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        <title>La Solitaire du Figaro - La solitaire.com - News</title>
        <description>The news are update two times a day.  It will be a full article about the race, day by day</description>
        <link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/</link>
        <language>fr</language>
        <copyright>Droits de reproduction et de diffusion réservés © lefigaro.fr</copyright>
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        <description>The news are update two times a day.  It will be a full article about the race, day by day</description>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[La Solitaire du Figaro 2010: promising line up of 73 pre-entries]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[With 73 pre-entries and the participation of veritable mainstays of offshore racing, La Solitaire du Figaro 2010 has one of the most impressive line-ups of the past forty editions of the race. Le Havre will host the start of La Solitaire for the first time on July 27th The skippers will set sail from Le Havre, host start port for the first time, on July 27th on a 1,717 nautical miles mix of inshore and offshore racing over a four stage race.]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2010/02/10/02001-20100210ARTWWW00004-la-solitaire-du-figaro-2010-promising-line-up-of-73-pre-entries.php</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:16:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[La Solitaire du Figaro announces 2010 edition of the race]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[The 2010 edition of La Solitaire du Figaro will cover 1,717 nautical miles between ports both old and new to the race.  There will be the return to Gijon and Kinsale, which will bring back memories that are part of the rich history of La Solitaire du Figaro. Between these two stages abroad, Le Havre will host the race start for the 41st edition for the first time.  Brest and Cherbourg-Octeville will each host a stop-over once more. ]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/12/07/02001-20091207ARTWWW00001-la-solitaire-du-figaro-announces-2010-edition-of-the-race.php</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 7 Dec 2009 11:16:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<item>
<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[ French host ports for La Solitaire du Figaro 2010 announced]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[Following an incredible 40th edition, La Solitaire du Figaro is already looking ahead to 2010 and unveils its French host ports of call.  The full details of the course of the 41st edition of La Solitaire du Figaro shall be disclosed on Friday 4th December at the Paris Boat Show. ]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/10/26/02001-20091026ARTWWW00002-french-host-ports-for-la-solitaire-du-figaro-2010-announced.php</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:57:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[The Race Replayed - A Classic 40th Edition]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[52 skippers at the start, 52 at the finish. Not one retirement. New young talents making their first appearances, the stars of offshore sailing proving their mettle, wonderful stories, deserving winners…. and above all suspense that endured to the very last miles. The 40th edition of La Solitaire du Figaro has delivered on all its promises: “I couldn't have dreamed of better” says Race Director Jacques Caraës.  ]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/20/02001-20090820ARTWWW00008-the-race-replayed.php</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:13:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[Nicolas Lunven wins 40th edition of La Solitaire in thrilling finish]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[In the sport of offshore racing it just doesn't get closer than this. After 511 miles of intense competition, the 52 boat fleet finished the fourth and final leg of the event's 40th anniversary edition this afternoon in Dieppe, and right to the very end it was almost impossible to pick the winner. The 10 leading boats streamed across the line in a little under 12 minutes, and ultimately it was Antoine Koch (Sopra Group) who crossed first, at 14h12 and 48 seconds, followed by Nicolas Troussel (Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne) and Thomas Rouxel (Défi Mousquetaires). But the big winner is fourth placed Nicolas Lunven (CGPI), who holds off his adversaries to take the title of overall winner on accumulated time across all four legs. ]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/19/02001-20090819ARTWWW00062-thrilling-finish-in-dieppe.php</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:23:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[50 Miles from the Finish, and the Game Wide Open]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[The suspense continues this morning as the fleet reach the middle of the English Channel, no more than 50 miles from the finish line in Dieppe. As the wind has died down in the small hours, so the leading skippers - Frédéric Duthil, Charles Caudrelier Benac, Michel Desjoyeaux et Yann Eliès – have come under attack from all sides. ]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/19/02001-20090819ARTWWW00015-50-miles-from-the-finish-and-the-game-wide-open.php</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2009 07:26:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[Countdown to Grand Finale Begins]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[Since passing Wolf Rock and Land's End last night, the fleet of Figaro Beneteaus has been making much faster progress than expected along the south coast of England, passing the four major headlands at the Lizard, Start Point, Portland Bill and Anvil Point on its way to the final mark of the course, the Needles Fairway buoy at the western entrance to the Solent. Presently making seven knots of boat speed, in variable south-easterly and south-westerly winds, the leaders are expected to round at about 1800 (UK time) this evening, before setting off on the final cross-Channel phase to the finish in Dieppe. Frédéric Duthil (BBox Bouygues Telecom) is tenaciously maintaining the narrow lead he has held for the last 36 hours, literally a stone's throw from Charles Caudrelier Benac (Bostik) and a mile ahead of Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) in third. British skipper Nigel King continues to sail the Figaro leg of his life, consistently in touch with the leaders and less than 4 miles from the front.  ]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/18/02001-20090818ARTWWW00048-countdown-to-grand-finale-begins.php</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:10:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[Big Brother is Watching]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[It isn't often that the Race Office drops in on the fleet in the middle of an offshore yacht race, but that was the case this afternoon when the chartered jet carrying the whole circus of organizers and race officials of La Solitaire du Figaro were able to buzz 52 very surprised skippers mid-Irish Sea. The accompanying journalists will be able to write with the authority of first hand experience that at midday the fleet were making steady progress under spinnaker, on calm seas and with good visibility, on their way to Land's End and their next mark of the course, Wolf Rock. The 1600 position report shows Frédéric Duthil (BBox Bouygues Telecom), Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) and François Gabart (Espoir Région Bretagne) holding the top three places, but with the bulk of the fleet within 5 miles of the leaders. ]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/17/02001-20090817ARTWWW00044-big-brother-is-watching.php</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:50:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[Fond Farewell to Dingle for 4th Leg Start]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[It came very close to running like clockwork in Dingle Bay today, for the start of the fourth and final leg of this year's Solitaire du Figaro. The promised wind settled in briskly this morning, and even moderated to a more manageable 16 or 17 knots by the scheduled 1200 (local time) start, though the south-westerly direction kicked up enough of a sea to give the numerous spectator boats an authentic if slightly uncomfortable nautical experience. After