13 Mar Solo Maître CoQ plans two short coastal races before Thursday’s long offshore
After Monday’s severe gales which buffeted the French Vendee coast to keep Ireland’s Tom Dolan and the 29 other solo skippers tied to the dockin Les Sables d’Olonne unable to race, a proposed new programme for the Solo Maître CoQ has been announced by Race Direction.
The plan is to try and do a 16.5 nautical miles loop off Les Sables d’Olonne Tuesday if the winds and seas have dropped enough, planned starting time 1400hrs local time.
Dolan, skipper of Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan commented “The situation is quite complex. The wind is expected to ease tomorrow morning but a five meter swell is predicted and could make it difficult to get out of the channel out of Les Sables d’Olonne. We will know very soon though as we get out from the protection of the breakwaters.”
He continues, “If it’s not possible tomorrow I am sure it will be better Wednesday when Race Direction plan a coastal race of 15.2 miles at 1100hrs before the start of the big race scheduled for the next day at 1200hrs. It would be really nice to be able to get these two inshore courses away because that is what is different and important about this Solo Maître CoQ, it tests coastal and offshore racing.”