wardrobe changes are just not practical so you need kit that does it all: lightweight, dry, breathable and that works with you as you move. The Henri-Lloyd Dynamic kit has answered all of this and we can't wait for the coming season."
Maggie says reducing weight on board is key. Alongside being a world champion offshore sailor, member of the RNLI Lerwick Lifeboat crew and Tall Ship skipper, Maggie is a qualified musician, having completed a degree in violin performance, and still teaches violin and fiddle nationally and internationally. "Bringing a more efficient and compact wardrobe on board might mean I have space for my violin on the Transat Paprec!" she says.