La Solitaire du Figaro-Eric Bompard

Deauville-Plymouth, 08.06.2014 -Übersicht

Press release of 06/18/2014
What a comeback…

Yann Elies (Groupe Queguiner) was first to cross the line in Roscoff to win his 9th Solitaire leg. It was an impressive comeback for the two-times Solitaire winner who had been forced to abandon Leg 1 after losing his mast at Wolf Rock. Elies dominated Leg 2, he had not been out of the top two since the fleet left Land's End, 440nm from Roscoff. He had a jostle with Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert) as they raced across the Irish Sea but after Fastnet Rock he pulled away from the other 36 solo sailors to cross the line almost 7nm ahead.

Yann Elies (Groupe Queguiner) “I was inspired all the time on the first night, and from the Isles of Scilly I widened the gap. I was at one with the boat and what would happen. I was no longer competition for the others, it may be easier when you are no longer part of the race. The dismasting was difficult mentally but this puts the record straight. My new goal is to win stages. My strength is mental... I heard a little squeak in my mast when there was a little sea after the Isles of Scilly, I'm a little traumatised, I think that'll look all the time on the Solitaire. This is the first time I lost a mast like that, I thought that it does not dismasted Figaro. I look back at Wolf Rock, I have not seen, it is hidden, it was a little ashamed ... I often need to fall below before bouncing. It was hard to take after I'm never as good at the foot of the wall. I am not surprised, I started telling myself that I would win, I thought."

The battle for 2nd, 3rd and 4th place was closely fought. Corentin Horeau (Bretagne - Credit Mutuel Performance) managed to hold off Roscoff's own Jeremie Beyou (Maitre Coq) and Fabien Delahaye (Skipper Macif 2012), to cross the line 59 minutes after Elies.

Corentin Horeau (Bretagne - Crédit Mutuel Performance) "I am super happy. This is a nice gift to get to Roscoff for my partners. I am also happy for Yann. Happiness is in place and in the ranking; this is the first time that I stayed this long with the best in the leading group. The Fastnet, it was magic, it was a first for me! We did not have much time to watch it, because I had a gybe. The Isles of Scilly I had never done either."

Sebastien Simon (Bretagne - Credit Mutuel Espoir) was the first rookie to finish, arriving in Roscoff at 02:05:48BST in 12th place. The 24 year old from Concarneau was 54 minutes ahead of British sailor, Sam Matson (Artemis 21). Matson crossed the line in 18th and has managed to hold on to the rookie lead.

Sam Matson (Artemis 21) “It felt good, it felt quite quick at times. It started off pretty average and I kept working hard at it and slowly got through the fleet, definitely the second half of the race felt good. A lot of people were fixed on getting to the next mark, I decided a lot can change in the next 300miles so figured I'd just sail low and sail fast and it seemed to pay off, it was a bit risky. I spent a lot of time on the pilot, I helmed when it felt necessary to, it was definitely quicker when I helmed at times but there was a lot of pilot work, I was charging the batteries quite often because of it. It (the rookie division) could be anyones game couldn't it.”

As the sun rose over the Brittany Port, Gwenael Gbick (Made in Midi) made it across the finish line, the last of the Solitaire fleet almost 5.5 hours after Elies. At 535nm, Leg 2 was the longest of the 2014 edition of La Solitaire du Figaro - Eric Bompard Cachemire. Now the sailors have the longest stopover, four whole days to rest and recharge in Roscoff before Leg 3 starts on Sunday.

1st Yann Eliès - Groupe Quéguiner - Leucémie Espoir at 00:26:01BST 2nd Corentin Horeau - Bretagne - Crédit Mutuel Performance at 01:24:53BST 3rd Jérémie Beyou - Maître Coq at 01:25:47BST 4th Fabien Delahaye - Skipper Macif 2012 at 01:26:19BST 5th Gildas Mahé - Interface Concept at 01:29:12BST 6th Adrien Hardy - Agir Recouvrement at 01:36:57BST 7th Alexis Loison- Groupe Fiva at 01:37:04BST 8th Charlie Dalin - Normandy Elite Team at 01:37:45BST 9th Gildas Morvan - Cercle Vert at 01:39:17BST 10th Corentin Douguet - Un maillot pour la vie at 01:49:26BST 11th Thierry Chabagny - Gedimat at 01:50:26BST 12th Sébastien Simon - Bretagne - Crédit Mutuel Espoir at 02:05:48BST 13th Paul Meilhat - SMA at 02:10:24BST 14th Anthony Marchand - Ovimpex - Secours Populaire at 02:11:53BST 15th Erwan Tabarly - Armor Lux - Comptoir de la Mer at 02:18:30BST 16th Vincent Biarnes - Guyot Environnement at 02:38:58BST 17th Gwenole Gahinet - Safran-Guy Cotten at 2:58:59 BST 18th Sam Matson – Artemis 21 at 2:59:51 BST 19th Alain Gautier – Generali at 3:08:56BST 20th Yoann Richomme – Skipper Macif 2014 at 3:20:24 BST 21st Richard Mason – Artemis 77 at 3:22:00 BST 22nd Xavier Macaire – Skipper Hérault at 3:42:42 BST 23rd David Kennefick – Full Irish at 4:08:05 BST 24th Sam Goodchild – Team Plymouth at 4:09:21 BST 25th Jossier Nicolas – In Extenso-Experts comptables at 4:13:27 BST 26th Frédéric Rivet – DFDS Seaways at 4:23:56 BST 27th Jackson Bouttel – GAC Pindat at 4:24:27 BST 28th Nick Cherry – Redshift at 4:26:44 BST 29th Clément Salzes – Darwin Les Marins de la Lune at 4:35:53 BST 30th Damien Guillou – La Solidarité Mutualiste at 4:38:02 BST 31st Isabelle Joschke – Generali Horizon Mixité at 4:45:30 BST 32nd Alan Roberts – Artemis 23 at 4:58:41 BST 33rd Jean-Paul Mouren – Groupe SNEF at 4:59:05 BST 34th Claire Pruvot – Port de Caen Ouistreham at 05:00:24BST 35th Henry Bomby – Red at 05:04:03BST 36th Edmund Hill – MacMillan Cancer Support at 05:11:47BST 37th Gwenael Gbick - Made in Midi 05:55: BST

