Tom Dolan, La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec winner

Yesterday morning in La Turballe on the French Loire Atlantic coast Irish solo sailor Tom Dolan won La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, renowned as the toughest single handed multi stage offshore sailing race in the world.  

 “For years, I never thought I could win and now I’ve done it”

 Winner of the second leg of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec between Gijón and Royan, Tom Dolan (Smurfit Kappa – Kingspan) won the 55th edition of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec yesterday morning. The Irish skipper became the first non-French winner of the race since the Swiss skipper Laurent Bourgnon in 1988. And he is the first non-French skipper to win since the multi stage race moved into identical one design yachts in 1990.  

 What does it feel like to wake up as winner of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec?

It’s weird. It took me five to ten minutes this morning just to remember that I had won. I was completely exhausted. I woke up in a room with the shutters closed. I couldn’t understand where I was or what time it was. After a while, I remembered I had won. It was a bit odd. I don’t think I have really got to grips with it. I was with some kids just now. We were looking at the trophy and all the names inscribed on it. Very odd. It just seemed so incredible. I thought it would take me years and years to win and now I’ve done it.

 You grew up in rural Ireland where you lerned to sail with your late father, what led you to want to take part in the Solitaire?

I worked at a sailing school in Ireland. I started to sail solo on their small boats, just short trips. I watched videos on YouTube to try to understand how they did it. I started to race solo only after moving to France.

 Why did you move to Concarneau in 2011?

I worked for Glenans and they closed in Ireland and so I moved to Glenans in France. I came to France, because sailing was accessible here. It was always a bit hard sailing in Ireland, as it is mostly reserved for an elite. You have to be in a yacht club, get a patron and that costs a lot. When I discovered the Glenans, I understood that the French who sailed were great, down to earth people. They lent me a Mini 6.50 in 2015 and I did the Mini Transat. That was a bit of an adventure. I had lots of problems. During the race, I received an inheritance from my Dad who died a few years before. I could have bought a house or carried on with my studies. I decided to go for another Mini. I had a good start to the season and won quite a few races. I was starting to enjoy it and found some more sponsors. After the Mini, I sold the boat to buy a Figaro 3 in 2019.

 What attracted you to the Figaro?

I had already done one season on a Figaro 2.This boat was something I dreamt of. I don’t know why. I found her attractive and liked the idea that everyone had the same boat. In one-design sailing, it’s the sailor not the sails that make all the difference. You can’t blame the boat. You understand that the sails are the engine for the boat and that strategy and positioning are important, while in other Classes, like the Mini, there are always people saying that others have a better boat and can sail more quickly.

 Looking beyond, speed strategy and positioning, your mental strength can also make a difference. Last year, Gerry Hussey, a psychologist joined you. What did he offer you?

It took a while for me to find him. It wasn’t easy. I began with a French mental  coach who knew all about sailing and ocean racing, but it didn’t work. I worked with Gerry, who is not just a mental coach. He is interested in the person inside and what is going on inside his head. He really helped me psychologically. We did a lot of work looking back before psyching up. This had been my weak point. When things weren’t going well in a race, I just gave up. I told myself I was useless and I didn’t belong this wasn’t my place, but it was just that I was on the point of transitioning to feel I belonged and deserved my place.  

 Clearly, it paid off…

Yes, it’s crazy! It shows you have to get things sorted in your head. It took me a long time, but that’s what it took.

 Last year, you won the first leg of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec on your home ground in Ireland. Did that help you psychologically for this year?

Yes, but that wasn’t all. I did well last year. I think there was a major mess up though at the end of that second leg when we all lost 15 hours or so. Apart from that, I was pleased with the way I sailed last year. I just said to myself that I needed to sail the same way this year.

 This year, you got off to a good start to the season and then won a leg in the race. You were in a state of grace. When did you realize that you could win the Solitaire du Figaro this year?

