Alexis Loison in pursuit of Dieppe

At the 7 a.m. time slot this morning, Alexis Loison (Groupe REEL) leads the way ahead of Victor le Pape (Région Bretagne – CMB Espoir) and Tom Goron (Groupe Dubreuil). Five leadership changes took place overnight. The landing in Daffodies in the coming hours will allow the timers to be ready, but it is certain that at the head of the fleet, the gaps are minimal and nothing is decided.

After a very eventful first night, the 34 Figaro sailors in the race were able to enjoy a much more restful night. With a southwesterly wind of around ten knots, the general trend was towards recovery while keeping the primary objective in mind: to make the best possible progress with their Figaro towards the goal.

As the hours go by, near the Fécamp wind farm, the Figaro sailors will have to contend with a southerly wind shift and a drop in wind speed. But with a clear and rested mind, everyone will tackle this more coastal but no less challenging section, with numerous coastal effects along the cliffs of the Pays de Caux.

Fourth at Skerries Bank, the highly experienced Norman skipper Alexis Loison (Groupe REEL) is leading the way for a fleet approaching the goal head-on. A first place that's relative for the moment, but psychologically, being in front feels good. Alexis knows only too well: being in front is fine, but you have to know how to hold on to that position until the end, and the next few hours of racing, with a return to the Cotentin Peninsula and two more Channel crossings, shouldn't make his task any easier. With tidal coefficients of 104 and 106, he'll have to be extremely careful, get out his calculator to arrive at the right moment for the tide to turn in the key locations of this leg, and hope to escape at the right time. Suffice to say, the equation is far from complete.

Currently, the top eight at the 8am time limit are within a mile of each other. The passage to Daffodies, off Dieppe, should be as tight as that at Skerries Bank.

A new route will then open westward and back towards the Cotentin Peninsula. There are currently 340 miles to go before arriving in Roscoff, Baie de Morlaix.

In the Défi Paprec, Benoit Calixte and Joseph Cloarec (Medi Terra Bella for Pure Ocean) are ahead of Kieran Leborgne and Eric Peron (French Touch – Innoveo) and Gaby Bucau and Colombe Julia (France Alzheimer et Maladies Apparentes). The first duo is currently 6 miles behind the first solo sailor, Alexis Loison.

They said (6am radio vacation)

"It was easier to get the boat moving last night, there was a little less wind. I tried to tack the right way. It needs to be warmer and it's much less wet. With the moon almost full, it's a really nice spot for us, we almost didn't need the headlamp. I managed to wash up a bit, brush my teeth, and make a real dish to get going again in the wind that's about to ease. I'll be in good shape to attack the rest of the day. I prefer medium weather, the boat moves almost by itself. In light airs, you have to be on it all the time to be present during all the transition phases and for the boat to never stop. Conversely, in heavy airs, you have to be on it all the time to go fast. Last night we were able to have manageable and easy conditions for solo sailing," comments Lola Billy (Région Bretagne -CMB Océane)

"I started my race by getting caught in two lobster pots off Barfleur and on top of that I was sick all the first night. It doesn't help when going fast but now I'm better. I also had problems downwind with a huge seaweed that I had trouble removing. I'm well settled behind the main body of the fleet, the idea is to not give up anything" analyses Tiphaine Ragueneau (ORCOM)

"My start to the Solitaire isn't great, but it's decent. I had a bit of trouble finding my speed. Unfortunately, I caught some lobster pots at Barfleur, and I had to reverse, which isn't great for making good progress. Otherwise, I'm in the rhythm, and everything's going well for me. I'm trying to take as many naps as possible whenever the boat allows. It might be because of my age, but I'm managing the boat while preserving myself as much as possible," comments Hervé Aubry (Douze).

"I had trouble coming back after some bad choices at the start of Le Havre. I didn't necessarily get through at the right time towards Barfleur, but I'm still waiting to move up the rankings. I managed to rest well to attack the rest of the course in the best possible way. We're going to have a transition zone towards Daffodies. We have to be on the right settings to have the best possible trajectory, " confides Titouan Marilley (Action Enfance – No Limit).