Quotes :
Sam Matson (Artemis 21)
“It felt good, it felt quite quick at times. It started off pretty average and kept working hard at it and slowly got through the fleet, definitely the second half of the race felt good. A lot of people were fixed on getting to the next mark, I decided a lot can change in the next 300miles so figured I'd just sail low and sail fast and it seemed to pay off, it was a bit risky. I spent a lot of time on the pilot, I helmed when it felt necessary to, it was definitely quicker when I helmed at times but there was a lot of pilot work, I was charging the batteries quite often because of it. It (the rookie division) could be anyones game couldn't it.”

Rich Mason (Artemis 77)
It's quite nice to be 2nd Brit, Sam overtook me yesterday evening which was slightly frustrating. Happy that Leg 2 is done with, that was always going to be the hardest one for me, lots of straight-line stuff that I'm not really that good at so happy to be back in one piece and focus on the next one.”

Sam Goodchild (Team Plymouth) “It was horrible, that's about it really. It started well, I had a good first six hours and then at Lizard I made a bit of a muck-up but that was fine, it was my own fault. After the Scillies I went the wrong way, a few of us went South and everyone else went North. I made up a few places along the Irish coast. The coming back to the Scillies I went North and everyone else went South and I lost more places. The after the Scillies I went East and everyone else went West and I lost more places, that's basically the story of my race, I kept going the wrong way, which was frustrating but there you go.”

David Kenefick (Full Irish) “It's incredible. We all passed Fastnet rock and we were all looking at each other, watching each other after 2.5 days at sea and its absolutely brutal, you can't describe what it's like when it's so close. It's quite nice this year, I've got an insight into being sometimes near the mid-fleet group, the group of 20 at the top, last year I didn't get a look in. It's quite nice to feel that you've improved but the results are not really showing it which is a bit frustrating.”

Jack Bouttell (GAC Pindar) “Seeing the Irish coast was lovely. My 6th rounding of the Fastnet rock, first time solo which is cool and the only time we actually changed direction! The one turn around Fastnet rock and it was straight line the other way again, it was nice to see Ireland.”

Nick Cherry (Redshift) “I wasn't fast enough to get a good result, I couldn't sail quick enough in a straight line which is quite important and a bit disappointing. Once I'd got over that it was nice weather, I didn't get too wet, good race, lots of boats around. I didn't sleep at all on the first night and made a bit of a mistake coming in too close to the Lizard which I paid for quite heavily all the way to the Fastnet. At least it compressed again at Fastnet, felt like we were back in the race.”

Henry Bomby (Red) “I had a terrible start and couldn't keep my eyes open on the first night, I was really tired and then just lost places. Lizard Point was the first tidal gate and I just lost time in general from being behind in the tide, right from then there was no way back into it. We compressed at Fastnet but everyone just started sailing away, I was in lighter wind, I could have tacked but the guys who did it, I don't think it paid off. Everything seem to go wrong, nothing went my way."

Alan Robert (Artemis 23) "It was pretty terrible, I sailed pretty badly. I did a terrible job at the beginning, I cam out of the inshore in an ok position and then we were reaching and I instantly lost my jib over the side in a wave, I recovered that and was still in an alright position and then I did a terrible job of reaching and sailed myself into last place. For me going straight into a night time bit did make a difference because of my lack of experience sailing at night time"

Ed Hill (Macmillan Cancer Support) "It was pretty rubbish, I was very slow especially two-sail reaching. I had a poor start, got myself a bit more back into it by Fastnet Rock and the 250nm of reaching and I was horrifically slow. I think I'm sailing worse than I was last year, which wasn't the aim of the game at all. In training I'm quick and then get 24, 48 hours into a race and I'm not, whatever it is I'm doing something clearly wrong on the water."