a general recall at the first attempt, the 52 boat fleet got away cleanly at 1214 precisely, and are now flying down the Irish coast on their way to the next mark of the course, the Fastnet Rock. ]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/16/02001-20090816ARTWWW00059-fond-farewell-to-dingle-for-4th-leg-start.php</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:12:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[Dingle to Dieppe - Last Leg Starts Tomorrow]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[The fourth leg of this year's Solitaire du Figaro sets off from Dingle at noon local time tomorrow, at 511 miles the longest and the last of the series, and another classic mix of coastal and offshore sailing. After nearly three weeks of fantastically close racing, and the top fifteen skippers within one hour of accumulated time, there is everything still to play for, and the identity of this year's champion will not be revealed until the very end. ]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/15/02001-20090815ARTWWW00017-dingle-to-dieppe-last-leg-starts-tomorrow.php</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 15 Aug 2009 17:29:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[Jérémie Beyou Victorious Again After a Night of Suspense]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[For Race Officer Dominique Berenger, waiting patiently on the committee boat at the entrance to Dingle Harbour last night, it must have seemed like being on the receiving end of a nautical version of the Charge of the Light Brigade. After a third leg full of tactical twists and meteorological surprises, the weather threw a final curveball in the fleet's direction as the leaders entered Dingle Bay yesterday afternoon. Less than 10 miles from the finish line the breeze in the bay died completely, and the placid waters became a parking lot for Figaro Beneteau 2s as the rest of the fleet piled around the corner at Valentia Island. It was to be six hours before enough breeze kicked in to propel the boats the final distance, by which time the view from the finish line was of a seemingly endless arc of navigation lights across the bay. Any one of 20 boats could have won it, but ultimately it was Jérémie Beyou (Bernard Paoli) who held his nerve and crossed first, for his second consecutive leg victory of this year's edition of the race. ]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/14/02001-20090814ARTWWW00043-jeremie-beyou-victorious-again-after-a-night-of-suspense.php</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:17:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[Words from the Winners in Dingle]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[After the extraordinary third leg finish last night in Dingle Bay, with 47 of the 52 boat fleet arriving in 42 minutes, here are the first thoughts from the top three skippers as they stepped ashore. ]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/14/02001-20090814ARTWWW00030-words-from-the-winners-in-dingle.php</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:54:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[Changing Weather Brings Unpleasant Surprises]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[Equipped with only the most limited means of communication with the outside world, life can be full of surprises for the solo skipper in La Solitaire du Figaro - and not all of them welcome. Just one such bolt from the blue was delivered last night by a small disintegrating low pressure system, taking an unexpected dive south from its confidently predicted trajectory to land squarely on top of the front runners in the 52 boat fleet as they neared the southern coast of Ireland. Bringing a whole new array of light airs and windless traps to add to an already fluctuating regime, the result has been a comprehensive shake-up to the pack, with some notable slides down the rankings, and some narrow escapes. With the leaders expected to arrive in Dingle around 1900 (local time) this evening, there is little runway for dramatic comebacks. ]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/13/02001-20090813ARTWWW00047-changing-weather-brings-unpleasant-surprises.php</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:54:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[The ‘Figaristes' Dilemma - Short Term Gain or Long-Term Profit ?]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[The sun put in a brief reappearance yesterday evening, but ever since it has been a return to unremitting greyness and damp for the 52 skippers making their way from France to Dingle, on Ireland's west coast – a phenomenon the predominantly French fleet are happy to attribute to their growing proximity to the British Isles. The leg's second night at sea presented the second of its key strategic challenges: the all-important timing of the change onto port tack to cross the ridge of high pressure blocking the route to Ireland. The result has been two principal groups of front-runners, and while Armel Tripon (Gedimat) and Antoine Koch (Sopra) have profited in the short term, 30 miles south-west of the Scillies they are now engaged in a to-and-fro battle with the opposing group, presently led by Armel Le Cleac'h (Brit Air). ]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/12/02001-20090812ARTWWW00035-the-figaristes-dilemma-short-term-gain-or-long-term-profit-.php</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:13:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[First Night of Third Leg - Local Knowledge Pays]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[After a first night spent dodging all manner of traps and obstacles, it would seem this third leg of the 2009 edition of La Solitaire is so far living up to its billing as the most tactical yet. The calm conditions of the start gave way to a night requiring full attention on the skippers' part, as they made their way along the Breton coast towards the final mark of the course before the finish line in Dingle, the Cap Caval bouy off Penmarc'h Point, at the south-western end of Brittany. With plenty of islands and other rocky hazards to dodge, local knowledge was at a premium, and it was Port La Foret denizens Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) and Charles Caudrelier-Benac (Bostik), sailing on their own back doorsteps, who passed the mark seconds apart this morning before heading neck-and-neck into the Western Approaches. ]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/11/02001-20090811ARTWWW00028-first-night-of-third-leg-local-knowledge-pays.php</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:34:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[Third Leg Under Way : Ireland Here We Come !]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[The third leg of the 40th Anniversary edition of La Solitaire du Figaro got under way as scheduled at 13h00 this afternoon, a complex 485 mile passage between St. Gilles Croix-de-Vie in France's Vendée region across to Dingle on the west coast of Ireland. Once again it was a gentle start, with 5 or 6 knots of westerly breeze under cloudless blue skies and on the flattest of seas. The mood among the 52 skippers is much more intense however, with the Figaro veterans relishing the prospect of a classic leg full of twists and turns, and those ranked further down the fleet in attacking mood, seeking every opportunity to take big risks and reap bigger rewards. ]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/10/02001-20090810ARTWWW00053-third-leg-under-way-ireland-here-we-come-.php</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:51:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[Eve of third leg : “This is where it starts to get serious”]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[After the headlong, straight-line rush across the Bay of Biscay that was the second leg of La Solitaire, the third is shaping up to be a more classic, technical test of the ‘Figariste', with abundant strategic options and the opportunity to make big gains… or to suffer big losses. With 120 miles more distance than in the last leg, and some tricky obstacles to negotiate, the 485 mile passage from St. Gilles Croix-de-Vie to Dingle in South-West Ireland could easily deliver a radical shake-up to the closely contested rankings. “We're not exactly starting from square one” said Race Director Jacques Caraës “but it's not far off.” Or as skipper Thomas Rouxel (Défi Mousquetaires) puts it “This is where it starts to get serious.” ]]>



