Defending Champ Tom Dolan in leading bunch in the La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec

Tom Dolan - La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec © Vincent Olivaud

Kingspan-sponsored Flying Irishman Tom Dolan is in the leading edge of the pack after the first night at sea in La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, as the 34 skippers head north-west towards the Skerries Bank Buoy off the Cornwall coast.

A tricky night of upwind sailing in the English Channel split the fleet at times, meaning the leaderboard was a poor guide to who was actually out front. The top ten boats are separated by less than a mile after 130 miles of sailing, meaning those ten skippers are likely to round the Skerries Bank Buoy in a tight bunch, with nearly 500 miles left in the race.

Tom Dolan - La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec - photo © Vincent Olivaud

Once around Skerries, the fleet will turn downwind for a full-throttle drag race in medium to high winds to the Daffodils mark off Dieppe, which marks the location of the wreck of the HMS Daffodil, sunk by a mine during WW2. Then it's a tactical zig-zag hugging the north coast of France to the next turning point near Cherbourg.

This revised Leg One course sees the fleet criss-crossing the English Channel and its busy commercial traffic several times, leaving little opportunity for sleep or rest of any kind as the sailors dodge tankers, ferries, fishing boats and other craft. It's a long, demanding leg where experience and resilience will be the key factors as the racers are forced to change gears repeatedly and manage their fatigue to make smart decisions at every turn.

Distance To Finish: 505 miles
Position: 8th (0.5 miles from leader)
Next turning point: Skerries Bank Buoy, off Cornwall - 16 miles away