Start of the second stage of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, Monday at 2:30 p.m.

After consulting and analyzing the weather conditions in the Bay of Morlaix and the Bay of Biscay, race management has decided to kick off the second leg of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec 2025 on Monday at 2:30 p.m. The 34 solo sailors will set off in challenging conditions for a 486-mile leg heading to Vigo, Spain.

©Thomas Campion

The arrival of a low pressure system on Sunday forced Yann Chateau and the race management to revise the start of this new leg of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec. It will finally be on Monday, September 15, at 2:30 p.m., that the sailors will leave the Bay of Morlaix to round the tip of Brittany and then head south into the Bay of Biscay. From the start, the entire fleet will be faced with wind and rough seas with 4 to 5 meters of swell. The passage through the Iroise Sea, at night, will be very sporty, but it was imperative to get the start at the right time so that the Figaro sailors can sail more calmly when the second low pressure system arrives, which will affect the Bay of Biscay during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. If, on paper, this stage is the shortest of this 56th edition, in practice with a headwind over almost the entire course, the distances over the long distance will be much greater.

Update on the weather conditions for the start and the first hours of the race by Cyrille Duchesne of Météo Consult

"Sunday evening's gale is confirmed in northern Brittany and the Channel coast. While the weather conditions will be more favorable, they won't be easy for the skippers with a west-southwest wind behind the still-active cold front. For the start, we can expect west-northwest winds of around twenty knots, with gusts of over 30 knots as a few squalls pass by. These squalls will become less and less numerous as the hours go by, giving way to beautiful clear spells at times. Sea-wise, it will still be rough on Monday with waves of 4 to 5 meters, generated by an energetic swell pushing from the west-northwest there too. The first hours of the race are therefore not going to be easy, and the sailors will have to arm themselves with courage and self-sacrifice to cross the Iroise Sea before heading down towards the Bay of Biscay. The fastest Figaro sailors will be able to cross the Iroise Sea during the night from Monday to Tuesday, in wind conditions that will gradually ease, dropping from 20-25 to 15-18 knots on average. However, the sea state will remain very active with a strong northwesterly swell that will rush into the Bay of Biscay, with waves of 4 meters until Tuesday morning.

©Vincent Olivaud

During the day on Tuesday, conditions will gradually improve. Both in terms of wind, since the wind will weaken considerably, with the arrival of an anticyclone that will swell from the south over the Bay of Biscay. The west to northwest wind will begin to ease considerably and the sea will become less rough. Little by little, the sailors will be able to breathe a little. A welcome respite since during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, a second low pressure system will move up over the Atlantic towards Ireland, with the situation becoming more disturbed during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. A clear improvement in conditions should occur on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday. The sailors will gradually return to more anticyclonic, calmer conditions,” analyzed Cyrille Duchesne. With one more day on land, the sailors will be able to recharge their batteries to face the harsh elements. It is certain that after a first stage which has already entered the legend of the race, this second section should also be talked about.