The second stage of La Solitaire du Figaro took place this Saturday 10 June 2017 from Gijon (Spain), after a three-day stopover. A respite appreciated by all after a particularly strong first leg with winds of 50 knots and rough seas, which had caused a lot of damage among the fleet of 43 solo sailors.
However, they all set off again in the direction of Concarneau - via the Chaussée de Sein and the Ile d'Yeu for a leg of over 350 miles. The start had to be delayed due to the completely disappeared northerly wind. Eventually, the offshore wind picked up to 6 knots from the NNE, but the solo sailors were so impatient to get to grips with it that three of them - Alexis Loison, Gildas Mahé and Tanguy Le Turquais - crossed the line too early, forcing the race committee to issue a general reminder.
After a second general reminder, the race committee was obliged to send flag I, which obliges whoever steals the start to return and go around one of the two ends of the line. The 43 solo sailors finally set off at 16:09 after two general recalls and Anthony Marchand (Ovimpex Secours-Populaire), Nicolas Lunven (Generali), Alexis Loison (Custo Pol) seemed well placed after starting in the middle of the line.
After a remarkable start, Gildas Mahé (Action Contre la Faim) won in the end, even if he had to make a small Breton tack to round the buoy: he turned quickly, whilst Anthony Marchand (Ovimpex-Secours Populaire) and Pierre Leboucher (Ardian) in his wake extended the starboard tack a little further. And this crossed in all directions to make her way back towards the windward buoy, with Gildas Mahé confirming her lead ahead of Adrien Hardy (Agir Recouvrement) and Pierre Leboucher.
But although these first few tacks are important, they do not in any way prejudge what will happen next: at sunset, the thermal will collapse to give way... to a flat calm. And this should last all night long! Indeed the arrival of the wind linked to the ridge of high pressure will only take effect late Sunday morning with a N to NW'ly air flow of around ten knots. The dilemma will then be to choose the favourable tack, no longer to go directly to the Chaussée de Sein, but by zigzagging between the three new forbidden zones! So after the "double-sided glued" phase off Asturias, which side should be used to climb this climb up the Bay of Biscay when two passes are prohibited... Heads or tails?
Passage to the Radio France buoy :
1- Gildas Mahé (Action Contre la Faim) at 4:42 p.m
2- Adrien Hardy (Act Recovery)
3-Pierre Leboucher (Ardian)
4- Damien Cloarec (Saferail) at 4:43 p.m
5-Tanguy Le Turquais (Nibelis)
