Noon this Sunday, September 4, the 32 sailboats of the Solitaire du Figaro cross the starting line installed in front of Royan to compete in the 3rd and last stage of the 53rd edition of this sailing race. Follow this event live on video, from 11:45 a.m., with the first miles of this leg which will take the skippers from Royan to Saint Nazaire via the entrance to the Bassin d’Arcachon and the Farallones Islands in Gallice. Comments are provided by Serge Herbin, the official race announcer and Etienne Saiz (Head of the Figaro Pole at the Sailing Center of Excellence in La Rochelle).
The program for the departure from Royan
If the live video starts at 11:45 am, 15 minutes from the start of the Solitaire du Figaro fleet, the skippers will have had a lot to do before setting off for this 3rd leg.
- 9.15am-9.45am, the 32 skippers come to the race village for signing
- 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., departure of the Figaro Beneteau 3 moored at the port of Royan
- 10am-11.30am, the official referees board each sailboat to seal the propeller shaft
- 12 p.m. is the big start. The skippers are alone on board for the 640 mile race that separates them from Saint Nazaire, the final finish of the race.
The general classification before this final stage
Before the 3rd and last stage of this Solitaire du Figaro, here is the Top 5 with small gaps which allow a real battle until Saint Nazaire.
- Guillaume Pirouelle (Normandy Region) 7d 13h 35mn 48sec
- Tom Laperche (Brittany Region – CMB Performance) at 14mn 46sec
- Achille Nebout (Amarris – Primeo Energie) at 19mn 59sec
- Benoit Mariette (Generation Senioriales) at 39mn 8sec
- Tom Dolan (Smurfit Kappa – Kingspan) at 1h 1mn