In front of a large crowd gathered along the seawall, the 36 sailors set off from Pornichet for the final leg of the 2026 La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec. At exactly 7:00 p.m., the start was given in ideal conditions.
After completing a coastal course of more than five nautical miles around Les Evens and still under the watchful eyes of spectators lining the breakwater, Alexis Thomas (Wings of the Ocean) rounded the buoy laid off the port of Pornichet in first place, claiming the Paprec Trophy. He finished ahead of Nicolas Lunven (PRB) and Tom Goron (Xplorassur) at the end of this opening battle in the bay.
Driven by a westerly wind of around 12 knots, the solo sailors are now heading south toward the BXA safe-water mark, located off the Gironde estuary. They will then turn north toward the tip of Brittany.
The competitors are expected to enjoy a relatively manageable first downwind stretch before the arrival of a weather front that will make conditions significantly more challenging. This decisive and potentially hazardous stage is now fully underway. Although the skippers aim to sail their own race without added pressure, it is highly likely that, somewhere in the back of their minds, they will be closely monitoring their rivals’ AIS tracks.
After two stages that have been as demanding as they were intense, fatigue is beginning to take its toll. The sailors will need to draw deeply on their physical and mental reserves to fully commit to this final showdown and earn a place in the history books of the 57th edition of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec.
**About La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec:**
La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec is a solo, multi-leg offshore race, first held in 1970. It features a demanding route of 1,500 to 2,500 nautical miles, alternating between coastal and offshore legs, sailed on one-design FIGARO Beneteau 3 yachts. This race is a flagship event of the French Elite Offshore Racing Championship and has revealed many talented sailors.
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