Brits countdown to the start of the Solo Concarneau Trophée Guy Cotton

Solo Concarneau Artemis Offshore Academy squad (l to r) Jack Bouttell, Ed Hill, Sam Matson, Alan Roberts & Rich Mason © Tom Gruitt / www.tom-gruitt.co.uk

With just one week to the start of the Solo Concarneau Trophée Guy Cotton, Artemis Offshore Academy Rookies Rich Mason, Alan Roberts and Sam Matson have absorbed the invaluable lessons learned in the Solo Maître Coq last month and are feeling primed ahead of the second solo showdown of their careers. Joining the British Rookie trio on the start line will be Academy graduate skippers Jack Bouttell, Ed Hill, Henry Bomby and Sam Goodchild, now in their second, third and fourth years racing on the Figaro circuit. Setting off on Thursday 1st May, the all-Academy British contingent will cross the start line in Concarneau, France at 1400 BST as part of a 29-boat fleet. In its 38th year, the Solo Concarneau is a popular race with both Figaro Rookies and veterans alike and covers a large area of the 2014 Solitaire du Figaro course, making it an invaluable dry run for Legs 3 and 4 – Roscoff to Les Sables d'Olonne and Les Sables d'Olonne to Cherbourg-Octeville. Stretching 370 miles between the Chenal du Four and Île d'Yeu, the Solo Concarneau will lay skippers bare to the often rough conditions and choppy sea state of the exposed Brittany coastline.

Subject to light airs and the harsh sting of Figaro racing in the Solo Maître Coq, Academy Rookie Sam Matson has been working hard to ensure he does not make the same mistakes twice and anticipates that the infamous Raz de Sein will be one of the most challenging areas of the course: "In 1798, 216 years ago almost to the day, the British and the French Navy did battle here and today the Raz de Sein has not lost any of it's ferociousness. A stretch of water renowned for strong tides and a rough sea state, the Raz de Sein will one of the hardest sections of the Solo Concarneau course. Depending on conditions when we arrive, here we could see the compression or splitting of the fleet that will shape the race quite early on," Sam revealed. "If the wind is against the tide, the Raz du Sein will be very rough with up to 5 knots of tide pushing against surrounding rocks. It's really exposed here, and I expect it to be a tough part of the race calling for some intelligent decisions."

For both Figaro newbie Sam and most experienced British skipper Sam Goodchild, the pressure is on to perform after difficult conditions led to disappointing results in the Solo Maître Coq, their first race of the season: "This time, the idea is to have a good race and to stay with the leading pack and avoid being cut off like in the last race..." half joked Team Plymouth skipper Sam, who finished the Solo Concarneau 16th in 2013. "The Solo Concarneau is another great event to line up against the main competition for the season and now just a month away from the start of the Solitaire du Figaro, it is one of the last chances to get in a couple more invaluable competitive nights at sea."

Following his impressive debut on the Figaro circuit, an ever ambitious Rich is looking to improve on his second position Rookie division finish in the Solo Maître Coq and top the next generation podium in Concarneau on the 4th May: "I'm feeling much better prepared for the Solo Concarneau than ahead of our previous race. Having been home in the UK for a few days at Easter, I'm feeling rested and looking forward to getting stuck into a week of training ahead of the race. I'm a highly competitive person, so of course I'll be looking to better my first Figaro race result (19th overall, 2nd Rookie) – go hard or go home!"

A tactically challenging race, the 2013 Solo Concarneau was won by Paul Meilhat (Skipper Macif 2011), with Nicolas Lunven (Generali) in second and Vendée Globe skipper Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire) in third. It was Academy skipper Henry who took the top British position in 9th, with Nick Cherry a little way down the pack in 14th, Sam Goodchild 16th, Jack in 17th and Ed 20th after suffering from black outs and hallucinations due to extreme sleep deprivation. Yet to make an appearance on the Figaro circuit this year, "Nick Cerise" as he is known among the Figaro community, is pleased to announce this week that he has secured a Figaro to race for the remainder of the season. As the new skipper of 'Redshift', a boat yet to take part in a competitive race, Nick reports that the newly named Figaro (no.56) needs a little love to prepare her for the Figaro circuit, but he is fully aiming to join the British line up taking on the Solitaire du Figaro in 2014: "There's a lot to do to get her race ready, but it's amazing to now have a little bit of certainty about the next year and to have my third Solitaire du Figaro ahead of me, racing alongside the largest number of 'roast beefs' the race has ever seen."

Solo Concarneau - Course Map - photo © Solo Concarneau

With just the Solo Concarneau (1st – 4th May) and Solo Basse Normandie (16th – 18th May) now between the Artemis Offshore Academy squad and the pinnacle race of the season, the 2014 mile Solitaire du Figaro, the pressure is on for the British sailors to prove themselves out in the field and secure the vital sponsorship that will see them on the start line in Deauville, France come Sunday June 8th.

You can follow the progress of the Rich, Sam, Alan, Sam, Henry, Jack and Ed in the Solo Concarneau via the Artemis Offshore Academy website, Facebook and Twitter. There will be no race tracker, but the Academy team will endeavour to bring you the latest from the race as it unfolds.

