Crowds lined the dock for the final finish of the 2011 Solitaire du Figaro cheering their sailing heroes home. At 12.49 on Wednesday 24th August, Jérémie Beyou crossed the line in first place winning the fourth and final leg from Les Sables d’Olonne to Dieppe. BPI’s skipper covered the 437 miles in 72 hours, 37 minutes and 01 seconds. It was one of the closest finishes ever for the race. Second place went to Paul Meilhat distanced only by 12”, third to Fabien Delahaye 28” later and fourth to Erwan Tabarly at 35”.

Phil Sharp on The Spirit of Independence was the first Brit and third rookie across the line in 20th only 24 minutes behind race leader. The close battles for places were not just reserved for the front-runners. Sharp was aiming for the top ‘Rookie’ prize for the final leg and very nearly claimed it, but as the fleet converged on the finish line two other Rookie’s beat him to it and he missed out on being the second rookie by a mere 4 seconds. It is quite unbelievable for the skippers to be so close after more than 260 hours at sea. “It was the closest offshore racing you'll ever see, 3 days of sailing & then you get 20 boats finishing within minutes of each other" reported Sharp shorty after finishing.

Sharp finishes just 10 minutes behind the first ‘Rookie’ and 24 minutes and 22 seconds behind Beyou

It could not have been a more exciting finish as the first four boats fly across line within 35 seconds as La Solitaire du Figaro's final leg concludes. Crowds lined the dock for the final finish of the 2011 Solitaire du Figaro cheering their sailing heroes home. At 12.49 on Wednesday 24th August, Jérémie Beyou crossed the line in first place winning the fourth and final leg from Les Sables d’Olonne to Dieppe. BPI’s skipper covered the 437 miles in 72 hours, 37 minutes and 01 seconds. It was one of the closest finishes ever for the race. Second place went to Paul Meilhat distanced only by 12”, third to Fabien Delahaye 28” later and fourth to Erwan Tabarly at 35”.

Phil Sharp on The Spirit of Independence was the first Brit and third rookie across the line in 20th only 24 minutes behind race leader. The close battles for places were not just reserved for the front-runners. Sharp was aiming for the top ‘Rookie’ prize for the final leg and very nearly claimed it, but as the fleet converged on the finish line two other Rookie’s beat him to it and he missed out on being the second rookie by a mere 4 seconds. It is quite unbelievable for the skippers to be so close after more than 260 hours at sea. “It was the closest offshore racing you'll ever see, 3 days of sailing & then you get 20 boats finishing within minutes of each other" reported Sharp shorty after finishing.

Leg four was predominantly a tactical coastal race from Les Sables d’Olonne. Throughout the race the skippers faced ever-changing conditions with light and fickle winds through to heavy squalls and strong tidal currents. Sharp explains how tough this leg was “An Incredible race, so many ups and downs and just no time to do anything. I think the longest sleep I had was about 10 minutes.” Sharp’s position during the race varied a lot. “It was so close, you make one tack and lose five positions and make another one and gain five positions. I thought I was looking good by going inshore when the wind went light. I was coming up under spinnaker and I was gaining places and then the wind completely changed and I found myself in a disadvantaged position and lost 20 boats just like that.” Sharp fought back at towards the finish, “I was really pleased last night, I was in the zone and really pushing it and I’m really glad I could finish on a high. At the finish line there were all these boats piling down and gybing for the finish line, it was the most exciting finish I've ever experienced.“

Overall rankings

Frenchman Jérémie Beyou is crowned the overall winner of the 2011 Solitaire du Figaro. After winning three consecutive legs, he has been dominating this competition since the very beginning. This is his thirteenth time in the race, and his second time winning the overall race.

Phil Sharp on The Spirit of Independence is placed 18th overall, 3rd in the rookie category and the top British entrant. It is fantastic achievement for Sharp to finish in the top half of the fleet in a truly demanding solo racing competition against many of the world’s top professional solo sailors.

Sharp catching some Zs

With the race over and the adrenaline no longer flowing Sharp is catching up on some overdue sleep. The overall prize giving and dinner will take place on Saturday and on Sunday the 44 skippers will bid farewell to Dieppe and the 2011 Solitaire du Figaro, with a Parade of Sail along the beach in front of the crowds.

Overall 2011 Solitaire du Figaro results: 



1st - Jeremei Beyou (BPI) 257h 08 ‘41”
18th - Phil Sharp (The Spirit of Independence) + 02h 42’ 51”

Results of the other British Competitors
31st – Conrad Humphreys (DMS) + 06h 14’ 57”

34th - Sam Goodchild (Artemis) + 09h 36’ 33”

37th - Nigel King (E-Line Orthodontics) + 11h 12’ 42”

Solitaire du Figaro overall Rookie results:

1st - Morgan Lagraviere (Vendee) 258hr 57’ 20”
2nd – Xavier Macaire (Starter Active Bridge) + 25’ 50”
3rd - Phil Sharp (The Spirit of Independence) + 54’ 12”