Tom Dolan: “A joyous slam-dunk of a leg victory!”
by Tom Dolan Racing 4 Sep 18:12 BST
4 September 2024
Tom Dolan (Smurfit Kappa - Kingspan) in Royan on 4th september 2024 © Alexis Courcoux
This Wednesday 4 September, at 2:06 pm, Tom Dolan crossed the finish line in the second leg of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, securing a fabulous victory (prior to the jury's decision) after a three-day sprint from Gijón to Royan.
The race saw him shoot into the lead from the opening night and masterfully control the fleet all the way to the finish line. Indeed, the skipper of Smurfit Kappa - Kingspan linked together a series of stellar strategic moves, enabling him to gradually stretch away from the rest of the fleet and take the top spot in the provisional overall ranking. Better still, he now boasts a substantial lead over the second placed boat, continuing his dream to be the first Irishman to add his name to the list of event winners!
Having nailed his first leg victory in the last edition of the race between Caen and Kinsale, Tom Dolan has once again demonstrated true flair and boldness in the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec. Today, Wednesday, the skipper of Smurfit Kappa - Kingspan has treated himself to another leg victory after a 515-mile sprint from Gijón (Spain) to Royan (France), via the Sisargas archipelago.
"I'm obviously happy! There are times when everything links together like clockwork and that's how things played out this time. I had real flow. I did everything I wanted to do and everything worked like a charm," said the delighted Irish sailor, who really made a difference during the calm conditions that coloured the first night at sea. "The others sought to head north whilst I preferred to make as much headway as possible to the west. As a result, I was the first to hit the breeze and the front, which gave me the edge," explained the sailor, who was subsequently first to round the three Spanish islets close to La Coruña, before turning back on himself to tackle the long passage across the Bay of Biscay, bagging a five-minute time bonus in the process.
A virtually textbook race on a strategic level
"Like Alexis Thomas, as I crossed tacks with the fleet again I understood that I'd pulled a blinder but I also knew that there was still a long way to go to make landfall in Royan. My plan was to focus on keeping to windward of the fleet, which is something I stuck to throughout. I had three totally sleepless nights at sea and constantly stayed focused on my boat speed. It wasn't easy as the wind was permanently shifting all over the place. I spent the whole time tweaking my sails, switching from the spinnaker to the gennaker and the reverse of that. There wasn't a moment's respite. I never let up for a second," enthused Tom, who only discovered the extent of his lead over his rivals on crossing the line.
And it's a lead that amounts to over 40 minutes in relation to the second boat and nearly an hour on the fifth boat, with what promises to be a sizzling lead over some of his main rivals. These include Elodie Bonafous, Alexis Loison, as well as Basile Bourgnon, who have been relegated to nearly 20 miles astern of him, which equates to a deficit of more than three hours.
Keeping a grip on the top spot
"I'd opted not to listen to the latest rankings as I wanted to stay focused. I was afraid that if I realised that I had too big a lead, I'd get a bit lazy! (Laughs) Ultimately, it's a joyous slam-dunk of a leg victory. I didn't go off on my lonesome and I didn't take an extreme option. I just played my hand well strategically and that's really very satisfying. That said, I'm keeping a cool head going forward as I know that there's still everything to play for. Anything could happen!" concluded Tom Dolan, who has become the very first overseas skipper to win a leg in two consecutive editions of the event and is currently lying in the top spot in the provisional overall ranking prior to the final act, namely a 610-mile sprint to La Turballe, via the Occidentale de Sein and Skerries Bank. The curtain opens again on Sunday 8 September.