British sailor Phil Sharp (The Spirit of Independence) has finished 7th in the first leg of 2011 Solitaire du Figaro (Tuesday 2/08/11). The Jersey-based yachtsman had an impressive leg as he rounded the first race mark off Perros-Guirec (France) mid-fleet before rising to 5th at the Needles Fairway mark off the Isle of Wight before recrossing the English Channel to the finish port of Caen. It’s a tremendous boost to his confidence in his very first Solitaire. View the interview of Phil Sharp just after he crossed the finish line here.
A delighted Phil Sharp © Artemis Offshore Academy
“I’m feeling great. Top ten was way above my expectations you know. It’s kind of incredible really, the whole race,” said Phil after crossing the finish line. “I didn’t expect to be so near the front and tussling with some of these top guys. I’ve learnt so much. It’s been incredibly exciting all the way through. I’m so pleased to have got my first decent Figaro result. Consistency is the name of the game but it’s always great to have one result.” This achievement ranks alongside Samantha Davies 6th place leg result in 2004 and Nigel King 6th place on the final leg of the 2009 race. Only one British sailor has ever claimed an overall leg win and that was Clare Francis in 1975, although the competition was slightly smaller, just 14 competitors compared to 47 in the 2011 edition. Phil managed to stay in touch with the leaders for the duration of the 293-mile leg which took just over 50 hours in light conditions, and finished just 15 minutes behind the leg winner, Fabien Delahaye, who has competed in the Solitaire du Figaro three times before. Phil very nearly claimed the top spot in the ‘Rookie’ division but lost out by one minute to Xavier Macaire.
Conrad Humphreys © Artemis Offshore Academy
The Solitaire is notorious for its close racing and Plymouth’s Conrad Humphreys (DMS) was the second Brit to finish in 22nd place, 19 seconds behind 21st place and only 45 minutes behind the leg winner. Conrad will be happy to have not lost to much time on the leaders in this race which is based on cumulative time over the four legs. Nigel King (E-Line Orthodontics) has just finished in 39th place with Sam Goodchild (Artemis) lying in 45th and yet to finish, the foul tide has slowed their progress to the Leg 1 finish in Caen.