DOLAN GUIDES SMURFIT KAPPA INTO SEVENTH

DOLAN GUIDES SMURFIT KAPPA INTO SEVENTH 

Ireland’s Tom Dolan has surged into the top 10 on the third leg of the Solitaire du Figaro with some smart tactics in challenging conditions off north west Spain.

As dawn broke over the Bay of Biscay on Monday morning (September 10th) Dolan’s Smurfit Kappa was as high as seventh place in the intensively competitive 36-strong single-handed fleet.

Of equal significance the solo sailor from Kells in County Meath is the leading ‘rookie’ – first-timer – in the Solitaire fleet, meeting his pre-race target for the classic French event.

The fleet now face the challenge of negotiating a high pressure ridge and its associated light winds in the middle of Biscay.

Following Saturday’s start, tricky conditions around northern Spain saw the fleet split into two groups, with Dolan, 30, among the leaders of the southern more easterly contingent.

With around 230 miles remaining on the leg from Ria de Muros-Noia in northern Spain to Saint Gilles Croix de Vie on France’s west coast, there are many more tough tactical decisions to be made.