Figaro season opener: Jörg Riechers and Sanni Beucke at the finish: "I'm happy, proud and satisfied"

For two days and two nights, solo newcomer Susann Beucke and 32 other skippers were challenged at the season opener of the high-performance Figaro class in the Solo Maître CoQ. For the 30-year-old Olympic silver medallist in the 49erFX skiff alongside Tina Lutz, it was her baptism of fire after switching to single-handed sailing. Even just a few months after starting her training in France, she had not expected a good result. The pride at the end of the race was also great with 30th place. Her 53-year-old compatriot and "Alva Yachts" skipper Jörg Riechers fought his way up to 15th place with an impressive final spurt after a slow start with minor handling problems. The experienced sailing professional wants to use the Figaro season to train and prepare for his planned participation in the Vendée Globe 2024/25. He also realised that he would not be able to finish at the front of the strong field on the Figaros, which are challenging to sail. "Out of 33 starters, 25 are really competitive here, so 15th place is very okay." However, the offshore professional, who is well versed in all aspects of sailing, was able to show his fighting qualities in the final phase by moving up half a dozen places within a few hours, after he had "not attached the gennaker tackline in the required pattern" in the heat of the moment at the start of the race. "When I tried to unfurl the gennaker, it came right off the tackline at the front. It's stupid when there's a lot of wind and you have to recover a furled gennaker like that," he reported with gallows humour. Given the tightness of the fleet, the mishap cost him around ten places, but his speed and the rest of the race made him feel better.

Sanni Beucke returned from the Solo Maître CoQ to the famous harbour of Les Sables-d'Olonne, where the Vendée Globe begins and ends every four years, which is her long-term goal. She said: "I'm really, really happy, happy and proud and satisfied. These races are mega cool. It's so much fun. Up until the first morning I was still very close to everyone. It was great to see how high the standard is in this class. It really awakened the competitive spirit in me." The former Olympic dinghy sailor realised right from the start that she would not be able to fight for the top places. "My goal was to just get there first. It's so much different to what I've done so far. I have to learn how to sleep on board, how to live on board, just everything and then to sail in France. This area is so challenging. Of course, I'm used to something different when it comes to the placings, but you just have to leave the church in the village for once. I think I can be really happy. It was tough, a lot of wind, which wasn't forecast in the weather report. I just did everything super safely."

She was also able to laugh about her own caution at the start of her new career and said: "Quite often there were spinnaker manoeuvres right next to a flat. I took the spinnaker down two miles beforehand, which was perhaps a bit excessive. But it was also the first time I'd had to take the spinnaker down on my own in strong winds. And I had such an adrenaline rush, I'm so incredibly proud that the manoeuvres went so well." Neither her observers nor she herself are surprised that she is still learning the ropes on her Figaro, named "This Race is Female": "Of course things have gone wrong. Most recently, my GPS failed. So I had to guess where the harbour was when I sailed back. And that's why I came out somewhere else and had to sail back. Little things like that are just part of it. But I'm really pleased that I managed it."

Corentin Horeau secured victory on "Mutuelle Bleue" with a sailed time of just 1 day, 23 hours, 45 minutes and 13 seconds. Top favourite Tom Laperche, who is only 24 years old and has already raced with the great François Gabart on his "SVR Lazartigue", finished just under an hour later on "Région Bretagne CMB Performance", saving his second place with a lead of just two minutes over Guillaume Pirouelle on "Région Normandie". He in turn relegated the best non-French rider Alan Roberts on "Seacat Services" to fourth place, also just two minutes ahead. The other places in this highly attractive sporting class were also awarded by the minute. Jörg Riechers crossed the finish line of the exciting 320-nautical-mile rally, including the rounding of the Île de Ré and Belle-Île-en-Mer south of Quiberon, in 15th place on his "Alva Yachts" just over an hour and a half after the winner. Sanni Beucke learnt a lot for her new career in 2 days, 4 hours and 13 minutes. Click here for the rankings (please click!).