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<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/09/02001-20090809ARTWWW00022-eve-of-third-leg-this-is-where-it-starts-to-get-serious.php</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 9 Aug 2009 17:05:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[A Tough Year to be a ‘Rookie']]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[La Solitaire du Figaro has always paid attention to its first-timers. Picked out in the rankings there is a race within a race, that between the ‘bizuths' as the French call them: the skippers making their first participation in this revered series of solo offshore races. Lining up in this year's 40th edition there are 15 of them, and after two legs the competition for the top spots is as closely contested as for the over-all results. ]]>



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<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/08/02001-20090808ARTWWW00013-a-tough-year-to-be-a-rookie.php</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 8 Aug 2009 16:53:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[Quotes from the Podium]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[  Jérémie Beyou (Bernard Paoli), winner of the leg and 5th overall     The tough nature of the race :  “The problem with this race is that you really have to suffer, at least I have yet to find any other way of doing it, and I think that anyone who thinks they can win it just by clicking their fingers has yet to be born !” ]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/07/02001-20090807ARTWWW00003-quotes-from-the-podium.php</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 7 Aug 2009 13:34:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[Jérémie Beyou Wins Second Leg at Saint-Gilles Croix de Vie]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[The skipper of Bernard Paoli guided his Figaro Beneteau 2 across the finish line at 20H20 and 37 seconds this Thursday evening, to win the second leg of the event in an elapsed time of 52 hours 21 minutes 37 seconds – equivalent to an average speed across the 365 mile passage of 6.97 knots. ]]>