The sailors said:

Rich Mason, Artemis 77
"We don't know too much about the race yet, but we've got a course and we've got a start time – so I guess we don't need that much more. Since our first race back in March, we've all been working hard on our Figaros in preparation, so I'm feeling much better prepared for the Solo Concarneau. I've just been home for Easter, so I'm feeling rested and looking forward to a week of training ahead of the start of race."

Sam Matson, Artemis 21
"For me, the first race of the season was a bit of a nightmare. I really need to prove myself in this next race and I'm feeling the pressure. However, my mistakes made in the Solo Maître Coq came as an invaluable lesson, and I've been reviewing my performance for the past month and working to make sure I don't make these mistakes again. Everyone's got to mess up at some point, better it's my first race than the Solitaire."

Jack Bouttell, Artemis 20
"Since the Solo Maître Coq I've had a month to get my Figaro into racing shape and she's coming along now. The recent training sail to Plymouth was a good test for the boat and for me and highlighted a few things I've still got to work on. I'm feeling the pinch with no sponsor, but I'm still pushing hard for a top 15 position this season and once you're out on the course, all the challenges that come with running a campaign on a shoestring become worth it."

Ed Hill, Macmillan Cancer Support
"It was during the 2013 Solo Concarneau that I experienced the effects of extreme sleep deprivation. Pushing myself past my limits, I blacked out on deck, totally losing my sense of perspective and hallucinating. It was quite a scary experience that cost me my position in the race, however, it was a lesson that I am glad I learned then and not during the Solitaire straight after. Since this experience last year, I have been working on perfecting my onboard management. I changed my nutrition onboard, now I try to eat fresh foods, drink water and have cut out caffeine while racing, as well as giving my body vital time to rest and recover to ensure that I can race as efficiently as possible."

Alan Roberts, Artemis 23
"Artemis 23 is in a decent racing state, my mind and body are well rested and I've reflected a lot on the first race. I'm hoping to learn from my mistakes in the Solo Concarneau and improve on my first performance. Today marks one week to the start of our second race of the season and just over a month to the start of the Solitaire du Figaro. May is going to be a hectic month, but I'm looking forward to the Solo Concarneau and hopefully showing what I can do."

Nick Cherry, Redshift
"I'm really sad not to be on the start line in Concarneau, but I'll be busy ensuring the new boat is race ready for the Solitaire. I'm really thankful to have the use of a boat for the 2014 race, We will campaign Redshift in some RORC races after the Solitaire this year, and at Cowes Week, before turning our attention to the 2015 Figaro Circuit, and after that the Rolex Fastnet Race in August. There's a lot to do to get her race ready, but great to have new sails, electronics, safety kit and standing and running rigging. It'll take a huge effort to get it all together, but it's amazing to already have a little bit of certainty for the 2015 programme. But firstly, I'm really looking forward to my third Solitaire du Figaro in a just over a months time."
"There's no substitute for a solid winter's training and while I've done a bit of sailing here and there I've spent a lot more time coaching, so I'm not going into this race with a solid goal of trying to get in the top ten or anything like that. I just want to finish knowing deep down that I've given everything I've got whilst learning some important lessons for 2015."

Sam Goodchild, Team Plymouth
"The Solo Concarneau is a another great event to line up against our main competition for the season. Only a month away from the start of the Figaro, it is one of the last chances to get a couple more valuable competitive nights at sea. My aim is to have a good race is to stay with the leading pack and avoid being cut off like in the last race."

Henry Bomby, Black Mamba
"Since the Solo Maître Coq, the reliability of my boat has been a big factor – particularly since I had to do the entire race without an autopilot. The Solitaire du Figaro is just around the corner and I need to further my confidence in my boat's systems after my issues in the last race. The Solo Concarneau has always been my best warm up race of the season and last year I came home top 10. It would be great to improve on my 9th place this year, I'd be very happy with that."

The Solo Concarneau entry list:
Skipper/Boat name/Rookie*

1. Joan Arhweiller/Région Basse Normandie
2. Jérémie Beyou/Maître Coq
3. Vincent Biarnes/Prati'Buches
4. Henry Bomby/Black Mamba
5. Jackson Bouttell/Artemis 20
6. Charlie Dalin/TBC
7. Corentin Douguet/Un Maillot Pour la Vie
8. Benjamin Dutreux/ Team Vendée*
9. Yann Elies/Groupe Queguiner Leucémie Espoir
10. Alain Gautier/Generali
11. Sam Goodchild/ Team Plymouth
12. Damien Guillou/La Solidarité Mutualiste
13. Adrien Hardy/AGIR Recouvrement
14. Ed Hill/Macmillan Cancer Support
15. David Kenefick/Full Irish
16. Alexandre Jongh/ Vendee 1*
17. Isabelle Joscke/TBC
18. Nicolas Jossier/In Extenso Experts Comptables
19. Alexis Loison/Groupe Fiva
20. Xavier Macaire/Skipper Hérault
21. Rich Mason/Artemis 77*
22. Sam Matson/Artemis 21*
23. Claire Pruvot/Port de Caen Ouisteham
24. Yves Ravot/France Parrainages
25. Frédéric Rivet/DFDS Seaways
26. Alan Roberts/Artemis 23*
27. Clément Salzes/Darwin Les Marins de la Lune*
28. Sébastien Simon/Bretagne Crédit Mutuel Espoir*
29. Emil Tomasevie/Ultra Figaro*