Eye injury forces Tom Dolan to retire from the Solo Maître CoQ

Kingspan during the Solo Maître CoQ Series first inshore race © Alexis Courcoux

Tom Dolan, skipper of Kingspan, was forced to retire from the Solo Maître CoQ Series following an unfortunate incident during the first inshore race held yesterday in Les Sables d'Olonne.

Competing with high hopes in this Figaro Academy event, the Irish sailor was struck in the left eye by a rope that whipped back violently shortly after the start. Despite the pain, and showing impressive grit, he managed to finish the race in an excellent third place, but has now had to take the difficult decision to retire — a very rare occurrence in his professional sailing career.

"The incident happened on the first gennaker leg. We were sailing in very unstable conditions, with the wind shifting between 10 and 20 knots. You're constantly trimming and handling four or five ropes at once. One of them suddenly recoiled and hit me straight in the eye. I was in shock at first. I hesitated to turn back but ultimately chose to finish the race," explained the skipper.

In spite of the pain, Tom crossed the line in third place - a clear sign of his resilience and determination. However, after returning to shore, he was taken to the Emergency Department at the local hospital.

The attending doctor prescribed rest and, most importantly, advised him to avoid any further risk.

"In 20 years, I've never had anything like this happen to me. It was just bad luck, and it's really hard for me to sign the Retirement Form today," said Tom, visibly affected by this unexpected turn of events.

Thanks to the support of the Pôle Finistère Offshore Training Centre in Port-la-Forêt, Tom has secured a specialist ophthalmology appointment this Friday for a more in-depth examination. In the meantime, he will return to Brittany by car, accompanied by his technical director, preparateur and longtime teammate Gildas Mahé, while a friend will sail his boat back to its home port.

This is a tough setback for the Flying Irishman, who will now have to wait a little longer before getting back on the water — but it does nothing to shake his determination to shine in the races ahead.