The 56th edition of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec was won on Thursday night by Alexis Loison (Groupe Réel), who achieved a near grand slam, ahead of Charlotte Yven (Skipper Macif 2023) and Arno Biston (Article.1). Sailorz debriefs this Solitaire with two former winners, Pierre Quiroga (2021) and Corentin Horeau (2023), Loïs Berrehar (3rd in 2023 and 2nd in 2024), Lorient-based coach Tanguy Leglatin and router Dominic Vittet.
“Honestly, this is a Solitaire race that I wouldn’t necessarily have wanted to do! It was very physical, technical, mental and strategic, you had to bring together a lot of skills to achieve a good result.” That’s how Pierre Quiroga sums up the “extremely tough” 56th edition, adds Dominic Vittet, especially since, as Tanguy Leglatin points out, “with the postponement of the start of the second leg, the sailors only had one real night’s rest before setting off on the third, so the sequence of events was not easy.“
In other words, you had to be tough to shine, and the winner, Alexis Loison (41), proved himself to be just that throughout this Solitaire, which he was competing in for the 19th time, his best result being 4th place in 2021. “Winning the Solitaire on your 19th attempt sends a very powerful message. It shows that you have to fight to achieve something. Some people gave up before and will never win because they didn’t persevere enough,” comments Dominic Vittet. “It proves that perseverance pays off, that you can get there through hard work. It’s inspiring, a great lesson,” agrees Loïs Berrehar, who has six Solitaires under his belt and plans to return one day in the hope of finally achieving the holy grail himself.
The Norman, who had only won one stage until now (in 2014), added two more to his list of achievements, the first and last, finishing second in the second, prompting Pierre Quiroga to say: “It’s a master class, the old sage showed everyone the way, there was no contest, there was a class difference between him and the others. It wasn’t a Solitaire without mistakes, but it was controlled, thoughtful, everything we’ve known about Alexis for years and which he has finally transformed. It’s a beautiful story.”
“A masterpiece of Figaro sailing”
Corentin Horeau, winner of the Tour de Bretagne in June with Alexis Loison, adds: “If you reread my predictions from last year, I said that in terms of technical skill, he was above everyone else. I hadn’t changed my mind this year; I knew what he was capable of.” For Dominic Vittet, “Alexis showed absolutely extraordinary resilience. I’m thinking in particular of his descent into the Bay of Biscay on the second stage and on the last stage, where he was caught up at the tip of Brittany because he arrived at the wrong moment in the Four, but managed to come back and retake the lead.“
Pierre Quiroga confirms: “His second leg was a masterpiece of Figaro sailing. He knew how to position himself little by little to gain places and finish with very little gap.” The winner of the 2021 Solitaire added: “On the last leg, I was a little worried for him, because in the videos, he looked very tired when he left La Coruña. Given the number of tacking manoeuvres required, the only question mark was whether he would be able to keep up with the 25-year-olds in terms of physical fitness, but he managed to keep pace.”
What explains why the Groupe Réel skipper managed to tick all the boxes this year and not before? “I would say that he was almost too humble,” replies Corentin Horeau. “He found it hard to believe that he was better than everyone else, even though he was. I think that this year, he really got it into his head. In the end, it all came together in this race where, almost like in a dream, he managed to do everything he wanted.” Pierre Quiroga adds: “The course was also tailor-made for him. The first stage set the tone, with five crossings of the English Channel, something he has mastered perfectly.” For Dominic Vittet, “he’s the sailor of the year! He won the Tour de Bretagne, the Fastnet and the Solitaire in masterful fashion.”
“Charlotte enters
another dimension”
Behind the Norman sailor, Charlotte Yven, aged 28 and competing for the fifth time – her last under the Skipper Macif colours – finished second, with two leg podiums (third in the first and third legs) and the best result ever achieved by a woman in the history of the Solitaire, a title she had shared since last year with Jeanne Grégoire in 2008 (they finished fifth). “She was impressive in terms of speed, positioning, serenity and strategy. She made an incredible transition in the second leg with incredible feeling,” admired Tanguy Leglatin, who noted that “the Vendée gave her a solid foundation [she started out in Figaro under the colours of Team Vendée Formation, editor’s note], and she was able to build on that with Macif by taking advantage of what such a programme has to offer.”
“With this second place, she has entered a whole new dimension, especially as she achieved it at the end of a tough Solitaire race. Even though there is no difference to be made between men and women, you had to be physically fit to get a good result, and she really delivered!” enthuses Corentin Horeau. “She had an absolutely incredible race,” said her former teammate at Skipper Macif, Loïs Berrehar. I spent a lot of time working with her and watching her progress, and I think the area where she has really made a breakthrough is in her self-confidence. Between her two victories in the Transat Paprec and her second place in last year’s last leg, she has gained a lot of confidence. The next step is to win stages and the Solitaire!”
“That’s the last hurdle she has to overcome,” confirms Dominic Vittet. “She just lacks the ability to take the lead and hold on to it. She could have done it on the second leg, she came close, but to win the Solitaire, you have to be able to deliver the decisive blow and control your opponents.”
Promising young sailors
Behind this duo, who were expected to be at the forefront before the start of the 56th edition, Arno Biston (29), the top rookie in 2024 (11th overall) and in the top 5 in all three legs this year (5th-4th-4th), came as a surprise to our experts. “I saw him last year when I was racing with Basile (Bourgnon), and we said he had potential, but to come third in his second Solitaire, hats off to him!” sums up Corentin Horeau.
Tanguy Leglatin, who coaches the Article.1 skipper in Lorient, is more nuanced: “It’s a surprise, yes and no. Yes, because he’s had a difficult season, he had a very small budget, and at the last training camp, he was a bit lost. No, because he’s someone who has grit and a pretty strong understanding of racing. I think his first leg allowed him to regain his confidence. He managed to gather his thoughts and focus on what he does well, and in the end, he was pretty impressive.”
In terms of surprises, Hugo Cardon (23, Sarth’Atlantique) is not to be outdone, finishing 6th and first rookie overall, with a stage victory (his second in Vigo). “He’s a very deserving young man who found some funding at the last minute and worked hard all summer to find second-hand sails and get himself to the start line with a decent setup,” continues Tanguy Leglatin, who also coaches him in Lorient. I found him very resilient on the last leg. At one point, he made a small shift to the east that could have cost him dearly, but in the end, he hung on, came back and finished eighth.”
Finally, while noting the impressive progress made by Jules Ducelier (Normandy Region, 4th) and Victor Le Pape (Brittany Region-CMB Espoir, 5th), all our experts highlighted Tom Goron’s performance. After finishing 14th in his first Solitaire last year, the Groupe Dubreuil skipper finished 7th this time, at just 19 years of age, with a podium finish in the last leg (2nd). “That’s impressive!” exclaimed Loïs Berrehar. “He’s fast, he’s capable of attacking and leading the fleet, which means he has a rare confidence for someone his age. It’s great to see. I hope he’ll have the opportunity to express himself in the coming years, because he deserves it.”
Dominic Vittet, winner of the Solitaire more than 30 years ago, concluded: “In this edition, we saw many talented young sailors who were able to adapt very quickly to different situations. That makes me very optimistic about the future. The Solitaire is alive and well!”
Photo : Vincent Olivaud
