The route of the 56th edition of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec revealed!

It's official: the course for the 56th edition of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec has been unveiled by OC Sport Pen Duick, the event's organizer. With 1,850 miles of racing between Rouen (Seine Maritime), the Bay of Morlaix (Finistère), Vigo (Spain), and an exceptional finish in the Cotentin Peninsula at Saint-Vaast-La-Hougue (Manche), this new edition combines tactics, seamanship, endurance, and daring. From August 30 to September 27, competitors will face multiple challenges. This incredible course will notably feature the return of a famous waypoint, Fastnet Rock; a nice nod to the winner of the 2024 edition, Irishman Tom Dolan. Immediate boarding for an edition that will once again be of rare intensity.

A first stage of 673 nautical miles between Rouen (Seine-Maritime) and the Bay of Morlaix (Finistère)

Rouen: from Saturday, August 30 to Friday, September 5

Le Havre: from Friday 5 to Sunday 7 September

For the second consecutive year, the city of Rouen is hosting the grand start of this new edition of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec. “Won over by the welcome at the previous edition, La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec has chosen to once again set up its Grand Départ village on the banks of the Seine, in Rouen. To our great delight! Once again, it is the river, our place and our connection, which promises to bring together the people of Rouen and visitors around a great popular celebration ,” comments Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, Mayor of Rouen and President of the Rouen Normandy Metropolis.

After spending a week in Rouen, the participants will sail down the Seine on Friday, September 5, with a quick stopover in Le Havre. The first stage will start in the Bay of the Seine on Sunday, September 7, heading to Ireland and returning to the Bay of Morlaix, where the finish of this first major stage will be judged.

"The first leg of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec will offer a course in the English Channel and the Celtic Sea, from the Bay of the Seine to Roscoff via the Fastnet. Initially, the skippers will have to choose between the French coast and the English coast to sail, since the Casquets DST is a prohibited zone. This first coastal section will end at the Isles of Scilly before moving on to a more offshore route to the Fastnet and then Roscoff. History will tell whether, for once, the legendary lighthouse will be passed by day!" comments Yann Chateau, Race Director.

This first stage will be the longest of this new edition of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec.

© OC Sport Pen Duick

A second stage of 565 nautical miles between the Bay of Morlaix (Finistère) and Vigo (Spain)

Morlaix Bay: from Wednesday 10 to Sunday 14 September

After a stopover in 2023, the Bay of Morlaix will host the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec for the fifth time. This restorative stopover, after an intense first leg, will be welcome, especially as the sailors will then embark on a route strewn with pitfalls around Brittany and this very long leg towards Cape Finisterre and Vigo.

"The second stage, starting from Roscoff, will offer a tour of Brittany up to the special mark of Birvideaux before heading towards Vigo across the Bay of Biscay. It will therefore consist of a first coastal section where the competitors will have to deal with the currents and possible influences of thermal breezes, before tackling the second, more offshore section ," adds Yann Chateau.

Never before have Figaro sailors been so far south on the Spanish coast. For the third time in its history, the port of Vigo welcomes the participants of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec. After rounding the famous Cape Finisterre, the participants will have to head south towards the Cíes Islands, which mark the entrance to the Ria de Vigo. A steep and wild coastline that will have to be tamed to rank high in the rankings. "It is a great source of pride for the port of Vigo to host one of the stages of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec 2025, one of the most emblematic offshore regattas on the international calendar. This event reinforces our nautical vocation and consolidates Vigo as a leading port on the European Atlantic," comments Carlos Botana, President of the Vigo Port Authority.

The skippers will have to recharge their batteries during the stopover in Vigo to tackle the last big part of this Solitaire, the climb back to Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue.

© OC Sport Pen Duick

A third stage of 612 nautical miles between Vigo (Spain) and Saint-Vaast-La-Hougue (Manche)

Vigo: Wednesday 17th and departure on Sunday 21st September

Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue: from Wednesday 24 to Sunday 28 September.

At sea, there's never really a straight line, but this stretch between Cape Finisterre in Spain and the tip of Finistere in Brittany promises some great gliding along the border between the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic Ocean. The open sea, its rough seas, and this feeling of emptiness will accompany the skippers over a distance of around 370 miles between the two legendary points. Not succumbing to weariness will be the watchword of this leg, and right up until the final meters of the race, places should be fiercely contested, just like the uncertain finish in Gijon in 2024. Rarely have the competitors been so far from the coast.

The grand finale of the 2025 Solitaire du Figaro Paprec will therefore be played out in Normandy, more precisely in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue in the Cotentin region. A first for this Norman port, which has always been resolutely sea-oriented.

