Bay of Biscay Sailboat Racers Leave Roscoff

 In a north-east wind of around 15 knots, the 'Figaro Safran-Guy Cotten' set sail for Les Sables d'Olonne on the Breton coast with 37 other competitors in the third and penultimate stage of the this year's  La Solitaire du Figaro - Eric Bompard race.

A mixture of navigating along the coast of Britanny and offshore racing in the Bay of Biscay, this 505-mile leg (926km) will be played out downwind, reaching and upwind in winds shifting from 5 to 20 knots. There will be difficult and varied conditions, but it is a challenge that skipper Gwénolé Gahinet says he is ready for.

The first 24 hours of the race along the Breton coast will not be pleasant and will require vigilance at all times with management of the currents and the tides and navigation through rocky areas.

Though he knows a little bit about “shaving rocks”, the skipper of Safran-Guy Cotten said he was keen to discover the new parameters demanded by this race. "Now we are going to have to sail along the rocks so that we’re not going against the current,” he said. “I'll have to be observant and opportunistic."

"Positioning will be very important. It’s going to be about playing with a few metres, always with that stress of not hitting a rock. I really like this element of the unknown, I’ve already prepared all my waypoints so I can concentrate on just sailing the boat.”

The race organizers say that the 38 skippers of La Solitaire du Figaro are expected to arrive in Les Sables d'Olonne between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, after three and a half days of a very varied leg. It will be an exciting race to follow on land, a long and gruelling test for the skippers.