For 51 years, the Solitaire du Figaro has brought together the best sailors in the world for equal races on one-design boats. In 2020, it is one of the few races - along with the Vendée Globe - to have been held during this period of pandemic. The organisers are hoping that this new edition will be the return of a great popular festival, with many events organised in the stopover towns. It is worth noting that all these stopover towns are French, a security choice made somewhat compulsory to avoid entries from abroad and thus solve a problem due to the pandemic.
Search for a title partner
If the race is still looking for a title partner for this new edition - a rather unusual situation - OC Sport Pen Duick - the race organiser - is not worried.
"Sailing is perfectly in tune with people's needs especially at this time. It represents freedom, boldness, perseverance, sustainable development, sharing and nature." explains Hervé Favre, CEO of OC Sport.
A long and intense journey
The start of the Solitaire du Figaro will be given on 22nd August 2021 from Saint-Nazaire, the new partner of the race for the next 6 years, and the finishing town of the last edition. This course of approximately 2,500 miles will take place in the Atlantic and the English Channel and is already proving to be difficult and long with a lot of time spent at sea. " A rather exceptional career" explains Alex Picot, project manager of the race.
Registration will open in a few days, but the organization announces that a large number of sailors have already announced their intention to participate.
Leg 1: Saint-Nazaire - Lorient (689 miles)
The start will take place from Saint-Nazaire in the Bay of Biscay, passing the BXA mark, close to the Gironde estuary, before sailing along the coast of La Coruña for a large free stretch of 300 miles before reaching Lorient. This first leg will be an offshore one, as the Solitaire du Figaro is above all an offshore race.
Leg 2: Lorient - Fécamp (490 miles)
To extend the race, the sailors will first head for the Rochebonne plateau before heading for Brittany, with a passage through Le Four, La Hague, Barfleur - which has given the competitors a lot of trouble in previous years - and a passage past the Cape of Antifer before reaching Fécamp. On this 2 e There will be many level crossings and tactical choices to attack.
Leg 3: Fécamp - Baix de Morlaix (624 miles)
The solo sailors will cross the English Channel before sailing along the southern coast of England. They will pass the tip of Cornwall and head north again, towards the island of Lundy and return to Roscoff, leaving the Scilly Islands to port. This leg will leave the competitors little time to rest with uncertainties about the currents, even if they will be less complicated to manage than on the previous leg. The passage near Cornwall will nevertheless remain complicated.
Leg 4: Bay of Morlaix - Saint-Nazaire (685 miles)
This final leg will take the Figaro sailors as far as the Fastnet lighthouse, which they will have to round to port before returning to Saint-Nazaire.