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<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/06/02001-20090806ARTWWW00086-jeremie-beyou-wins-second-leg-at-saint-gilles-croix-de-vie.php</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 6 Aug 2009 23:02:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[Light at the End of the Tunnel for Tired Skippers]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[The Figaro fleet is expected to arrive in St. Gilles Croix-de-Vie tonight, and the finish line won't come a moment too soon for the 52 skippers. This second leg has been one long drag race since the fleet escaped the light airs off northern Spain two days ago: a 300 mile upwind slog to SN1, the turning mark off St. Nazaire. Under grey skies and with consistently rough seas, life on board will have been anything but comfortable, the misty, humid conditions not even allowing the opportunity to get out of foul weather gear. At the front Jeremy Beyou (Bernard Paoli) has been able to protect his lead for the last 24 hours, and is expected to round the mark at about 1630 (French time). Once there it will be time to break out the spinnakers for a 35 mile downwind run to the finish. ]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/06/02001-20090806ARTWWW00043-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-for-tired-skippers.php</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 6 Aug 2009 17:49:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[Jérémie Beyou Leads the Pack]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[There's no down-time for the skippers as their headlong rush across the Bay of Biscay continues. Having reached the latitude of Oléron this morning, Jérémie Beyou (Bernard Paoli) has protected his overnight lead, having won up to a mile of extra breathing room from second-placed Nicolas Lunven (CGPI). Charles Caudrelier-Benac continues to hold third place; as the breeze has settled in so too have the rankings. ]]>



</description>
<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/06/02001-20090806ARTWWW00015-jeremie-beyou-leads-the-pack.php</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 6 Aug 2009 13:32:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[A Game of Snakes and Ladders]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[Since yesterday's light airs start at Coruna, the returning north-westerly breeze has comprehensively shuffled the pack, as the 52 boat fleet heads back across the Bay of Biscay on its way to the second leg finish at St. Gilles Croix de Vie. Having successfully side-stepped the patch of flat calm that presented the leg's first major obstacle in its opening hours, by this afternoon the skippers had ticked off the first 150 miles of this 365 mile passage. For now the fleet remains relatively closely grouped, and in the fickle conditions each successive ranking brings numerous position changes. ]]>



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<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/05/02001-20090805ARTWWW00035-a-game-of-snakes-and-ladders.php</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 5 Aug 2009 16:53:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[Slow-Motion Start in Coruna for Second Leg]]></title>
<description>

<![CDATA[There was just enough breeze to allow the 52 competitors a gentle morning sail out to the start area this morning, but after that it was ‘deja-vu' for skippers and race committee alike as the light south-westerly faded and the ‘AP' flag was hoisted to indicate the beginning of a waiting game, just as in last year's Vigo stopover. The delay lasted no more than a couple of hours, and at 1559 the fleet ghosted over the start line, embarked on their 365 mile journey to St. Gilles Croix de Vie on France's Atlantic coast. ]]>



