La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro - Simon Steps Out As Favourite
by La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro 7 Sep 2018 21:22 BST
6 September 2018
Sitting just inside the group of six title contenders who are chasing within one hour of Sébastien Simon, overall leader of the 49th La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro, Briton Alan Roberts (Secat Services) insists his strategy will not change at all for Stage 3, a light winds passage back across the Bay of Biscay from northern Galicia to Saint-Gilles-Croie-de-Vie on the Vendée coast just north of Les Sables d'Olonne.
Roberts, 28, has sailed himself into a strong position, lying seventh some 49 minutes behind Simon who won Stage 2 into Ria Muros Noia. This penultimate stage, 415 nautical miles which is expected to take 72 hours, is set to be predominantly upwind in variable winds of 8-15kts, the 36 strong fleet having to deal with the typical late summer high pressure ridge running SW to NE across Biscay. Saturday's start, programmed for 1230hrs CEST/local (UTC+2hrs), if forecast to see only very light winds for the exit from the picturesque estuary. The weather models disagree on what will happen out of the Ria, one suggesting a SW kite leg, the other a beat up to Cape Finisterre in a NE'ly breese. Either way there will be a transition zone to be dealt with before the notorious Cape then Sunday will be slow upwind, trying to always be on the best 'making' tack, with the most productive angle towards the finish.
"For me this is just another leg. Places can be lost and the strategy is still exactly the same as it was at the beginning, " says Roberts, "Stick with the front of the fleet and don't lose time against them. There will be people dropping off on this leg. And so I go back to what Yoanne Richomme said (winner in 2016), stick with the front of the fleet because on every leg half will drop off. So say 20 contenders on the first leg there are ten in, second leg five in and so here we are with seven, so we are pretty much right and half will drop off again. So the idea is to stick with it and there will be three or four boats left in it after this. That is the rule of thumb and just try to keep the speed going."
"I don't feel any pressure. The leg before is the leg before, it is gone, and the leg after this is in the distance. This is one race in itself. There is no point in being stressed or anxious."
Roberts, fifth on the first leg and seventh on the second leg says 60 per cent of the course will be upwind in eight to 12kts of wind. "The thing is not to take too much risk, staying on the tack closest to the rhumb line. Then to keep the options open for the approach to the Ile de Yeu. If things don't go to forecast there you could find yourself in a it of pain."
Les Sables d'Olonne born Simon starts Stage 3 as favourite to win the leg and, by extension, the La Solitaire overall for the first time. He has shown good speed and tactics and races back across Biscay in the knowlegde that his first ever stage win was in 2015 on a very similar track in a near identical weather, racing from Sanxenxo to Concarneau.
After a disappointing Leg 2, marked by a wrong strategic choice at Ushant, Roberts' compatriot Hugh Brayshaw (KAMAT) of the Offshore Academy is looking to replicate his seventh place on STage 1 from Le Havre to Saint Brieuc. Brayshaw lies 19th, two hours and 30 minutes behind leader Simon.
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In the chase for overall victory, and for a stage win, so much can be down to experience and confidence. Of the top contenders only Sebastien Simon (in 2015 and 2018) and Charlie Dalin (in 2016 and 2017) have two stage victories on their La Solitaire resumes. Those with one stage win are Corentin Douguet (2007), Alexis Loison (2014), Gildas Mahé (2014), Thierry Chabagny (2015), Erwan Tabarly (2016) and Anthony Marchand (2018).
On the perennial question whether to play percentages and time deltas or just go out to win the leg, the fleet's skipper who has the most stage wins of anyone in this editin with three, Fred Duthil (Technique Voile) warns that La Solitaire screws with the solo racer's mind, "You have to remain conservative and only count the points at the end. It is brave of anyone to say I'm in front and I'm going to try to gain some extra minutes. In fact you spend your time thinking about that until you get to the finish. The Solitaire is fairly horrible like that, as it always screws around with your mind. You keep wondering what to do. You have to keep taking decisions and looking at your strategy again and again. Your brain has to work overtime all the time."
The Hour Class, Who Are They?
