Le Défi Paprec: A Race That Came Down to the Wire
Le Défi Paprec is an exciting new race attached to the biggest Figaro event of the season, La Solitaire du Figaro. Le Défi is raced in a double-handed configuration, and the course is the same as the first leg of La Solitaire du Figaro. The 2026 edition saw boats start in Perros-Guirec, France, and sail 610 nautical miles to Vigo, situated in the northwest of Spain. This year I was super stoked to be a part of this race and sail with German entrepreneur and sailor Jens Meiser.
Arriving at the race village in Perros-Guirec four days ahead of the start, there was a vibrant, electric energy around the docks. Thirty-six sailors were racing single-handed in La Solitaire du Figaro, as well as 12 sailors in Le Défi. All excited and ready to race to Spain, all eager to be the first one in. However, a tricky forecast loomed over us all.
The days leading up to the race consisted of security briefings, weather briefings, more briefings, and finally the safety check. By Saturday afternoon the boat was ready to race, we were ready to race, and after a visit from friend and weather expert Will Harris, we were locked and loaded.
The Start
The start is an important part of the race. Heading offshore in a strong position can mean you’re able to execute your strategy the way you want. Before heading offshore there was a small inshore course: a windward mark followed by a disengagement buoy that boats would round before heading northwest to the next mark on the course, Wolf Rock.
The inshore course was busy. It was a Code Zero off the start to the first mark, and we managed to get off the line cleanly and in good breeze. By the time we got to the first mark we were in third place. After this mark it was definitely a spinnaker leg; however, most boats gybed with their Code Zeros and started sailing toward the next mark before realising and hoisting their spinnakers. Dropping the kite at the next mark and rounding in third place, it was now time to shift into upwind mode, stay in clear breeze, and focus on being fast. We really struggled to find a good mode when the wind increased to 20 knots, gusting 25. Being overtaken upwind in a straight line by two boats, we knew something was wrong. Knowing we lacked a certain edge, we searched for gains on the racecourse through strategy and weather.
Tacking west, we ended up on the left side of the fleet heading into Wolf Rock. When the tide shifted, we were actually overlaid and ended up reaching slightly into the mark. We thought we may have lost distance to the others because of this; however, when we arrived at Wolf Rock and took an inside line, we realised we had slid back into third place. But next came the toughest part: sailing to Cap Finisterre.
The big topic before the start of the race was the fact that a major Atlantic depression would sweep over the fleet at the end of Day 2. We had a strategy for how we would manage it; however, the wind was in a slightly different direction from what had been forecast, meaning we had to adapt in real time.
The wind had been slowly increasing throughout the day, but when a solid front with rain and 40 knots of wind hit, we knew this was it and we had to buckle down. Jens and I took turns on deck doing one-hour watches. Keeping the boat under control and charging in those conditions was wet and wild, and after an hour exposed on deck we were wiped out.
We made a tack when we thought the front had passed and the wind was beginning to shift right. Conditions remained tough, wet, windy, and wild, with big waves and rain. By sunrise we realised we had maybe tacked a few minutes too early and should have maintained a higher mode after the tack. That left us among the furthest boats to the east and not in the strongest position, as the wind didn’t shift right as forecast.
The next day and night were upwind, followed by more upwind and then even more upwind. Living life at 25 degrees of heel while wet and tired was extremely tough on us. We managed to climb back into the fleet, and as the sun was setting on Day 3, we were in an interesting position.
By sunrise on Day 4, the wind had gone fickle and shifty as we sailed closer to the north coast of Spain. Eventually the wind completely shut down. However, the sun was shining and we were finally able to dry out. Unfortunately, while we were stuck in a hole, other boats seemed to have sailed away in breeze, leaving us a few miles behind once the wind filled back in.
The wind returned and we were finally sailing along, not upwind! with the Code Zero and soon after the spinnaker. Jens and I knew that no matter what happened before Cap Finisterre, it didn’t really matter. The final standings would come down to how teams played the Spanish coast, as the forecast was light and tricky. Knowing this, we caught up on sleep earlier in the day and headed into the afternoon fresh and ready to attack.
Sailing downwind with the spinnaker in 5–7 knots of wind, we knew it was important to stay in the pressure and keep the boat moving. After noticing a few boats ahead going slow closer to the coast, we opted to stay wide and remain in the pressure. In the space of one hour, we had gone from sixth place to second. Picking the right shift and staying slightly offshore had paid off, and now we were in a commanding second place and in a position to defend against third, who was close behind. This was the next battle.
The next waypoint was a virtual gate the race committee had placed in the course. The wind was behind us but still light and tricky. The night was pitch black, and at one stage we nearly suffered a complete shutdown, with the wind dropping to 2.5 knots.
When we got to the gate, third place was a mere 0.30 miles behind us, about four minutes. They were now within striking distance. Our defence was poor, and by sunrise we had opened a door for them to slip through. Back in third place, the prey became the predator once more.
The Finish: Eventually the wind clocked forward and Amicolor were about two boat lengths in front. At one stage we tacked to leeward of them with a separation of about six boat lengths.
Jens spends most of his time sailing on the southern lakes of Europe, so he was in his zone when sailing in less than six knots. Slowly we closed the gap and moved ahead of them once again, jumping back into second place. Now, with seven miles to go, we really had to match race them and stay between them and the finish line. But we opened the door once more.
Not realising the wind had made a significant right-hand shift, we suddenly found ourselves badly overstood on the finish. So much so that when we tacked, we were both effectively the same distance from the finish line.
The wind dropped once more and, with only three miles to go, Amicolor was slipping ahead. We hoisted the Code Zero, shifted all the weight downstairs, made sure the sails were perfectly trimmed, and tried to sail over the top of them. It wasn’t working, and with less than a mile to go I rushed downstairs and made a quick calculation on the computer to see which point of the finish line was closer to sail toward.
I came back up to Jens and said:
“Sail this number. Nothing more, nothing less. This is how we will get them.” This was the deciding moment. Creeping toward the finish with Jens sailing my number, the race committee came over the radio:
“For Le Défi Paprec, second… CHIPMONK.”
We had done it!
After five days of racing, we crossed the line just 18 seconds ahead of third-place Amicolor in what had been an epic final battle, one we’d continue talking about all night.An awesome finish to an incredibly tough race that had it all (apart from a sense downwind).
Jens and I were stoked to come away with this result because, heading into the regatta, we had three objectives:
Finish the race.
Take pleasure in the race and enjoy sailing together.
Achieve a podium finish.
Afterthoughts: An extremely tough race from start to finish, with moments that swung between “What am I doing here?” and “I love this sport.”
Having never sailed together before brought its own challenges, but the light-hearted nature of Jens and me meant we were able to maintain an attitude of never giving up and always staying in the game, which was a key part of our success.
There were some low moments, of course, but the high of finishing a race like this, no matter where you come, always outweighs the lows.
We’re stoked to come away with a podium finish; however, there is always room to improve. So now it’s back to the revision and planning board to prepare for the next races.
Announcements coming soon on what those will be! 😎⛵️