Tom Dolan lines up today for the Solo Maître CoQ
by Tom Dolan Racing 6 May 16:49 AEST
Starting Tuesday, May 6, Tom Dolan, skipper of Kingspan, will be on the start line of the first race of the 22nd edition of the Solo Maître CoQ in Les Sables d'Olonne.
Part of the official Figaro Academy program, this prestigious event brings together 19 solo sailors for five days of competition, including tactical inshore races and a long 48-hour offshore course. After his first solo outing in March at the Solo Guy Cotten in Concarneau, the Irish sailor is aiming to build further momentum towards his main goal of the season: defending his title at La Solitaire du Figaro.
Returning to Les Sables with both ambition and clarity, Tom Dolan has already impressed this season with back-to-back wins in the Trophée Laura Vergne and the Spi Ouest-France Banque Populaire Grand Ouest, racing double-handed and in crewed format. In March, he kicked off his solo campaign at the Solo Guy Cotten. This week, he aims to validate technical choices and refine his solo benchmarks."As always at this time of year - whether it's March, April or May - we're facing north-easterly flow. It creates thermal conflict and brings real chaos to the water. It's super tricky and tactical... but we're starting to get used to that in Les Sables!"
The event will open with two days of short inshore courses - always highly tactical - before the long 300-350-mile offshore leg kicks off on Thursday, May 8, with finish expected Saturday, May 10, a day of celebration in Les Sables as Vendée Globe skippers are also being honoured.
"Just like at the Solo Guy Cotten, my goal is to apply the framework I plan to use in the Figaro. This is basically another full-scale test. The boat's in great shape, I've got almost all the sails planned for this summer... now I just need to make a final call on which spinnaker to take!" explains the Flying Irishman.
A high-level fleet of young talent and seasoned skippers
Tom will face a competitive fleet, including rising stars like Tom Goron and Paul Morvan, as well as experienced names such as Jules Delpech. He knows precision and quick thinking will be key from the very first miles:"As always, the goal is to perform as well as I can - especially at the starts. Last month, I had the chance to race with guys like Gildas Mahé, Franck Cammas and Sébastien Col, and I definitely picked up a few tricks. This will be my first solo race since then, so now it's up to me to put those lessons into practice."
He's aiming to make the most of the offshore leg in particular, but isn't taking the coastal races lightly either:"They carry a lot of weight in the overall rankings too, with multipliers. You've got to be sharp throughout."
And he'll benefit from some expert support behind the scenes: "Fun fact: out of the entire fleet, there's only one past winner of the Solo Maître CoQ this year - and that's my coach and boat preparer, Gildas Mahé. Honestly, I couldn't ask for better backup!" It's another full-scale test for the Kingspan skipper, as he charts his course toward the biggest challenge of the season.
Follow Tom during the race here.