La Solitaire Bompard Le Figaro - Leg 4 Start

A Macif stage 4 showdown for the Solitaire title

The leader of the Solitaire Bompard Le Figaro, Yoanne Richomme, has pledged to stick close to his nearest rival and teammate Charlie Dalin during the tense last leg of the race that started this evening from La Rochelle.

Richomme, on Skipper Macif 2014, needs to preserve or improve his margin of 14 minutes and eight seconds over the 24-hour, 130-nautical mile coastal circuit, if he is to win the annual multi-stage solo offshore racing championship for the first time. "I didn't mark Charlie on the third leg and lost a quarter of an hour to him," said Richomme. "Once we are out under the bridge to the Ile de Ré I won't let him get too far away."

The Skipper Macif duo have at least one hour in hand over third-placed Nico Lunven on Generali, or about 5-7 miles at the usual speeds of the 32ft one design Beneteau Figaro II in normal sailing conditions.

Over such a short sprint course, which is effectively a windward-leeward loop paralleling the Charente Maritime and Vendée coast to the Isle de Yeu and back, Richomme or Dalin look the only competitors capable of claiming the overall title. Dalin was third overall in 2014 and second in 2015. Richomme's best is fourth in 2013.

Richomme left the La Solitaire race village dock in La Rochelle's Vieux Port with only one thought in his mind: "I cannot imagine not winning," he said. "There is no scenario B for me. One thing is certain: I'm looking forward to tomorrow night and no matter what the outcome is I am very satisfied with the level I have maintained over the three stages. I continue to progress."

The last stage began as the fleet passed under the one-and-a-half mile-wide bridge that links the Ile de Ré to the mainland in beautiful evening sunshine and 12-15 knots of northwesterly breeze.

The 20-time Solitaire veteran Gildas Morvan on Cercle Vert who has performed way below his usual high standards, and lies 15th, eight-and-a-half hours off the lead, made the early pace. Britain's Nick Cherry on Redshift made another strong start in sixth while Alan Roberts was holding 11th place over the first few miles on Alan Roberts Racing.

On this deciding leg there are two new variables added to the mix. Warm summer sunshine, and extreme tiredness.

Managing both will be key to success for all the skippers after three long stages, totalling nearly 1,400 nautical miles of racing over nine days.

Temperatures of 22-25 degrees Celsius contrast with the many hours of drizzle, rain, cloud and poor visibility that have dominated weather conditions in the first three legs between Deauville, Cowes, Paimpol and La Rochelle. But around the Stage 4 loop which is relatively close to the coast, it will be the skill of predicting the evolution of the thermal sea breezes, produced by the warm sun heating the land, that will be key to success.

The sea breeze off La Rochelle usually fills in from the west while, further north, it comes more from the southwest. The question is when it will fill – on Wednesday it was in by 1100hrs and Thursday is likely to follow the same timing – and how it will evolve.

Some weather models show the wind veering from the gradient easterly, dragging it clockwise. Others have the gradient dying out, creating a no-go zone of calm before the thermal arrives. Also, how many miles offshore will it fill in from? The high risk option is to go searching for it.

Managing the effects of tiredness, still being able to make lucid, accurate decisions at key times, will be another vital asset. That will mean banking short, ten-minute cat-naps at quiet moments. Usually skippers are granted two nights sleep after each Solitaire leg. This time it has only been one night in a dry bed, and that comes after three particularly gruelling stages.

The two first stages in the English Channel generated big time differences because of the successive tidal gates. Indeed the top five overall going into the final stage was really established early on Stage 1, from Deauville to Cowes. There are dozens of skippers who start the final sprint seeking salvation in the form of a podium result. They will be the ones who are prepared to push the high risk options hardest.

The more experienced British skippers have been putting a brave face on their performance. Hopes were high of a top-10 finish from the likes of Cherry and Roberts who finished ninth overall last year.

But Roberts set sail this evening in 16th and Cherry 18th. Both lost out most on their first leg and both have the capacity to finish with a top-five finish on this final stage.

Will Harris on Artemis 77 was the recipient of all manner of advice from his peers on how to protect his 11-minute lead in the race to be top rookie. Up against the Mediterranean's best new-comer, Pierre Quiroga on Skipper Espoir CEM, Harris faces the same dilemma as race leader Richomme: defend or sail his own race?

Harris said: "My ambition is obviously to beat Pierre and win the Rookies' award. It's been the aim since the start and I can't believe it has come down to 11 minutes and 14 seconds. I couldn't believe it when I saw the times after Leg 3. It's all there to play for but either way I'm going to come back to the dock and be happy with how the Solitaire has gone for me."

They said: Race Leader Yoann Richomme: "I didn't mark Charlie in the third leg and I lost a quarter of an hour to him. For this leg, once we've got out of the coastal part of the course and have passed the bridge to Ré, I won't let him get too far away. But you can easily be held up by another boat. This is a short course close to the direct route without any major options. But there is some uncertainty about the return, which is going to be the major element in this leg. Just before the bridge to Ré, the wind will drop off and the thermal breeze will only develop later. Some may get going quickly. We should finish in 18-20 knots, so the gaps at the finish aren't likely to be that big. It's 24 hours pushing hard with, late in the night, a horrible part for us. We're going to have to take care of ourselves to keep a clear head the next day.

"Looking at the make-up of this leg, I doubt that Nico (Lunven) will be a danger, but you never know... In a leg, where it's full-on from the start, you sometimes get odd things happening. I am feeling quite relaxed. If I sail like I did in the third leg, it will be fine. If I do badly in the coastal stretch, it's going to be harder..."

Alan Roberts: "I think it's going to be really interesting. It's going to be a tricky little leg with thermal breezes coming in and coming out. The tide will also be a key factor with high coefficients at the moment. It's interesting because this format adds a bit of pressure and an element of surprise.

"My personal ambition would be to finish the leg. As always, it would be nice to have a good result. But I'm here to learn and to see if I did the right job on recovery.

Although it's short, it's still another Figaro leg."

Top Rookie, Will Harris: "Obviously everyone will be pretty tired from racing three days offshore. They say that you need one night to recover for each night spent at sea. My ambition is to beat Pierre and win the rookies. It's been the aim since the start and I can't believe it has come down to 11 minutes and 14 seconds. I couldn't believe it when I saw the times after Leg 3. It's all there to play for but either way I'm going to come back to the dock and be happy with how the Solitaire has gone for me."

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