Tom Dolan made a remarkable return to the Solitaire du Figaro 2026 by winning the opening leg with an impressive 40-minute lead, delivering a powerful response after the injury that forced his retirement from last year’s race.
Although the course was shortened due to deteriorating weather conditions, Dolan crossed the finish line off Cap Finisterre at 06:51 local time, sailing into sunrise conditions on the Spanish coast after completing the leg in three days and twenty hours.
A key tactical decision early in the race proved worthwile, when Dolan committed to the western side of the fleet as he crossed the English Channel. This move allowed him to benefit from favourable shifts and pressures as the fleet headed south toward the Bay of Biscay.
“A good start is half the battle,” Dolan said after the finish. “The idea was to get west of the fleet as soon as I could and that was kind of the overall idea of the whole race. Once I had positioned myself there everything came in, the shifts, the squalls, the gusts from the west just that little bit sooner than for everyone else.”
The victory carries particular significance after the disappointment of 2025, when injury forced him to abandon the race before reaching Vigo.
“It’s always really special to win a leg of the Figaro, especially after being forced to retire last year before making it to Vigo. Having to get in the car and leave the boat behind, unable to continue racing, I really felt as if I was at rock bottom in my career. So being able to reach Vigo having settled the score is a big win for me,” he reflected.
This latest result marks Dolan’s third Solitaire du Figaro leg victory, following earlier wins in Kinsale, Cork in 2023 and during the 2024 edition, where he went on to secure the overall championship title.
The 36 boat fleet will restart on Sunday 24 May for the next 450-nautical-mile leg to Pornichet, France, with Dolan carrying a valuable, but far from decisive, advantage into the next stage of the race.