“Nautical events are part of Normandy’s DNA. The Region is delighted to welcome, once again, to its shores, La Solitaire du Figaro, which puts the best sailors to the test!” comments Hervé Morin, President of the Normandy Region.

So it's a bit of a story of capes and points that the participants will write on this final leg. A leg that will reveal the name of the overall winner of this 56th edition. After Tom Dolan, winner in 2024, the skipper who successfully conquers this incredible 1,850-mile course will be crowned in Normandy.

"The third leg will be daunting, with a direct route to Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, a route that is fraught with pitfalls. In a single leg, the sailors will have to pass Cape Finisterre, the northernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula, before crossing the Bay of Biscay, the Iroise Sea, the coasts of northern Brittany and the Channel Islands, and finally the complete circuit of the tip of the Cotentin peninsula, known for its strong currents. This 56th edition of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec promises to be once again challenging, with a finale fraught with danger where maintaining lucidity and physical freshness until the end will be crucial," concludes Yann Chateau.

© OC Sport Pen Duick

For Julie Coutts, Managing Director of OC Sport Pen Duick, "The Solitaire du Figaro Paprec is also a human and territorial adventure. It is not only experienced on the water, it is written in the ports, in the stopover towns, among the inhabitants, schoolchildren, volunteers, businesses. Each edition is an opportunity to unite the driving forces of a territory, to boost its local economic fabric, and to promote a shared maritime identity. In 2025, we are continuing this dynamic with a route combining loyalty and novelty: Rouen, for a second consecutive departure after the popular success of 2024; the bay of Morlaix, a historic and emblematic stopover of La Solitaire; but also two new cities, Vigo in Spain and Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue in the Cotentin, which enrich our link to Europe and the diversity of the French coasts."

© OC Sport Pen Duick

New poster for the 56th edition Each year, the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec is displayed in large format in the race villages with visuals that are always as spectacular. For this 56th edition, the artistic direction was entrusted to VMG™️ with a magnificent illustration by Bergall: dynamism, sportiness, and close-contact racing enhance this 2025 visual.

They said:

Sébastien Petithuguenin, Managing Director of Paprec: "The 2025 course of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec promises some great racing moments! The first leg - and the first crossing of the English Channel - is a serious introduction with some major challenges, including the rounding of the Alderney Race - where one of the most powerful currents in Europe is rife. This is the leg that the novices of the Paprec challenge will undertake: for them it is a beautiful and long course and a great introduction to ocean racing. The second leg is a great classic of La Solitaire with the crossing of the Bay of Biscay, from one Finistère to the other. The end of the leg, along the Spanish coast, can be tricky for skippers caught up in fatigue and represents a great opportunity for those who manage to manage their sleep! The third part is a long leg, for which the sailors will be confronted with the long swell of the Bay of Biscay and the traps of the current in the English Channel. The Alderney Race will perhaps be the deciding factor in deciding who will be the best sailor in this edition of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec!”

Florent Schindler, Director of Information, Figaro Nautisme / METEO CONSULT - La Chaîne Météo: "The Solitaire du Figaro Paprec is a legendary event, a rite of passage for a whole generation of sailors. It is a school of excellence where one learns humility in the face of the elements, precision of movement, and mental endurance. From the heart of Rouen to the shores of Vigo, to Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, via Roscoff, this new course, for the 56th edition, outlines an extraordinary human and sporting adventure. Each mile covered is a lesson, each stage a battle, each competitor an ambassador of the passion and resilience that make ocean racing great. More than a race, the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec is a school of excellence and a talent scout."

Julie Coutts, Managing Director of OC Sport Pen Duick: “This new 2025 course perfectly illustrates the ambition of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec: to offer a demanding sporting event while promoting ocean racing in committed and passionate territories. Building on the tremendous welcome Rouen received in 2024, we have chosen to return there for a second consecutive Grand Départ, in an exciting popular dynamic. We are also very happy to return to the Bay of Morlaix, an emblematic and faithful stopover for the event, and to broaden our horizons with two new cities: Vigo, in Spain, and Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, the jewel of the Cotentin Peninsula. This course promises to be both strategic and spectacular, reflecting what sailors and the public expect from La Solitaire.”

