It was in 15 knots of NNE'ly wind and a chop of 1.5 m that the 35 Figaro Bénéteau 3 crossed the start line at 1300 hours anchored at the bottom of the bay of Saint-Brieuc. Whilst Phil Sharp (Oceans Lab) was forced to cross the line after an individual recall, Gildas Mahé (Breizh Cola) was happy to take the start.
Indeed, an hour after reaching the start line, the latter was back on the pontoons, his mainsail torn, by an emergency gybe to avoid a competitor. Xavier Macaire (SNEF Group), then offered to lend him the former mainsail of his Figaro, as Gildas Mahé could then quickly rejoin the competitors at the start.
Loïs Berrehar (Bretagne CMB Performance) was leading the way past the clearing buoy to be left to port, 3 miles north of the line, after 40 minutes.
After a rather fast start, the fleet is now stuck in a ridge of high pressure with no wind, from which everyone is trying to extract themselves as best they can. On Monday 31st August, Xavier Macaire was in the lead.
Who will be the winner of this first étape?? There are more than a dozen of them who can claim victory in this 51st edition e edition of the Solitaire du Figaro and it is at the end of several legs lasting a total of one month that the big winner will be known.
