57th La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec - Time for analysis and valuable feedback for the sailors
by La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec 22 May 20:41 BST
13 May - 7 June 2026
After a long delivery sail to the port of Vigo from Cape Finisterre, the sailors finally had a chance to catch their breath and reflect on their race — their strengths, their weaknesses, and already look ahead to the second stage, whose profile will be somewhat different. This valuable feedback highlights key areas to work on moving forward.
Taking part in an edition of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec is no small feat, and the sailors are fully aware of it. Completing a stage and drawing the right lessons from it is an important step forward, helping them identify areas for improvement and sometimes understand why certain things did not work out. Upon arriving at the pontoons in Vigo, the skippers took part in the usual post-race interviews — a chance to better understand their motivations and what drives these women and men to give everything for their high-level sport.
Tiphaine Ragueneau (ORCOM)
"I dared to say that a top-15 finish would be good, and I missed it by just a few seconds, but I'm still really happy. There are quite a few things to work on, especially the transition phases. In the light winds, the others managed to keep pressure in their sails and I didn't. I struggle in those phases and it showed again here. Overall though, I'm satisfied with my race.
My preparation was a bit different at the start of the season. I'm not going to celebrate too early — it's only the first stage. I was actually more worried about the light-wind conditions than the shortened-course gate. In the end, it still counted as a ranking point and we had intensity right to the finish.
The boat was very well prepared, and I never doubted it in the heavy conditions, which is really positive. The frontal passage in 40 knots wasn't easy, but I still managed to rest properly during the front."
Tiphaine also admitted she struggled to eat during the stage: "I really need to find a solution to be able to eat properly. I only managed one meal a day, which is pretty minimal, but food just didn't go down easily. That's definitely one of the areas I'll need to work on."
Nicolas Lunven (PRB)
"I really wanted to focus on speed in the frontal system. I thought that was the winning strategy. At first, it was a good option, but less so towards the end. The wind didn't shift as much as I expected. In the end, I couldn't get back onto the optimal route and lost some ground on the return leg. I probably should have thought twice about it.
We had a bit too much upwind sailing and strong breeze on this stage. I really enjoyed the section after exiting the strong winds — there was a lot of tactical racing and I had a huge amount of fun.
We were actually expected to go offshore on this course, but in the end it played out closer to the coast. The offshore group lost more than we did. Tom Dolan (Kingspan) managed to reposition himself at exactly the right moment, but he was the only one who pulled it off."
Hugo Dhallenne (Skipper Macif 2025)
"This first stage was intense. We crossed the English Channel twice, sailed through the outer part of the Bay of Biscay, dealt with a cold front, rain, and wind shifts of up to 270 degrees, and then there were still more twists between the two gates.
Up until Spain, everything went pretty much according to plan. After that, like every time, it became a bit of a lottery. The weather pattern didn't open up in the Bay of La Coruña, but it was still great racing.
Now we'll have to do the route in reverse. We're actually not that exhausted because we managed to sleep quite well. The long upwind leg was fairly good for naps. Apart from the final sleepless night between the two gates, we slept reasonably well overall. We're not too burned out.
Now it's time to go back out there. There are still a few hours to make up on the others, so we'll have to work hard."
Léo Bothorel (Decathlon)
"I'm happy — things went well for me. It was an incredibly varied stage. The first part was decent with some upwind sailing, tactics, positioning, and so on. The expected scenario got disrupted a bit by clouds, which led to some strategic splits.
I came out of that section feeling a bit mixed, and then we had a major frontal passage with a lot of wind — gusts up to 35 knots, huge waves, it was a real storm.
I chose the option of going as far west as possible. It worked a little less well than I expected, but gradually we had slightly more wind, went a bit faster, and by the time we reached Spain I was in quite a good position.
Inside the boat, though, it was horrible. I had to bail water out constantly. No matter how hard I tried to keep the boat dry, it was impossible. I also had a couple of small sail damages — little tears in the sails.
I was glad when it all ended upon reaching Spain, and after that the weather situation was no longer in the forecasts — it completely unraveled. It was very difficult to predict.
I managed as best I could and in the end I didn't come out too badly. I finished 13th, not far from the top 10, so I'm really happy with this first stage. There are two or three things to repair, but nothing major, and I'll be ready for the second stage."
Eliaz Morineau (Demain sans HPV)
"I'm happy with this first stage. I feel like I learned a lot compared to last year. During the whole beginning — the upwind section all the way to the ridge near the Spanish point — I was in the right group, always around the top 15 to top 18.
But as usual, towards the end of the race, I struggled a bit and took a risk again. After the ridge, I chose an option I shouldn't have taken. I should have secured my position by staying with the leading pack.
