Jonny Malbon will be racing the Artemis Figaro in the gruelling “Solitaire” starting on July 27th from Le Havre in France. With more miles under his belt and an intense winter’s training at Centre d’Entraînement Méditerranée, Jonny is relishing the opportunity to participate again in this event. Read Jonny’s thoughts on the up and coming event below and go to the website to find out all about this incredible event that is now celebrating its 41st edition!
For his second Solitaire, Jonny Malbon and Artemis will be lined-up against 47 single-handers, including some of the most experienced French offshore experts like Jérémie Beyou, Yann Eliès, Sébastien Josse, Gildas Morvan and Armel Le Cléac’h. The race will start in Le Havre and head to Gijon (Spain), before taking competitors back up the Bay of Biscay to Brest. From there, the fleet will charge towards Kinsale in Ireland, a traditional Figaro stopover that has become famous for the quality of its onshore entertainment! The final leg, between Kinsale and Cherbourg, will be a tricky one due to the strong tidal currents that always play a crucial role in cross-Channel stages. A total of 1,717 nautical miles will be covered by the competitors, yet one can safely say each leg will be fought for in the last few miles… In this game it is not rare to see a boat win by seconds!
We caught up with skipper Jonny Malbon in Cowes just before his cross-Channel delivery trip to Le Havre and the start line…
About his second anticipated Solitaire event: “I was looking forward to it last year but this time I’m coming back even more eagerly because I know what I’m stepping into. I’ve identified my weaknesses, but I also know where my strong points are, having worked on them all winter long with the CEM and Franck Citeau in La Grande Motte. It’s an incredibly tough circuit, and even the guys who are at the very bottom of the leaderboard train hard. To rise above the lower third of the pack is really tough when you’re new to the class, I’m conscious of that and I won’t let it get me down. I loved the race last year, I’m going to love it even more this summer.”
About the level of competition: “The Figaro circuit is brutal. You can take a good start, have good speed upwind and manage to stay with the very good guys - which I’ve been capable of this season - but if you mess up your hoist or you’re a bit hesitant on a mark rounding, you can see 10 boats overtake you in a snap. Very frustrating when it happens, but it does, and each time it’s a reminder of how good you have to be to deserve your place in that fleet. But I’ve made a lot of progress, I feel much more confident on the boat, and am willing to learn more.”
About offshore sprints and sleep deprivation: “I’m happy offshore, that’s where I like to be so I’ll tackle this race with a lot of enthusiasm. Last year I made the mistake of thinking ‘it’s only 2 and a half days at sea, I’m not going to sleep at all’, and as a result I fell asleep at the wrong time as exhaustion kicked in. I’ve done a lot of work this winter to get to know my sleep patterns better, so this time around I will take 10-minute naps when necessary and convenient - without feeling guilty about it! Being less stressed will help that too - last year I wanted to see everything, control everything, but the experiments we carried out in La Grande Motte, staying awake for 36 hours whilst dealing with a complicated race course, proved how much lucidity you lose without even realising it.”
About the Solitaire as a summer camp: “Yes, it’s a bit of a travelling circus, it’s a one month adventure. I enjoy it, I’m looking forward to that atmosphere, the intense racing and the fun times ashore when everyone replays the race and everyone’s strategies unfold. Having been part of the CEM this winter, I also feel part of a group, as we share resources, work together and get along very well. I’m genuinely pleased to go out there and immerse myself in that busy period.”
From Artemis Ocean Racing
