Smurfit Kappa sailor Tom Dolan takes solid 12th to make his best start to La Solitaire du Figaro

Smurfit Kappa sailor Tom Dolan takes solid 12th - La Solitaire du Figaro 2020 © Alexis Courcoux

Irish solo sailor Tom Dolan made the solid start he wanted to open the 51st La Solitaire Figaro, the annual French multi stage solo offshore race when he brought Smurfit Kappa across the finish line on the Baie de Saint Brieuc in 12th place early this morning, only narrowly missing out a top ten finish.

Dolan, 33 who originates from Kells, County Meath, set off from the same bay in Northern Brittany on Sunday in the 35 strong fleet for the 642 nautical miles race around Fastnet Rock. He started with the main objective of giving himself a decent foundation result to build from into the next three stages.

At the end of what is one of the longest legs in terms of distance of the 50 years of La Solitaire the finish was extremely close. The top ten solo skippers finished within 20 minutes of the winner, French ace Xavier Macaire's elapsed time of 3 days 17 hours and 17 minutes.

In 12th Dolan finished only two minutes and 28 seconds outside the top ten and in good shape for the second leg which starts on Sunday and takes the race to Dunkirk via Wolf Rock off the southwest tip of England.

It is the Irish racer's best result since the circuit moved into the faster, lighter Beneteau Figaro 3 last year, an initiative which has seen the level of competition and interest rise significantly since Dolan's career best La Solitaire score, 11th on Stage 3 in his rookie, debut year when racing the Figaro 2.

There was an element of disappointment that he was not able to retain the three position which he held on the approach to Fastnet on Tuesday evening. A small tactical error allowed three boats to pass inside him during what was a rounding made complicated by the traffic separation no-go areas. And on the fast reach back across the Celtic Sea he dropped another few places. "They are saying the Fastnet has a special magnetism drawing me there fast on the way there and holding me back sailing away from it." Quipped a weary eyed Dolan on the dock in Saint Quay Portrieux after finishing at 06:40:02hrs French time this morning. "Someone joked 'Well, Tom you were in a hurry to get back to Ireland and not so much of a hurry to get back here to France."

He was second international sailor to finish, just one minute and 54 seconds behind Briton Sam Goodchild (Leyton).

Dolan concluded, "I lost a bit coming back across the Irish Sea. I had planned to stay to windward of the fleet. I made a stupid mistake with autopilot (left it on wind mode) when I went to sleep one time and ended up losing all that I had gained. I lost a bit at the rock too missing the group coming in from the east and lost eight or nine boats. But I am overall very happy, happy with the speed and it is good to have been up racing with the leaders it is more fun and gives you a bit of confidence." He added, "On the first night when it was very complicated in the light winds I did OK because I 'geeked' the weather, I had really spent a long time doing my homework and from there I was OK."

The second stage starts Sunday afternoon, 497 miles from Saint Brieuc to Dunkirk via the English coast.

Finish order, before jury, of the first stage of La Solitaire du Figaro (642 miles): All times French local

1. Xavier Macaire (Groupe SNEF), finished at 6h17'55 after 3 days 17 hours17 minutes and 55 seconds
2. Loïs Berrehar (Bretagne CMB Performance), finished at 6h19'30 after3 days17 hours19 minutes and 30 seconds (at 1'35'' from first)
3. Alexis Loison (Région Normandie), finished at 6h24'58'' after 3 days17 hours 24 minutes and 58 seconds (at 7'03'' from first)
4. Armel Le Cleac'h (Banque Populaire), finished at 6h28'15 after 3 days 17 hours 28 minutes and 15 seconds (at 10'20'' from first)
5. Fabien Delahaye (Laboratoires Gilbert), finished at 6h30'50'' (at 12'55'' from first
6. Tom Laperche (Bretagne CMB Espoir), finished at 6h31'26'' (at 13' 31"from first)
7. Pierre Quiroga (Skipper Macif 2019), finished at 6h33'15'' (at 15'20" from first)
8. Tanguy Le Turquais (Groupe Quéguiner - Innoveo), finished at 6h36'48'' (at 18'53"from first)
9. Corentin Douguand (NF Habitat), finished at 6h37'04" (at19'09" from first)
10.Fred Duthil (Technique Voile / CabinandBourhis Generali), finished at 6h37'36" (at19'41" from first)
11. Sam Goodchild (Leyton), finished at 6h38'08'' (at 20'13" from first) (1st for Vivi Trophy)
12. Tom Dolan (Smurfit Kappa), finished at 6h40'02'' (at 22'7" from first)
13. Eric Peron (French Touch), finished at 6:41:20 (at23'25" from first)
14. Yann Elies (Quéguiner Matériaux - Leucémie Espoir), finished at 6:41:46 (at23'51" from first)
15. Pierre Leboucher (Guyot Environnement), finished at 6:43:19 (at25'24'' from first)
16. Martin Le Pape (Fondation Stargardt), finished at 06:45:15
17. Achille Nebout (Be Green Ocean), finished at 06:46:12
18. Adrien Hardy (Ocean Attitude), finished at 06:46:35
19. Gildas Mahe (Breizh Cola), finished at 06:48:48
20. Anthony Marchand (Groupe Royer - Secours Populaire), finished at 06:53:44
21. Nils Palmieri (TeamWork), finished at 06:55:36
22. Benoit Mariette (Génération Senioriales), finished at 06:56:06
23. Violette Dorange (Devenir), arrivée à 06:59:37
24. Elodie Bonafous (Bretagne CMB Oceane), arrivée à 07:01:20
25. Jack Bouttell (Fromagerie Gillot), finished at 07:08:49
26. Alberto Bona (Sebago), finished at 07:09:05
27. Marc Mallarand (CER Occitanie), finished at 07:14:16
28. Alan Roberts (Seacat Services), finished at 07:14:17
29. Phil Sharp (OceansLab), finished at 07:18:07
30. Kevin Bloch (Team Vendee Formation), finished at 07:27:33
31. Erwan Le Draoulec (Skipper MACIF 2020), finished at 07:29:4032. Robin FOLLIN (Ville de Sainte-Maxime), finished at 07:37:58
33. Robin Marais (Ma chance Moi aussi), finished at 07:43:35