Tom Dolan won the 55th edition of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec on Wednesday at the end of the final leg between Royan and La Turballe, won, like the first, by Loïs Berrehar, 2nd overall ahead of Gaston Morvan. To debrief the event, Tip & Shaft spoke to Gildas Mahé and Marcus Hutchinson, who know the Irish winner well, as well as Corentin Horeau, the title holder, and Yann Chateau, the race director.
The Solitaire du Figaro Paprec came to an end on Wednesday with a final leg of 710 miles – the longest in the history of the race – in some very challenging conditions (5 retirements), as described by Yann Chateau: “The race began with a lot of upwind sailing, in 12 to 20 knots of wind, as far as the west of Sein, then a great downwind leg towards England with short seas and wind which increased crescendo to 28-30 knots of steady wind and 35-38 in gusts. The frontrunners averaged over 17 knots over fifteen minutes!”
This led former Figaro racer Gildas Mahé to say that “this very tough leg crowned the strongest sailors“, like Loïs Berrehar (Skipper Macif 2022), who took his second leg’s victory in this Solitaire, followed by Basile Bourgnon (Edenred) and Gaston Morvan (Région Bretagne-CMB Performance). But at the finish, it was Tom Dolan (Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan), in the lead overall at the start of this leg, that he finished in 7th place, 1hr10mn behind the winner, who won this 55th edition.
“Tom is a step behind these three in terms of speed and still lacks some reflexes when it comes to racing, as he comes from a cruising background, but his great strength is that he is a very good strategist, as he was able to pull out all the stops thanks to his positioning on the second leg (read the debrief) and saved his lead on the last leg to win overall,” adds Gildas Mahé, who is both his coach, his trainer and his friend, the two men having known each other since 2010, the year Tom Dolan arrived in Concarneau to race in Mini 6.50. Corentin Horeau agrees: “Tom is a complete figarist! And even though he wasn’t in the rhythm of the frontrunners on the final leg, I think that in his mind, the most important thing was not to break away in order to finish. He’s done seven Solitaires without a break, which proves he’s got a great mind, and it’s great to see that pay off!
“A serenity and self-confidence
hat he didn’t have before”
At the age of 37, Tom Dolan becomes the first Irishman to add his name to the list of winners of the event, and the third foreigner after the Belgian Joan de Kat, winner of the first edition in 1970, and the Swiss Laurent Bourgnon in 1988 (he was a rookie). “It’s doubly hard for a foreigner to win, as you have to settle in France, find somewhere to train and understand how things work,” points out his compatriot Marcus Hutchinson, vice-president of the Figaro class and entry point for many foreigners on the Figaro Beneteau circuit – he was behind the Vivi Trophy, which rewards every year the first ranked non-Frenchman in the Solitaire.
In recent months, the Irish skipper has also gained new experience by racing in Class40 on the Niji40 with Pep Costa and Gildas Mahé, the latter adding that he “also attempted the solo round Ireland record twice last year, which shows a certain determination. Tom went on to say that he felt serene on this last leg in the breeze, as he’d had much worse weather around Ireland. It gave him a kind of serenity and self-confidence that he didn’t have before”.
Corentin Horeau, who also won after seven participations but after a break of a few years on the Figaro circuit, confirms that “the diversity of experience helps you to come back with desire and perhaps a different vision.” Tom Dolan was “very well prepared,” continues Marcus Hutchinson. “He is training in Concarneau outside the classic scheme of Port-la-Forêt or Lorient (where he used to train) and has surrounded himself well with Gildas Mahé and Bertrand Pacé as coaches, as well as a mental trainer. One of the main focuses of his preparation was to realise that he had his place in this environment, having grown up in the Irish countryside, without any maritime culture”. Tom Dolan’s victory was a landmark one, as for the first time since Kito de Pavant’s victory in the 2002 edition of the Solitaire, it eluded a sailor training at the Finistère centre in Port-la-Forêt!
Double for Loïs Berrehar
Loïs Berrehar, 2nd overall, who had not previously won a leg in the Solitaire, won two in this edition, having “dominated a large part of the event and proved once again that he is super strong in breezy conditions“, highlighted Gildas Mahé, with Marcus Hutchinson also underlining “his control of the boat in light airs at the finish of the first leg”.
Gaston Morvan, who “arrived in the big favourite’s seat, leading the French championship”, according to Corentin Horeau, took 3rd place overall. “Even if he was capable of doing better, it’s worth noting his consistency in the Solitaire, which he had already finished in 7th, 5th and 4th place”, added the 2023 winner. And Gildas Mahé points out that he had “quite a few technical problems – he went to the masthead three times on the first leg and had pilot problems on the second. Even though Gaston is a rock, it must have taken its toll physically. When you’re at the helm a lot more, you’re bound to be more tired at the end of the Solitaire.”
In 4th place overall, Hugo Dhallenne (YCSL-Primatice-SLB Pharma) is “one of the great revelations of this race,” according to Marcus Hutchinson. “I’ve seen him go to a lot of trouble, alongside his job [he owns an electronics company], to prepare his boat properly. To become so good so quickly, after only two appearances in the Solitaire, augurs well for the future.”
Our speakers also praised the fine performance of Charlotte Yven (Skipper Macif 2023), 5th overall. In doing so, she equalled the best result ever achieved by a woman on the Solitaire – in 2008, Jeanne Grégoire, current director of the Finistère centre in Port-la-Forêt, where she trains. “Charlotte sails superbly, she came third on the second leg and wasn’t far off the podium overall,” comments Corentin Horeau.
Finally, among the rookies, it was Arno Biston (Tizh Mor), 11th overall, who won the day. “Everyone was waiting for him because he’d made some brilliant moves in the pre-season races” (8th in the Solo Maître Coq), notes Gildas Mahé. “He’s racing very well but due to a lack of resources, he’s not preparing as well as he deserves.” An opinion shared by Marcus Hutchinson, who adds that “Arno took some financial risks and prepared his boat himself, but he’s super motivated and full of talent, so he’s had a great result.” As for Tom Goron (Navaleo), 2nd rookie and 14th overall, Gildas Mahé finds him “impressive for his 18 years“, welcoming “the very good promotion of rookies in this edition.”
