Phil Sharp reflects on Leg 2

The second stage of La Solitaire du Figaro is complete, Phil Sharp, OceansLab skipper reports on the experience..

Credit Adrien Francois / La Solitaire du Figaro

Race two complete!

After almost two days of racing in conditions with limited tactical options Phil Sharp makes a remarkable comeback today finishing in 16th place, up from 23rd position, and just minutes behind 15th place.

“It was great to push the boat for speed across the Channel, but today was much more rewarding. I was on a serious mission to take advantage of the conditions and make up some places.

“I had a good race start, but then found myself overshadowed by ‘used air’ from other boats. This made it very hard to find clean air and impacted boat speed. Though the final inshore mark was just 20 minutes into the race, not being positioned well at that point made it difficult to recover as the rich just got richer heading out into the open ocean.

“Looking at the final results there are some big names who finished near me, so I am pleased not to have been the only one to have found it a tricky race!

“Overall I am happy that my result has improved since Leg 1, and I will do my utmost to improve again in Leg 3, which starts this Saturday – three days until the next gun!” Phil.

La Solitaire du Figaro: stage 2

La Solitaire du Figaro event routes

How to Follow

Follow Sharp’s journey as he takes on what has been referred to by Vendée Globe winners as the hardest race in the world, La Solitaire du Figaro.

• Official team website
• Social media #OceansLab Facebook │ Instagram  │  LinkedIn  │ Twitter
• Live race tracker
• Race website

Schedule

Full course map

Leg one:

• Saint Brieuc – Fastnet Rock – Saint Brieuc
• Sunday 30^th August 13:00 CEST – Thursday 03^rd September
• 642 nm

Leg two:

• Saint-Brieuc – Dunkerque
• Sunday 06^th September 11:00 CEST – Tuesday 08^th September
• 404 nm

Leg 3:

• Dunkerque – Saint-Nazaire
• Saturday 12^th September 17:00 CEST – Wednesday 16^th September
• 504 nm

Leg 4:

• Saint-Nazaire – Saint-Nazaire
• Friday 18^th September 18:30 CEST – Saturday 19^th September
• 183 nm