In his first race with the elite Solitaire solo fleet, Lymington sailor Nigel King was delighted to finish as the top newcomer (or French-styled Bizuth'), top British sailor and 15th in the 50-strong class.

The Prologue Race was held on Sunday 29th July as a warm-up to the main event. The Solitaire fleet of one-design Figaro boats made its way from the event village in Caen along the canal to Ouistreham Bay, with spectators lining the banks and lock gates. Conditions were challenging, with a significant swell from the west and a 20/25 knot westerly gusting 30 knots for the 17 mile inshore course. On the first beat Nigel chose the right-hand side of the course which turned out to be the favoured position, since the wind swung right by 30 degrees. He rounded the windward mark in 10th place but lost out on the run through not gybing early enough. The next beat was alongside Michel Desjoyeaux in Foncia. This provided a great opportunity to test speed and enabled Nigel to work further on his set up.

Nigel commented: "To be the first Bizuth in the Prologue Race is great. This came with an excellent prize from Meteo France - on site training in Toulouse plus credit points to use downloads in the race. I realise this is just the beginning. There are plenty of competitive boats in this event and we've a long way to go but I'm really pleased with the way things are going so far."

The winner is decided by adding together the total time taken to complete the separate legs. The Solitaire is not decided on positions. Tuesday 31st July sees the start of the leg from Caen (Normandy) to Crosshaven (southern Ireland), over 400 miles. The Needles fairway buoy, just outside the Solent, is a mark of the course and competitors are expected to round this at approximately 5am on Wednesday 1st August. At present the forecast indicates light conditions but bright. Spectators turned out in their thousands, despite the wind and rain, to see the boats return after the Prologue Race.

A sunny day should bring out even more.