35 skippers will set sail on Sunday for the 56th edition of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec. On the agenda: 1,850 miles over three legs between Rouen and Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, via Fastnet, Morlaix Bay and Vigo, Spain. Who will be at the forefront this year? Tip & Shaft asked several Figaro specialists with numerous Solitaire races under their belts – Gaston Morvan, Ronan Treussart, Martin Le Pape and Elodie Bonafous – as well as Christian Ponthieu, technical coordinator for the class, and Romen Richard, coach of the La Rochelle group. Follow the race on our website.
“As there have been a lot of double-handed races this year, it’s very difficult to make predictions,” sums up Romen Richard. With 13 rookies out of 35 skippers, the field has seen a good turnover, as was the case last year. “There are quite a few young sailors and no big names, so that leaves room for up-and-coming sailors to make their mark,” notes Martin Le Pape, who had to pull out of the Solitaire due to a lack of funding.
While our experts believe that the competition is wide open overall, one name stands out unanimously: Alexis Loison (Groupe Réel). “This season, he has raced with skilled sailors such as Corentin Horeau [they won the Tour de Bretagne, editor’s note], who have helped him raise his game. I see him as stronger than ever, solid, relaxed and ready,” says Christian Ponthieu about the Normandy skipper – who already has 18 participations under his belt – who will be playing partly on home turf, between the start in Le Havre and the finish on the Cotentin peninsula.
He has also “worked hard with a physical trainer,” adds Gaston Morvan, before highlighting his tactical and strategic qualities: “Alexis is capable of making few mistakes and showing leadership in the fleet.” Christian Ponthieu cites the example of the Rolex Fastnet Race, won in July with Jean-Pierre Kelbert on the JPK 1050 Léon: “He demonstrated in this race that he could make mostly relevant choices.” Ronan Treussart confirms: “I sailed against him this year [8th in the Tour de Bretagne with Maël Garnier], I find him very strong, he is liberated and doesn’t look at what others are doing, he makes his choices without pressure.”
For his part, Romen Richard points out that the course, which is mainly played in the Channel, is “a playground that Alexis particularly likes and which is conducive to experience, with complicated passages that can create big gaps. He appears to be the natural leader and has reached a point in his career where he has the experience, the perspective and all the cards in his hand.” What about his weaknesses? “His only opponent is himself, because I think he lacks a little self-confidence,” replies Christian Ponthieu.
Dhallenne, Yven and Dolan
are also aiming for victory
Another big contender for the podium and victory is Hugo Dhallenne (Skipper Macif 2025) from Saint-Malo, “a very skilled and well-rounded sailor,” according to Elodie Bonafous. The winner of this year’s Transat Paprec with Charlotte Yven and the Fig’Armor in early August, “he managed to finish fourth in last year’s Solitaire with a limited budget,” notes Martin Le Pape. He is capable of not making mistakes, and being with Macif helps him stay calm. He is also leading the French championship.”
While Romen Richard confirms that the 35-year-old sailor arrives with “a really high level of preparation”, he believes that he will have to “be able to take a few more risks to win“. Gaston Morvan, meanwhile, has doubts about his level in breezy conditions: “I didn’t find him particularly impressive last year in the strong wind legs, but this year’s transatlantic race must certainly have helped him.”
Our experts place Charlotte Yven (Skipper Macif 2023), who will be competing in her fifth Solitaire – fifth in 2024, the best result for a woman in the history of the race, tied with Jeanne Grégoire in 2008 – and defending champion Tom Dolan (Kingspan) in third place on the podium. “Charlotte has been at the forefront for a year now,” says Romen Richard. “She really trusts herself when it comes to strategic moves and is able to stay very clear-headed, which is a great asset.” Elodie Bonafous confirms: “She really likes to play and take risks, which can be a bit of a gamble, but her game is becoming more and more consistent and increasingly competitive.”
As for Tom Dolan (eighth participation), while Christian Ponthieu praises “his consistency and experience”, he points out that “we haven’t seen much of him this season“. The 38-year-old Irishman spent two months sailing on Jérémie Beyou’s Imoca Charal (5th in the Course des Caps and 2nd in the Rolex Fastnet Race) before competing in the Fig’Armor double-handed race with Gaston Morvan. “He’s still very much in the game,” notes Morvan. “He’s an aggressive sailor and he really wants to win it a second time. What’s more, he has the advantage of having Gildas Mahé behind him, who brings a lot to the table to put him in the best possible position.” For her part, Elodie Bonafous believes that “you can’t rest on last year’s victory and expect it to happen again, because no one is standing still, everyone is always striving for more. But maybe he’ll prove the opposite and the freshness he’s gained from sailing elsewhere will enable him to make the difference.”
“A homogeneous core” of outsiders
Behind this quartet, which stands out for our experts, several sailors forming “a homogeneous core“, according to Gaston Morvan, are worth keeping a close eye on. Starting with Jules Delpech (P’tit Duc), who is competing in his fifth Solitaire and has already won a stage in 2023. “He is very clear-headed about his strategic choices, has a lot of experience and is one of the fastest in the fleet,” says Elodie Bonafous. Christian Ponthieu adds: “He has changed boats and should have fewer reference points than in previous years, but he is consistent in his game, often sailing fast and in the right place.”
At 19 years old, Tom Goron (Groupe Dubreuil), who is tackling his second Solitaire, has impressed this year, finishing second in the Solo Guy Cotten and then winning the Solo Maître CoQ. “He can hit hard!” says Ronan Treussart. “He’s very talented, I feel like everything he does works. He sails super fast, is always in the right groups and manages to gauge the risk. As he’s young, he inevitably has less knowledge of himself, which could be his downfall.”
Among the other outsiders, our experts also mention Alexis Thomas (Wings of the Ocean), who will be competing in his fifth Solitaire, won the Solo Guy Cotten at the start of the season and led the Transat Paprec for a long time before finishing ninth, with Pauline Courtois. “He’s fast and often very inspired,” comments Martin Le Pape. But “he lacks a bit of consistency,” notes Elodie Bonafous. This is confirmed by Romen Richard, who trains him in La Rochelle: “He had a difficult second half of the season, with quite a few technical problems, but he’s reaching a good level of maturity and experience.”
Also mentioned by our experts are Victor Le Pape (Région Bretagne-CMB Espoir), Romain Bouillard (Décrochons la lune) and Jules Ducelier (Région Normandie). The latter, who finished on the podium last year in his first participation, finished fourth in this year’s Tour de Bretagne with Christian Ponthieu. “He has incredible instincts, he knows how to go fast and I feel like he always manages to get himself out of any situation, he never gives up,” says Elodie Bonafous.
What about the rookie podium? “Several of them have already clocked up a lot of miles in Figaro, such as Arthur Meurisse (Kiloutou), who won last year’s Tour Voile and Défi Paprec, and Yvon Larnicol (Auray-Quiberon by Orlabay). In my opinion, they will both be in contention for the rookie classification,” predicts Romen Richard. Martin Le Pape adds: “Yvon Larnicol is a very good racer who we should see a lot at the front of the pack at the start of the stage. But he’s also a sailor who can give it his all and then be overtaken by fatigue.” The first stage starts this Sunday in Le Havre and the final verdict will be in around 25 September in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue.
Our experts’ podium: 1. Alexis Loison, 2. Hugo Dhallenne, 3. Charlotte Yven and Tom Dolan
Photo : Jean-Marie Liot
