Crucial day for the solo sailors

In the early morning, two groups are sailing toward a single objective: Cape Finisterre and the Spanish coast. But a high pressure ridge blocks the path of the 34 sailors competing in this second leg of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec 2025. It's an area they'll have to cross to reach their goal, but the big question of the day will be where and when. The leader of the first group, Jules Ducelier on Région Normandie, is sailing in shifty winds of around ten knots. He is accompanied on his journey by Alexis Thomas (Wings of the Ocean) and Paul Morvan (French Touch – Foricher).

During this morning's radio session at 6 a.m., Paul Morvan explained to us what this passage of the ridge consisted of and his tactical choice:

"For my descent towards the tip of Spain, I have a wind angle that I must not exceed. Otherwise, I'll turn. I'm descending a little in a staircase towards Spain, and tomorrow we'll really encounter a windless zone called a ridge. I'll have to cross it, and the goal is to stay in it for as little time as possible in order to catch the northeast wind that's behind it, along the Spanish coast. The goal is to quickly escape this windless zone and find the right passage. We have the choice of going there earlier, with the problem of getting stuck there a little longer, or pushing as far as possible in the wind we're currently experiencing and crossing further. For the moment, I don't yet have a clear idea of where I want to go."

A question that the entire fleet is asking itself, but the positioning of each team foreshadows what's to come. For the moment, the advantage of the eastern group, which, as the night progressed, became the southern group, is playing on the edge, while the group further north is benefiting from a stronger wind while having conceded ground.

The profile of the day will be identical to the last hours, transfers, transfers and transfers in order to present itself well, at the end of the day or during the night, at the tipping point of the ridge.

"We're crossing the Bay of Biscay. We're currently heading south to find a ridge of high pressure that we'll cross later this day or evening. We're making good progress, but the wind is easing a little.

The conditions are quite favorable for resting and eating well and I wake up when I have to trim the boat,” confides Charlotte Yven (Skipper Macif 2023).

Charlotte Yven is currently sailing alongside Jules Ducelier and Paul Morvan. She is currently fifth in the provisional rankings and is trailing Alexis Loison, who has achieved the incredible feat of moving up from 34th place, following his premature departure, to 6th. Romain Bouillard (Décrochons la lune), very comfortable since the start of this second leg, is savoring these moments. "I have good speed and since the beginning I've been playing in the leading group. On the other hand, sailing is a thankless sport, it's a bit like tennis, you can lose a match but still feel like you played a good match. For the moment I feel like I'm sailing well and fighting well."

Fleet leader Jules Ducelier is currently sailing 270 miles from the finish and should be the first to embark on this perilous crossing of the ridge of high pressure. "The wind has definitely eased, we're playing with the ridge of high pressure to our south, which is cutting off our route to Vigo, but without actually getting back in. We'll have to cross it, though. We're playing a game of cat and mouse with the wind. Comfort on board isn't great with this big swell; we can't make out the waves at night," confides Jules Ducelier.

The challenge of Wednesday's race is indeed this high-risk crossing to reach the south and catch as quickly as possible the northeast wind that will push the competitors, under spinnaker, towards Vigo. But the rest of the race isn't as clear-cut as that. Landing on the west coast of Spain still holds some challenges with a large area of calm to contend with.