The first stage of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec ended on Thursday with Alexis Loison (Groupe Réel) taking the win ahead of the two Skipper Macif sailors, Hugo Dhallenne and Charlotte Yven. To debrief on these 638 miles between Rouen and Morlaix Bay, Tip & Shaft was joined by Erwan Tabarly, coach at the Finistère centre in Port-la-Forêt, router Dominic Vittet, Basile Bourgnon and Gaston Morvan, each of whom has a podium finish in the Solitaire to their credit (2nd in 2023 and 3rd in 2024 respectively).
Although it did not pass through Fastnet due to conditions that were too rough to sail up to Ireland, this first stage of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec was particularly rich due to a course that took the 35 skippers all over the English Channel, as well as challenging weather conditions. “It was like a go-kart race, you had to take the right turns and accelerate on the straights,” smiles Basile Bourgnon. “When you have so many buoys to round near the coast, there are always twists and turns, regroupings, and it often came back from behind, so you had to have strong nerves.”
“The leg was very demanding,” agrees Erwan Tabarly, “with four crossings of the English Channel in difficult conditions and a high tidal coefficient, so a lot of current, plus rocks, cargo ships and a rough finish.“
Under these conditions, it is no surprise to find three of the favourites for this Solitaire at the forefront in Roscoff – listed in this order by the experts interviewed last week by Tip & Shaft – namely Alexis Loison, Hugo Dhallenne and Charlotte Yven. “It was a stage that required skill,” confirms Dominic Vittet, “because you had to go fast in conditions that weren’t very comfortable overall, which required a high level of boat control.” For Gaston Morvan, “experience paid off in the end. The young sailors showed a lot of promise in the early days, but this kind of stage is won by the one who stays clear-headed in the end.”
“Loison is going to be there!”
This was particularly evident on the stretch between the Needles, west of the Isle of Wight, and Morlaix Bay, and especially on the final crossing of the English Channel on in 20-25 knots of wind, which prompted Erwan Tabarly to say: “In these conditions, skippers tend to have too much sail area, but as manoeuvres are costly, rather than taking in a reef or changing the headsails, they prefer to stay with everything up, and that’s when you have to know how to trim your boat, which experienced sailors are obviously better at. We saw big speed differences on this crossing.” Notably, there was “a great comeback in pure speed,” according to Gaston Morvan, by Hugo Dhallenne, but also by the defending champion, Tom Dolan (injured wrist), who ultimately finished 6th.
Dominic Vittet also highlights the decisive trajectory of these latters, slightly further west than the rest of the fleet. “On this last leg, they could use this western option if two things happened: a wind shift to the left and, depending on the arrival time, a current that would push the fleet eastwards. That’s exactly what happened. Alexis (Loison) was well aware of this, but as he was in the lead and aiming for the leg victory, he had to keep an eye on his direct competitors, particularly Charlotte, and was forced to follow them below. Hugo and Tom, coming from behind, were freer in their choices. They gained ground to the west, which, thanks to the return to the wind’s left and the current, allowed them to move up many places shortly before the finish.”
However, it wasn’t enough to deprive Alexis Loison of his second stage victory (the first was in 2014 in Plymouth), at the cost of a fine display. “I expected nothing less from him!’ exclaimed Basile Bourgnon. The English Channel is his playground. He must have crossed it as many times as I have crossed Quiberon Bay. He really enjoys these segments.” For Dominic Vittet, “when it comes to dealing with currents and wind shifts, Alexis is unbeatable, as his victories in the Fastnet and other races attest. And you can sense that he is mentally strong. This Figaro, he wants it!” Gaston Morvan confirms this: “If he is capable of winning this stage, which has been physically demanding, it’s because he’s keeping up the pace. We’ll see if he’s drawn too heavily on his reserves, but in any case, he’s sending a message to the competition: Loison is going to be there this year!”
“Charlotte can win the match”
So are his pursuers, as he has a lead of only 15 and just over 20 minutes over Hugo Dhallenne and Charlotte Yven. Charlotte Yven, who came third, confirmed everything our experts thought of her: “She’s always on the offensive, with good success rates, like on her south DST move for the first crossing, and she’s also super fast when she’s in contact with the others. She’s going to be very dangerous in the overall standings,” continues Gaston Morvan. “She’s a potential future winner of the Solitaire,” adds Dominic Vittet. “Her game is becoming more and more complete, she’s one of the fastest and she takes risks. What she lacks today is the ability to take the lead at a given moment and keep it. Because when you’re in the lead, you have to make the right choices, and in a way, you no longer have anyone in front of you to guide you. We’ll see if she can take that step, but I think she can win the match.“
Among the good surprises of this first stage, one name is on everyone’s lips: Tom Goron. Admittedly, the 19-year-old finished 19th, but he was one of the big performers on this initial course. “It’s not necessarily a surprise, because he impresses us every time in training, and he also had some great pre-season races,” says Erwan Tabarly. “He’s someone who sails freely, without worrying about the others. He did collapse a little on the last Channel’s crossing, but that doesn’t take away from what he’s achieved at his age and in his second Solitaire, which is impressive.”
Dominic Vittet was also impressed: “In terms of speed, he can hold his own against anyone and he’s not afraid to take risks. This is very interesting for the future, because it’s much easier to frame an attacker than to unblock a defender. He reminds me a little of Pierre Quiroga, who was a bit of a mad dog who went off in all directions and gradually learned to only make the right moves. Tom is a bit like that. If he can frame his game a little, he’s going to hurt people.”
A second stage for the “workhorse”?
Among the sailors who impressed our experts were Victor Le Pape (9th), Paul Morvan (14th) and newcomers Arthur Meurisse (10th) and Yvon Larnicol (7th and first rookie), about whom Basile Bourgnon said: “I know Yvon well because we are close friends. I wasn’t sure how he would position himself in this leg because he is a hyperactive person who always wants to move, turn and tack. I was afraid he would tire quickly, but in fact he showed patience, didn’t take any radical options and knew how to go fast at the right moments.”
In contrast, Jules Delpech, who was in contention for almost the entire stage, cracked at the end (12th), prompting Dominic Vittet, who works with the skipper of P’tit Duc, to say: “He didn’t have enough fight in him to catch up on this last crossing. On the fourth day of the race, you draw deeply on your physical reserves, which affects your morale. If you no longer have the resources to fight, you don’t sail the boat as well, you go slower and you collapse, especially in rough conditions. Fatigue caused him to lose control.“
However, the game is far from over for him – he is just under an hour behind Alexis Loison – before a second leg, the start of which has been postponed until Monday, which promises to be very different. With room to manoeuvre at the start to round the tip of Brittany in strong winds and rough seas, a downwind leg to Birvideaux, followed by “a straight reaching to Spain, a rough leg with pure speed, during which there may be large speed differentials,” predicts Dominic Vittet. However, he adds: “It will ease off as we approach Vigo, so that could potentially shake things up. I often say that Spain is a deadly poison.”
“It’s a typical stage for someone like Tom Dolan, who is less comfortable with a series of segments,” adds Gaston Morvan. “Here, it will be more open in terms of strategy and managing larger-scale phenomena.” The results will be in at the end of next week.
Photo : Vincent Olivaud
