La Solitaire du Figaro Leg 2: Dolan at the front of the pack
by Tom Dolan Racing 16 Sep 22:40 NZST
16 September 2025
56th La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec Leg 1 Start © Mathieu Rivrin
Irish sailor Tom Dolan is on the leading edge of the pack in the second leg of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, with 385 miles (~710 kilometres) remaining in the leg that will finish in Vigo, in northern Spain.
After a punishing upwind start, which set the sailors off into more than 20 knots of wind and four- to five-metre seas, the fleet turned left through the intermediate sprint gate and are now crossing the Bay of Biscay.
Kingspan skipper Tom Dolan is at the easternmost end of a leading line of boats, spread across six miles from east to west. Alexis Thomas led the fleet through the intermediate sprint gate and continues to lead.
With the wind expected to ease and turn to the south, this leg of the race will turn into a long, tactical upwind.