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<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/04/02001-20090804ARTWWW00043-slow-motion-start-in-coruna-for-second-leg.php</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 4 Aug 2009 19:37:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<category>News</category>
<title><![CDATA[Gentle Conditions Expected for Second Leg  Return to France]]></title>
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<![CDATA[The second stage of the 2009 La Solitaire du Figaro gets underway at Coruna at 1400 (local time) tomorrow, the 52 boat fleet re-crossing  the Bay of Biscay in a 365 mile passage to the port of St. Gilles Croix de Vie in France's Vendee region. Early indications are that conditions will be relatively light in comparison to the robust weather encountered on the first leg from Lorient, but too little wind can present just as many challenges as too much in this tightly contested class. ]]>



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<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/03/02001-20090803ARTWWW00018-gentle-conditions-expected-for-second-leg-return-to-france.php</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 3 Aug 2009 17:16:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Eliès Celebrates First Leg Victory in Coruna – But a Long Way to Go]]></title>
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<![CDATA[The dockside post mortems started almost as soon as Yann Eliès (Generali) crossed the finish line at 1759 and 15 seconds yesterday evening (Saturday), followed within the space of an hour by no less than 15 of his rivals. Numbered among them were most of the big names in this bumper 40th edition of the classic French offshore racing series. In Figaro terms such a neglible time difference between boats means it's still practically level pegging for the overall title, and the start of the second leg next Tuesday is an opportunity to very quickly wipe the slate clean. ]]>



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<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/02/02001-20090802ARTWWW00009-elies-celebrates-first-leg-victory-in-coruna-but-a-long-way-to-go.php</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 2 Aug 2009 16:14:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Quotes from the Podium : first thoughts on arrival in Coruna]]></title>
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<![CDATA[ Yann Eliès (Generali), leg winner :   A taste for victory… “It's only a leg win, and I don't plan on it being the last, but I'll enjoy it all the same, and also try to keep thinking about what comes next. I want to go the full distance, to win an overall victory. I've got to win this event one of these days! It's my fifth leg victory, but I can't stop there ! " ]]>



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<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/02/02001-20090802ARTWWW00002-quotes-from-the-podium-first-thoughts-on-arrival-in-coruna.php</link>
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<pubDate>Sun, 2 Aug 2009 12:08:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Eliès Still Holding Narrow Lead in Nail-biting First Leg Finish]]></title>
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<![CDATA[The 52 solo skippers competing in the first leg of La Solitaire du Figaro are nearing the finish line at Coruna this evening, after a typically hard-fought leg which has seen some distinct strategic choices. Leading the fleet since Friday evening is Yann Eliès (Generali), returning to competition for the first time since miraculously surviving severe injury during the 2008-2009 Vendee Globe. The racing is close however, and in such a competitive class nothing will be certain until the very end. Estimated time for the first finishers is from 20H00. ]]>



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<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/01/02001-20090801ARTWWW00030-elies-still-holding-narrow-lead-in-nail-biting-first-leg-finish.php</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 1 Aug 2009 16:04:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[The South Pays – Eliès Back in the Lead]]></title>
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<![CDATA[Yann Eliès took back the top spot last night (Friday), the strategy of the small group who took the southerly option having apparently paid off. But there is still 128 miles to go to the finish in Coruna, and with the breeze now veering into the north-west there's no such thing as a sure-fire bet in this first leg of the race. The front runners are estimated to arrive from 2100 local time tonight. ]]>



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<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/08/01/02001-20090801ARTWWW00006-the-south-pays-elies-back-in-the-lead.php</link>
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<pubDate>Sat, 1 Aug 2009 10:07:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Mid-Biscay and All to Play For]]></title>
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<![CDATA[ It will have been a sleepless night last night for most of the 52 skippers on their way from Lorient to Coruna on the first leg of La Solitaire du Figaro. Within hours of the start, in a respectable 10 knots or so of breeze, they were stalled in the forecast light and variable conditions, and for the single-handers that means only one thing – time spent on deck hand steering and trimming sails to wring out every fraction of a knot of boatspeed.  ]]>



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<link>http://www.lasolitaire.com/EN/news/2009/07/31/02001-20090731ARTWWW00050-mid-biscay-and-all-to-play-for.php</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:07:00 ++01:00</pubDate>
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