Jean-Bernard Le Boucher, President of the Figaro Beneteau Class: "The Figaro Beneteau class is pleased to collaborate with OC Sport Pen Duick and the French Sailing Federation on the occasion of the 56th edition of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec. The race, part of the French Elite Offshore Racing Championship, will once again live up to its promise, with a strong field and a very rich and interesting course that will take place in the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean. The Solitaire du Figaro is a demanding, formative regatta, where the greatest talents in ocean racing are revealed. Thanks to the new format, incorporating the Défi Paprec for the second consecutive year, and like the previous year, the enthusiasm of the tandems entered for this first double-handed leg testifies to the positive dynamic surrounding this unique event. We thank OC Sport and Paprec for their renewed confidence."

Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, Mayor of Rouen, President of the Rouen Normandy Metropolis: "Won over by the welcome at the previous edition, La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec has chosen to once again set up its Grand Départ village on the banks of the Seine, in Rouen. To our great delight! Once again, it is the river, our place and our connection, which promises to bring together the people of Rouen and visitors around a great popular celebration. From August 30 to September 5, the city's quays will be the site of numerous activities open to all: sailors' meetings, sailing initiations, a festive ball, musical and artistic interludes. An opportunity to celebrate our river and maritime heritage. After the success of the 2023 Armada and La Solitaire 2024, this emblematic event confirms Rouen's influence and reaffirms its nautical tradition."

Jean-Paul Chapalain, President of the Morlaix delegation of the CCI Finistère: "The CCI Finistère – Morlaix Delegation is proud to welcome a stage of La Solitaire du Figaro to its Bay of Morlaix for the 6th time. It is precisely at the Roscoff Bloscon marina - a facility it designed in 2012 and which it manages on behalf of the Brittany Region - that this stage will take place from September 10 to 14. The CCI and its partners will take advantage of this opportunity to promote the Bay of Morlaix in sporting, economic and tourist terms."

Loïg Chesnais-Girard, President of the Brittany Region: “Brest, Concarneau, Lorient, Saint-Malo (…), the Breton port areas love and know how to host the biggest offshore racing events and I am delighted every year to see their pontoons come alive, welcoming the boats, the skippers, their teams and the public! The stage of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec in the regional port of Roscoff will undoubtedly be one of the major events of the end of summer 2025 in Brittany. Both a human adventure and a high-level sporting challenge, ocean racing – an emblematic discipline of Brittany – thrills and arouses the admiration of amateurs and spectators alike. I am proud that the Brittany Region is working alongside the organizers and local authorities to host benchmark nautical events: it is thus helping to enliven the region, to inspire vocations and to promote a particularly dynamic and innovative economic sector.”

Carlos Botana, President of the Vigo Port Authority: "It is a great source of pride for the Port of Vigo to host one of the stages of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec 2025, one of the most emblematic offshore regattas on the international calendar. This event reinforces our nautical vocation and consolidates Vigo as a benchmark port on the European Atlantic. The arrival of the fleet will bring significant economic and social momentum, while allowing the general public to get closer to the world of ocean sailing. We are working enthusiastically to offer skippers, technical teams and visitors an unforgettable experience, with first-rate port infrastructure and a city that lives the sea with passion. This stage not only places Vigo on the international sporting map, it also strengthens our tourist and cultural influence." For us, there is no more symbolic regatta: it unites two sister regions, Galicia and Brittany, through tradition, culture and economy. We want the port of Vigo to be both a sporting and cultural celebration during these few days. It is with great enthusiasm and strong commitment that we welcome La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec.

Christèle Castelein, President of the Cotentin Agglomeration: "The sea, sailors, sailing, boats, and great voyages across the oceans have shaped the Cotentin. Cherbourg, Barfleur, Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, Barneville Carteret, and La Hague are all names that are anchored in the imagination of sailors. An emblematic race, La Solitaire du Figaro therefore has its place in the Cotentin, and I am delighted that our region is welcoming it again. The arrival of the skippers in the shadow of the Vauban towers will, I am certain, be a unique spectacle and an opportunity for the Cotentin to once again celebrate its maritime identity around a truly popular festival. Welcome to La Solitaire du Figaro in Terre Bleue! Welcome to it in the Cotentin!"

Hervé Morin, President of the Normandy Region: "Nautical events are part of Normandy's DNA. The Region is delighted to welcome, once again, to its shores, the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, which puts the best sailors to the test! For many years, we have supported the organization of this legendary race, which contributes to the influence of the nautical sector, for which the community mobilizes more than 6 million euros each year. This event is a great showcase for Normandy, which is asserting itself more each year as a region focused on the sea and one of the great places for nautical sports in Europe!"

Watch the video reveal of the course, with commentary by Yann Chateau, the Race Director, OC Sport Pen Duick and the partners of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, on the race's YouTube account at 10:00 a.m.