The Rush to the East

At the end of the second day of racing on the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, all 34 sailors are heading towards Dieppe at a good pace. The fleet is led, throughout the rankings, by Tom Goron (Groupe Dubreuil) and Charlotte Yven (Skipper Macif 2023). Currently, the leaders are located northeast of the TSS, still off the English coast.

In any progression, the idea is to ride the road, but not any road. A healthy, clean, safe, and secure road. Not to put yourself in danger and avoid obstacles. A formulation that, here, at the end of the second day of racing, takes on its full meaning.

The idea for the 34 sailors is to make the most of this generous westerly airflow, which is largely pushing the Figaro sailors in the right direction. At sea, all too often, the wind doesn't help much. Gaining as quickly as possible to the east to aim for the Daffodils cardinal mark off Dieppe before the wind eases is a priority. While the current conditions seem idyllic, with bright sunshine, a calm sea, and a spinnaker in the lead, on the deck of the Figaro Beneteau 3s, the atmosphere is much more stressful for the skippers who are sailing on the wire, on the verge of breaking under spinnaker.

With around twenty knots, the exercise can be perilous, but the many hours of training allow some to use their experience to play up front.

First to Skerries Bank, the youngest in the race, Tom Goron, sets his pace and seems to be enjoying these conditions. At the 7 p.m. checkpoint, he leads the fleet, which stretches over 8 miles laterally and almost 20 miles in length. Just behind him, a horde of sailors, reluctant to give him the honors, cling to his pace and lie in ambush on almost similar trajectories. Arthur Meurisse (Kiloutou), Thomas de Dinechin (Almond for Pure Ocean), Charlotte Yven (Skipper Macif 2023), and Victor Le Pape (Région Bretagne - CMB Espoir) currently form the Top 5.

" Our route yesterday with Tom was a bit stressful, especially when we realized there were only two of us. In the end, we're doing very well. The goal now is to do as much of the route as possible in the good conditions we have because the finish in Dieppe is quite uncertain. I'm going to take advantage of it, as soon as I can, to rest and maintain a form of lucidity to play this approach well. The race is still long, but I feel good," confided Charlotte Yven.

A similar thought came from Tom Goron (Groupe Dubreuil), first at Skerries Bank. "I'm managing to get the boat to whistle under spinnaker, it's really enjoyable. I was able to rest on the edge of the gennaker along the DST, I'm in good shape to attack the rest. We'll have to be vigilant on this new Channel crossing and with the wind dropping a little, too," added Tom Goron.