Caught between tension and eagerness to get going, the 36 Figaro sailors finally headed offshore for the opening leg of the 57th edition of the La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec. After a spectacular coastal course of around fifteen miles between the Sept-Îles and Ploumanac’h, sailed in beautiful wind and light conditions, Loïs Berrehar aboard Banque Populaire emerged in the lead and is now heading towards Wolf Rock, the first mandatory waypoint of this opening stage.
The start of the first leg of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec was on relatively calm seas with around 10 knots of breeze. Following a reaching start, the opening leg was covered at high speed by competitors eager to make their mark from the very beginning.
After around forty minutes of racing, Loïs Berrehar was the first to complete the coastal course, cheered on by hundreds of spectators both on the water and ashore. The opening legs were lively and action-packed, with numerous manoeuvres throughout.
Throughout the day, the 36 Figaro Beneteau 3s will battle upwind towards the English coast of Cornwall. The manageable conditions should allow the sailors to ease themselves into the race before facing the first major challenge of the course on Monday night into Tuesday, with the arrival of a fairly active low-pressure system. The key will be finding the right balance: not expending too much energy early on, risking an early deficit in strength and sleep. However, the solo sailors are well prepared for this exercise, having trained all year for moments like this.
**First Ranking at the Paprec Mark:**
1 – Loïs Berrehar (Banque Populaire)
2 – Arno Biston (Article.1)
3 – Edouard Gobery (SOS Villages d’Enfants)
With this first-place finish, Loïs Berrehar wins the Paprec Trophy.
**Skippers’ Reactions:**
Tom Goron (XPlorassur): “On this first leg, we’ll need to avoid draining too much energy if we want to last until the end of La Solitaire, while at the same time it could become decisive very quickly. We need to find the right balance.”
Marie Gendron (Kereis SNCF Voyageurs): “I can’t wait to get going. I’m excited to discover this new world and this new challenge.”
Eliaz Morineau (Demain sans HPV): “I’m feeling pretty good and the start should be fairly relaxed.”
Chloé Le Bars (Skipper Macif 2026): “It’s going to be great! There’ll be upwind sailing, breeze, lighter conditions at the end — a bit of everything.”
Hugo Dhallenne (Skipper Macif 2025): “The weather is milder than expected, which is good news.”
Nicolas Lunven (PRB): “We’re starting in pretty nice conditions, so the opening hours and the first night should be a gentle warm-up.”
**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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