As a result, I lost another ten places during the final night. I'm really gutted about that. I made another mistake that I could have avoided. I'll need to be more careful in future races.
We still have two stages left to bounce back. But otherwise, it was really cool. I need to learn to trust myself more so I don't repeat those mistakes."
Martin Le Pape (Paprec)
"After a difficult start following my collision at the beginning, I managed to quickly get back into the race and recover my speed. I couldn't have dreamed of a better result than fourth place because the sailors ahead really sailed well.
It was a great stage with clearly defined phases. One of the key points to perform well upwind was speed, I think. You also needed to have a clear understanding of the transition pattern. There was a small opening to find.
At one point I was really nervous because I didn't think we'd be able to make up the lateral separation we had. The wind shifted left as expected, along with a strengthening thermal breeze, and that's what allowed us to overtake the western group."
Laure Galley (Hauterive)
"It was a stage with really varied conditions and I had a good first half of the race. As long as we were sailing upwind things were going well because I was a bit behind at the start, but I managed to get back into contention at Wolf Rock.
I think I got into the top 10 and then even fourth or fifth. Afterwards I lacked a bit of speed on the long leg south and struggled to come back, but I'm really happy because the times I've managed to race at the front in the past were mostly in light conditions.
To do it for the first time in heavy weather is fantastic. It shows I'm improving in strong conditions, and now I need to manage to put all the pieces together to finish the race well.
There was a bit of a low point in mid-race, but I still managed to claw back some places at the end in the light winds. There are definitely plenty of positives.
The finish was a bit long, but it would have been even worse if we'd had to finish under sail. We're going to enjoy Vigo a little more than last year and head back to Pornichet on Sunday in top shape."
Victor Mathieu (Elitys)
"A very good first stage with highly varied conditions — strong winds at the start and a huge calm at the end. My goal was really to ease myself progressively into the race because I was very tired when starting this year's Solitaire, which is taking place in May.
The objective was achieved. I had a really bad start, as usual, but I built momentum throughout the race, so I'm very happy with my performance.
It was great to have such varied conditions. There wasn't any downwind sailing, which is a bit of a shame, but I think we'll get some on the other stages.
The boat suffered a bit, like all the boats I think, but I managed to solve every problem I encountered at sea. So I'm very happy to have arrived safely in Spain — tired but happy."
Edouard Golbery (SOS Village d'Enfants)
"I have mixed feelings of satisfaction and frustration because the stage started really well. I had a good bay course — I was third in the bay section — and then sailed well for most of the race.
I made my own choices, heading south through the Bay of Biscay. It was a bit risky, sailing under rain to try and reach the coast quickly and catch the coastal acceleration. It paid off right at the end, allowing me to reconnect with the leading fleet.
Then I got stuck in the calm, about 15 miles from the first gate, and that was basically the end of it. I stopped while the others kept moving. Unfortunately it didn't work out.
But that's okay. Looking back at all my decisions, I don't think I would have done anything differently. Sometimes it just doesn't work at the finish. Otherwise, I'm really happy."
Paul Loiseau (Région Bretagne - CMB Espoir), top rookie
"It was the first time I'd spent several days at sea.
We had tough conditions all winter during training in Port-la-Forêt, so I kind of felt like I was still in training mode. In the end, the frontal passage felt fairly short — I didn't feel like it lasted that long.
After two days in 30 knots, finally setting the spinnaker and drying everything out — because being soaked was awful by the end — felt amazing.
I knew I needed to stay fresh for the arrival in Vigo because that's where everything was going to be decided, or at least a big part of it.
I managed to chain together naps, even during the front, so I was still really fresh on the morning of the finish. I hadn't slept during the last 24 hours and still had energy left, which is fantastic.
Sleep had been one of my weak points before. This time it was all positive. A lot of things were validated during this stage."
Thomas Dinas and Eliott Coville (Auray Quiberon by Orlabay), winners of the Défi Paprec
"The Défi Paprec was our main objective for the season. We prepared specifically for it and were really happy to be there. Arriving in Vigo as winners is incredible.
From the very beginning, the warm-up in Perros with everyone else, being able to start and get into race mode, was amazing.
What's really interesting is starting 15 minutes after the solo sailors but still not being that far behind them. It allows us to catch up with the back of the fleet, observe their choices, and keep learning. It was fascinating to watch from the outside.
At no point was the boat operating below 100%. We were sailing in a sort of 'fake solo' mode, which is definitely an advantage. We had time to analyze the weather carefully.
In the end, it came down to very little, but just like for the others, everything was decided near the Spanish coast. We managed to get through La Coruña while others got it badly wrong.
You couldn't let up for a second. Our goal is really to return to La Solitaire whenever possible. It's a unique adventure. We'd still love to race another two or three stages."