Romain Bouillard, Arno Biston and Jules Delpech lead the way to Skerries Bank in England

While the start of this first leg of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec went very well, the start of the Channel crossing, during the night, did not spare the sailors. In a choppy and disorderly sea with a wind blowing between 15 and 25 knots, living conditions deteriorated, giving way to humidity, an uncertain balance and some intestinal imbalances.

In the game of options, the vast majority of the fleet decided to pass above the DST while Tom Goron (Groupe Dubreuil) and Charlotte Yven (Skipper Macif 2023) went below it, losing a lot in the provisional general ranking. This option should quickly allow them to make a direct route to Skerries Bank, with a fairly open point of sail. The bulk of the fleet is currently sailing at the limit of the layline and are launching into a battle of tacks to get closer to this first mark. A fleet which is led, for the moment, by Romain Bouillard (Décrochons la lune), Arno Biston (Article.1) and Jules Delpech (P'TIT DUC) but the road is still very long. After Skerries Bank, the conditions on board should improve significantly as they head west downwind.

Conditions are also expected to ease slightly as the morning progresses, but it's clear that this first night has already left its mark on the body. Lucidity is essential to persevere and not give up.

They said:

Arthur Meurisse (Kiloutou):

"I feel like I'm in the right group and at the front of this group, so it's going pretty well. The night was quite restless with a lot of adjustments to make. I didn't have much chance to sleep, but it's okay. The work has paid off. We hardly need a headlamp because the moon is shining so brightly, it's very pleasant."

It's been non-stop since the beginning. I still managed to fit in two or three short naps, but no more. It's a bit of a drag in these conditions, but being out front and in the right group is still pretty motivating.

Romain Bouillard (Let's Get the Moon):

"The boats are pretty close together, we had to choose our route, it's not easy. Our little group is doing well. We had quite a bit of wind last night. It's quite wet but the sea wasn't that big, however we had between 20 and 25 knots. I lost a bit compared to my competitors but I managed to rest. I slept 3 or 4 hours to be able to attack the day well. We'll have to have a bit of a fight, the fleet is pretty close."

Jules Delpech (P'TIT DUC): "While the rounding of the Cotentin was quite nice with a beautiful sunset and a few transitions to manage, since we've been in the middle of the Channel the conditions are more difficult. The wind is dropping a little but it's fluctuating between 15 and 25 knots. We have to constantly trim the boat. The sea is really not good, it's cross, it's pounding, it's wet, we can't stay upright very well. I'm a bit swamped. We should finish with a wind shift to go towards Skerries Bank and a little less sea with the tide shifting. It was nice to see boats behind and to be in the leading group. I'm still going to wait before celebrating."