Irish Figaro skipper Dolan battles injury as Leg 1 Endgame begins
by Tom Dolan Racing 10 Sep 18:33 AEST
Irish Figaro skipper Dolan © Tom Dolan Racing
Kingspan skipper Tom Dolan sought medical attention on Tuesday for a niggling hand injury he had picked up within an hour of the start. Over the phone and email, the fleet medic gave Dolan instructions on how to strap his left wrist so that he could continue racing in the Solitaire du Figaro.
- Distance To Finish: 165 miles
- Position: 8th (3.9 miles from leader)
- Next turning point: Needles Fairway buoy - 16 miles away
It hasn't slowed the flying Irishman, who remained in the leading pack as the fleet charged across the English Channel once more, heading downwind to the Needles Fairway buoy off the western tip of the Isle of Wight in strong squalls that tipped 30 knots at times overnight. Dolan is in 8th place, with the fleet starting to properly separate in building breeze. The leaders, with 19-year-old Frenchman Tom Goron at the top of the leaderboard, are expected to reach the penultimate waypoint on this first leg by 10am British Time.
The race effectively started from scratch on Tuesday afternoon at the Daffodils mark off Dieppe, where a fleet that had spread out over several miles all collapsed back into a tight group as the breeze died with strong currents making it impossible to move. Arriving boats parked as a group, with some setting anchors temporarily to avoid being swept backwards.
Frustrating for those who had eked out an advantage downwind from Cornwall, but this is how offshore sailing goes. The pause created little opportunity for rest, and the fleet got under way westwards after a brief pause with a mile separating the top 25 boats.
It took until midnight for the leaders to reach the next mark near Cherbourg, setting spinnakers in the dark to head north across shipping lanes once more. As they round the Needles buoy on Wednesday morning, the fleet will turn south-west and face a period of upwind sailing, likely heading west to meet a big right shift to the west that will see them blast reach south to the finish in the strongest conditions of the leg so far, with winds north of 24 knots forecast and steep, building swells moving in from the Atlantic.
What to know about Leg 1
Start: Le Havre 1.02pm CET (2.02pm BST) Sunday September 7
Finish: Baix de Morlaix
Distance: 638 nautical miles
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