Leader Sébastien Simon, 28, (Bretagne CMB Performance):
The winner of Stage 2 and fourth on Stage 1 who now also leads the Solo championship of France. He starts the Stage 3 as favourite and as confident as he can be having made astute tactical choices, sailed fast and also proven he has the speed and tenacity to come back through the fleet as he did at points on Stage 1. Simon really established his name among the top La Solitaire contenders when he won a very similar stage in 2015, a shortened light winds leg from La Coruna to Concarneau, beating established stars like Yann Eliès and Jérémie Beyou. With his win on Stage 2 he took the overall lead of the French solo championship. Fourth overall last year, stage podium three times.
Second Xavier Macaire, 37, (Groupe SNEF) + 26mins 31 secs:
Macaire, eight La Solitaire participations is nicknamed 'the boar' (marcassin)'. He finished a good second to Simon on the second leg and was tenth on the first stage at + 10mins 59secs. Macaire was runner up overall to Yann Eliès in 2013 and third in 2015. He has never won a La Solitaire stage. He was overall French Solo champion in 2015 and this year was second in the Solo Normandie, and third in the Solo Maitre CoQ and also in the AllMer Cup. A graduate of the 420 to Tour Voile and Mini to La Solitaire pathway, he was third in the Mini Series on the Mini Transat ten years ago.
Third Anthony Marchand, 33, (Groupe Royer-Secours Populaire) +30 mins 51 secs:
Eight La Solitaire particiipations. Winner of the first leg into his home waters Saint Brieuc and followed up with a solid fourth in the second leg. He lead on to the Bay of Biscay but lost out to Simon and Peron who went east of rhumb line. Marchand did the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race on MAPFRE, finishing third. Won the Solo Concarneau this year. Looking to atone for a bad 2017 La Solitaire when he lost his mainsail on the first leg but in 2016 was the overall French solo ocean racing champion. Worked early season with 2017 winner Nicolas Lunven and two bpat programme with Alexis Loison. Leg win in to Saint Brieuc was his first ever Stage 1.
Fourth Thierry Chabagny, 46, (Gedimat), +34 mins 23secs, 17 participations:
Chabagny is the hugely expericenced 'don' of the leading pack. Second on Stage 1 three minutes behind Marchand and fourth on Stage 2, he is still a top tip for the overall this race. He finished strongly in both legs and only lost out to Simon on that strategic gybe to the east at 200 miles from Finisterre. But his best overall La Solitaire finish recently was fifth in 2016 but was runner up in 2006 behind Nico Troussel. Won the first leg in 2015.
Fifth Charlie Dalin, 34, (Skipper Macif 2015) + 36mins 09 secs, 7 participations:
Four times on the podium, runner up in 2015 and by minutes in 2016, Dalin is still seeking the elusive first overall win before he, like SImon, moves to the IMOCA and the Vendee Globe. Southampton trained naval architect, the successful Macif programme is arguably the top in the solo world producing wins for Yoanne Richomme in 2016 and second in 2010 for Francois Gabart. Has been supported by 1997 winner Franck Cammas during this race in terms of strategy and advice. But has had to recover through the fleet on the first leg to finish third into Saint Brieuc and a more difficult sixth into Ria Muros Noia, 36mins 56 secs behind winner Simon.
Sixth Eric Peron, 37, (Finistere Mer Vent) + 48 mins, 4 participations:
Peron did the 2014-15 Volvo race with Dongfeng and more recently took third in last year's Transat Jacques Vabre with Morgan Lagraviere. His career best La Solitaire finish is fourth in 2010. Third on the second leg he gybed simultaneously with Leg 2 winner Simon but lost out to Macaire in the unsettled breezes between Finisterre and the finish line. But he has made one of the most impressive returns in this race after finishing 24th in the first leg 32 minutes behind winner Marchand.
Seventh Alan Roberts, 28, GBR (Seacat Services) + 49 minutes, 5 participations:
Roberts remains one of GBR's top dinghy and sports keelboat racers, even if this year he has severly limited his championship regattas at home in favour of his quest to finish on the La Solitaire podium. Ninth on his second La Solitaire attempt in 2015, that result heightened his own and others' expectations. In 2016 his podium challenge was effectively over after building too big a Leg 1 deficit behind the leaders and in 2017 he struggled with illness. But his 2018 preparations have gone well, he has been consistently top five in preliminary regattas. Lead out of Le Havre and twice subsequently on Leg 1 to finish fifth. Made the right strategic choices on Leg 2 but faded at the end slightly, losing time at Finisterre when he broached but very definitely in the match and will relish a light winds Leg 3.