Powered by RedCircle
During the summer of 2024 Irish solo offshore skipper Tom Dolan joined an exclusive club when he became only the third non-French sailor to win the hallowed Solitaire du Figaro regatta.
His achievement is all the more impressive given that he did not come from a sailing family or grow up close to the sea.
In fact, Tom was brought up on a farm in the middle of Ireland and his first sailing experience was on a shallow lake aboard a battered old wooden dinghy on which he and his father taught themselves to sail.
An inauspicious start to a professional sailing career perhaps, but Tom had been well and truly bitten by the sailing bug.
Despite studying agricultural science at college he soon felt the pull of the sea and that led him to a bold move to Concarneau in northern France – the epicentre of the French offshore racing scene.
After teaching himself French and cutting his teeth in the Mini class he moved up onto the Figaro circuit where he set his sights on one day winning the Solitaire du Figaro trophy – one of yacht racing’s landmark events.
The Yacht Racing Life Podcast caught up with Tom to find out the full story of his auspicious victory.
When the 2026 racing season starts Tuesday with Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week on the Bay of Palma the 14 teams representing 11 different nations will have had every opportunity to be fully prepared for what promises to be the closest fought, most exciting season ever.
An independent subscriber-supported website, newsletter, and podcast. Featuring exclusive stories and interviews about Grand Prix sailboat racing. Subscribe to receive our free email newsletter. Get full access with a paid subscription.
Subscribe for free to receive our email newsletter.
