Under the gloom and the drops and in a weak wind (4 to 8 knots), the 34 competitors of the Solitaire du Figaro crossed the starting line, this Sunday at 3:40 p.m. off Saint-Michel-Chef-Chef (Loire- Atlantic). The 53e edition of the famous single-handed race, whose cannon was fired by disabled sailor Damien Seguin, begins with a 644-mile stage which will take the sailors to the Celtic Sea and the island of Skokholm in Wales before to descend towards the Isles of Scilly, the Chaussée de Sein and Port-la-Forêt, the arrival port of this first stage.
The first competitors are expected from Thursday in the “Mecca of offshore racing”. However, if the weather conditions are too weak, the organizers could shorten the route and guarantee sufficient recovery time before the 2nd stage, which will start on Sunday 28 August.