La Solitaire du Figaro - Last leg : bound for Saint-Nazaire !
August 18, 2003

At 12 o’clock on the dot, the Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro fleet set sail from Dingle and got down to the business of racing this last leg in a 15-knot nor’westerly wind. Heads down fort he fourth and final leg of this 34th edition : 500 nautical miles of coastal and ocean racing.

Not much wind has been forecast for the next few days, but the skippers will have a 15-knot west-nor’westerly wind over to the Fastnet Rock. Spinnakers up for the kick off of this final leg. Eric Drouglazet (David Olivier) ! « Given the distance I’m lagging behind, I’d have preferred slightly trickier conditions. And although this year’s Figaro is not my race, I’ve every intention to do the best I can to pull off a fine finish. . You’ve got to bear in mind that sailing is not a bit like the Paris-Dakar. You don’t have any control over how long the engine is going to last : you have to be on the ball all the time ! »

All of the skippers share the same aim : a great finish in Saint Nazaire ! Yann Eliès (Groupe Générali Assurances), currently 4th overall explains : « You have to attack fast and hard when sailing with the spinnaker up, make the most of the spectacle offered at the Fastnet Rock before the calms set in. In view of the conditions that lie ahead, anything is possible. And I’d like to win this Solitaire, I’ll be giving it all I’ve got to achieve the end I have set my sight on and to make up the hour I’m lagging behind the leader. If it all comes off, it’d be something of an exploit . Considering what I put into the first two legs, it is within reach. So yes, I’m really going to give it all I’ve got.».

At the Radio France Buoy, first race mark 1 hour after the start, Gwenaël Riou (Espoir Crédit Agricole) passed the mark in the lead, trailed by Armel Le Cleac’h (Créaline) and Ronan Guérin (Amadine et Chérie). Sam Davis (Skandia) is 29th, Corrado Agusta (Sector Sport Watches) 31st, Sander Bakker (Egeria) 36th and Unaï Basurko (Bizkaïa) 38th

Weather update
Monday : the low lying over the north of Ireland is giving rise to an 18-20-knot westerly trend this afternoon. Thereafter, the wind drops to 14 to 18 knots, veering west/north-west. Risk of showers during the day. At 11h this morning in Dingle Bay, there was a steady 15-knot west/north-west wind. Tuesday : wind remaining steady at around 12-16 knots in the west in the morning, decreasing 6 to 10 north/north-west in the beginning of the afternoon. The next day and following night, wind remaining north, 10 maximum.

Pre-start comments.
On the pontoons this morning a few before the start

Sander Bakker / Egeria (Holland)
“When I did the first leg, I finished 23rd and I really had some feeling that was the place I should be, like 25 to 30, around that place. And then in the next leg, you drop even further back. And in the third leg, you drop further still. So for me, it’s now going to be very exciting to see if the last leg, I am going to do as I did in the first leg or if I have to make my mind up differently and say, OK I don’t belong in the 25th position, I belong in the 35th place. I hope not. We’ll see. I’ll do my best and race as hard as I can and hope to stick with the fleet.” Being the only Dutchman on the race is good because I’m always first in the Dutch rankings. So every stop-over, I can drink a beer because I was first Dutch guy. So I always win the prize. That’s very good.”

Corrado Agusta / Sector Sport Watches (Italy)
« I’m a bit fed up to be honest because there’s a fair bit of difference with the 35th boat, which wasn’t really the case in La Rochelle. Now we’re attacking a 4th leg to try and make up for what we lost out on. We didn’t have that much to start with, but we have to try and reduce the difference. And I’m here – this is my first Figaro. As far as my sponsors are concerned, they knew perfectly well that I didn’t have the experience required to achieve a good result, be it making it to the top ten, or even in the first participation rankings, where the level is good. So we’re in for a final leg on the cleat. In any event, I’ve got nothing to lose. We might as well enjoy it while we can – and try to catch up with the others : Forza Italia ! »

Sam Davies / Skandia (England)
« I feel really on edge this morning. Firstly because it’s the last leg but also because I want to try to pull off something decent ! I know it’s going to be tough – there are some very good skippers in the fleet ! I’m a bit tired but I’ve got the adrenalin I need to race the race. Obviously I’d like to something along the lines of what I did on the third leg, rounding the first mark in the lead, but I’ll need a lot of luck for that. »

...Official site La Solitaire Du Figaro