21 Aug Heading South: A Major Challenge
This coming Sunday, Tom Dolan will return to the helm alongside Gildas Mahé to take on the formidable 1,600 nautical mile opening leg of L’Adventura. Setting off from Port-Bourgenay, France at 4:00pm local time, the Kingspan duo will head for Lagos, Portugal, the first of two legs in L’Adventura, a new addition to the Figaro Beneteau Class calendar.
Eight days at sea await the 20 competing duos, and on paper it’s hard to imagine a more comprehensive test of skill. The route takes them across the Bay of Biscay, past Cape Finisterre, down the Iberian Peninsula, around the Madeira archipelago, and back into the Algarve. Competitors will have to navigate several different weather systems without ever losing the thread of the race.
“We should see a bit of everything: northeasterlies at the start, a ridge of high pressure to cross, then a low-pressure system, and finally some trade winds,” Tom explains. “It’s really interesting because positioning will be crucial.”
Race officials will decide in the coming days, based on the latest forecasts, whether the fleet must round Porto Santo, a small island northeast of Madeira, or simply pass a designated waypoint. One thing is certain: a full loop around Madeira is off the table, ruled out because of the island’s significant wind shadows, which could have turned that section into a lottery.
For the Irishman, this startline carries particular significance, marking the intensive effort to return following Kingspan’s grounding during La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec. The boat was relaunched on August 11th, a moment of considerable relief for the team following weeks of repair work.
“There was a lot of work involved, as we put everything back together, so I’m tired, but that is the price you pay after an incident like this,” Tom says. “Above all, I’m eager to get back out there and perform just as well as I did in La Solitaire, and there’s certainly no intention of easing in gently especially given the forecast for this first leg, which could quickly reward those who seize the initiative.”
With weather systems approaching from the west while the fleet heads southwest, every mile gained could lead to further gains. “In a scenario like this, the further ahead you are, the sooner you hit the new systems, and the more you can capitalise on them,” Tom adds.
The pace is likely to be set from the start, with downwind conditions of up to 25 knots forecast for the opening hours, enough to get Kingspan straight into the rhythm. With Gildas Mahé sharing watch duties, the next eight days will be anything but a gentle warm-up. It’s the perfect scenario for Tom Dolan, who now wants just one thing: to get back out on the open water, back into the game, and pick up right where he left off.
