The last mark of the course will be crossed in the afternoon. The 30 competitors still in the race will then go full speed ahead towards Saint-Nazaire.
on boardExpress
Since the abandonment last night of the Irishman Kenneth Rumball (Offshore Racing Academy) for electronic problems rendering its autopilot inefficient, there are now 30 of them fighting on the final stage of the Solitaire du Figaro 2022.
On this Tuesday morning, the sea is not really nice. A 3m westerly swell and a wind of around twenty knots herald even more perilous times towards the Farallones Islands, in eastern Galicia. The fleet is spread out from North to South over about twenty miles. The North option is led by Tom Laperche (Brittany-CMB Performance Region) while closer to the Spanish coast progressed Davy Beaudart (Nauty’mor), the winner of the first stage.
He said he was happy with his choice: “We should have a front pass in the morning with a strong wind and a swing to the west, so a tack to descend towards the mark. I had a few boats under my wind but there, I don’t really know. Either way, I’m where I wanted to be. Being closer to the coast to have less wind and sea. We’ll see what happens. While waiting to pass the Farallones, I rest a little in view of going to the front. And then there’s no point being at the helm upwind at night. On the Figaro Beneteau 3, if you want to attack, you have to be in good shape. The 24 hours at the helm will be tonic. The boat is ready to face the next conditions. In general, I really anticipate this kind of thing so as not to be overtaken by events. Everything is ready while waiting for the wind. »
The passage of the Spanish mark will be decisive this afternoon for the last 300 miles to be covered towards the Loire-Atlantique. Strong South-West winds should catapult everyone’s motivation.