The course of the 57th edition of the Solitaire has been unveiled. And it will certainly crown a great sailor. Departure on May 17th.
In two months and one week, on May 17th precisely, the start of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec 2026 will take place. And the course of the 57th edition of the queen of summer competitions is now (almost) known. During a recent meeting organized with the sailors, the race organizer, OC Sport Pen Duick, presented them with the main lines of this edition.
The first stage (starting on May 17th) will take place between Perros-Guirec and Vigo (Spain) with 610 nautical miles on the program (1130 km) including a passage at Wolf Rock at the southwest tip of England, a long crossing of the Bay of Biscay, and a passage at the fearsome Cape Finisterre. The second stage, 450 nautical miles long (833 km), will start from Vigo and quickly head west to cross the Bay of Biscay again and end in Pornichet. And finally, the third stage, approximately 600 nautical miles (1110 km) will head south towards the mouth of the Gironde before heading north towards the tip of Brittany and then greeting the English coast at Eddystone before concluding in Normandy in a port yet to be determined for an expected final arrival around June 5th.
An ideal course to promote initiatives and allow glorious former winners to shine upon their return, such as the two-time winners Yoann Richomme (Paprec) and Nicolas Lunven (PRB) and former challengers Loïs Berrehar (Banque Populaire) and Xavier Macaire (Team Snef). Yoann Richomme, second in the last Vendée Globe and eagerly awaiting the delivery of his new monohull for the 2028-2029 world tour, is already excited: “A course like the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec that goes abroad is definitely a course that suits me well. The crossings of the Bay of Biscay are the most likely parts to create gaps, the most conducive to tactical options. It’s always the most interesting and I like it when courses are open. We finish with a little detour to the English Channel which is always nice. There are so many things to do in this geographical area between lighthouses, rocks, DST, currents. I think it’s a good course to have fun.”
While the Figarists have been battling since this Monday off the coast of Concarneau during the Solo Guy Cotten, their first race of the season, young Paul Loiseau (21 years old, Région Bretagne – CMB Espoir) has already made an impression by winning the first coastal course in his very first Figaro Bénéteau race ahead of all the stars. He will be one to watch in two months and one week.
