The skippers competing in La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec started the second leg between Vigo, Spain, and Pornichet on France’s Loire-Atlantique coast on Sunday.
As soon as they exited the Vigo ria, on the 450-nautical-mile course, leading boats managed to escape, while those further behind were already caught in the grip of the calm.
Shortly after leaving the Vigo ria following a 90-minute coastal course, Adrien Hardy (Sans Nature, pas de Futur !) rounded the Paprec mark in the lead.
This leg could well reshuffle the leaderboard. Tom Dolan (Kingspan), the provisional overall leader, will need nerves of steel to repeat his previous performance.
Tom Dolan: “We have a lot to gain and a lot to lose. We’ll especially need to be very careful during the first 24 hours, and then in the Bay we’ll see — things are a bit clearer today than they were yesterday.”
One thing is certain: many skippers behind him are determined to claw back lost time. This stage is expected to be stressful, lengthy, and one where every tactical option will be pushed to the limit.