At the finish of the second leg, when I saw the gaps. I was more or less an hour ahead of Gaston (Morvan, Région Bretagne – CMB Performance) and that group. I understood that that was a lot. When I saw the weather for the third leg, I knew that it would be hard to catch up an hour. I just needed to hang on in there. When we got out of the nasty weather and saw that I hadn’t broken anything, I knew that it was starting to look good, but I don’t think I wanted to admit it.

 The third leg was raced in strong winds. You were used to these conditions. Did that help you?

That is no lie. I was so used to getting soaked when I was young. It was always wet and cold. There wasn’t any heating in the house and there were holes around the windows, so it was freezing. In winter, night falls at around 4 in the afternoon. That must have helped me. I sailed around Ireland in November with a NE’ly wind. I wouldn’t say I was comfortable in strong winds or that it is pleasant, but I gained a lot of experience. I sailed a lot in these conditions, but it is always stressful and you are always afraid of breaking something. It’s part of the job…

 How did you deal with the final hours of the race knowing your rivals were ahead?

It was horrible. I was completely exhausted, but couldn’t get to sleep, as I was so stressed by the distance between us. We talked about it before the start. We knew that we would get an average of 10-12 knots on the final stretch. In an hour, that means 12 miles, so Gaston needed to be 12 miles ahead of me to prevent me from winning, which wasn’t the case. I kept on running through the calculations. It was horrible. I didn’t enjoy that moment. And add to that how tired I felt, I couldn’t work it out in my head or even read the numbers. I got out my calculator at one point. And I had completely forgotten Loïs (Berrehar, Skipper Macif 2022). Luckily I had the rankings. The finish was great in spite of all that.

 Did you know you had won before finishing?

More or less. I didn’t know when Loïs finished. I couldn’t get him on the VHF. I had an idea about what was going on when I saw the cameras, lights etc. I asked the man who came to look at the seal, if I had done it, when he came aboard. He looked at his telephone and said it was all good.

 What do you believe made all the difference this year?

A bit of luck. It’s funny when people say that you need a bit of luck, each time they win. I think I dealt well with the second leg, particularly the first transition, seeing as how I got away from that front  So, I was lucky.

 You took time out this summer. Did that help?

It helped me having a break this summer during the Olympics. For once, I experienced a real summer. I took advantage of that, so it was nice to have a holiday.

 You are working with a big team. Did that help too?

There are ten of us, which is a lot for one guy going out there sailing. It was gradually built up. We didn’t have any problems this year. There wasn’t any weak link in the chain. Gildas (Mahé) did really well with the boat prep. Franck, my race coach got me in great shape. Gerry Hussey prepared me well, psychologically. Gerry Jones did well with the race side of things and Ancora managed communications. It must be tough to deal with my communications, as it’s something I don’t like. I’m a bit like a baby not wanting to eat. When you have to do a video, they are extremely good. My fiance, Karen works with me on the admin side. She has to deal with my crises and makes a lot of sacrifices. I’m really pleased for them. They all cried.

 You are just the third non-French skipper to win the race and the first since Laurent Bourgnon in 1998. What does that mean to you?

It’s crazy. I couldn’t understand that. I was only nine when Laurent won. It’s a fantastic list of great names. I don’t think I have got to grips with that.

 Ocean racing is more a French specialty than elsewhere. Do you think your win will have an impact in Ireland and other countries and lead to others joining in?

I would never have believed that, but since a documentary has been shown on Irish TV, I have been getting messages from kids via Instagram telling me they are dreaming of this and that they want to do the Vendée Globe. So maybe. I don’t want to be a star or famous, but it’s fun getting messages from kids. And emotional too. When I go back to Ireland, I’ll try to organise some visits aboard the boats.

 Now that you have won the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, what next? Do you want to come back to defend your title?

I think I’d like to come back, even if I don’t win. It is addictive, especially sailing so closely together with other boats. I spent a lot of time alone at the front in the second leg. It was great to be ahead, but I missed the close contact with others. It’s not my thing to be alone isolated from everyone.

 After this, do you want to move up to bigger boats?

Maybe the Vendée Globe one day. No Irishman has ever sailed around the world alone without stopping. I’m not ready and I don’t have the funds. So, to start, maybe another Solitaire and then we’ll see…