Ocean racers are a strange breed, we leave the harbour with grandioso dreams, having killer speed that makes it impossible for our rivals to keep up or pulling off some brilliant strategy, by the time the races near its close our dreams have somewhat become more human, after 52 and half hours of the 2021 Solo Concarneau all I wanted was to take off my leaking shoes and dry my feet.

So, you’ve probably clicked on this wondering who on earth is David Paul and what actually is ‘La Solitaire du Figaro’. I completely understand that.