News Around the World
FRANCE Alexis Loison – the journey of a champion Alex Loison won the latest edition of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec on his 19th attempt aboard his Figaro 3 GroupeRéel. This brilliant sailor had been chasing this victory for years and finally he has succeeded. Two months earlier the powerfully built sailor, born in Normandy
in August 1984, became a legend of the Rolex Fastnet Race by being the first sailor to win the overall Fastnet Trophy for the second time in the modern IRC era and, even more, by claiming both victories racing in the two-handed category. In 2025 he accompanied Jean- Pierre Kelbert on his new JPK 10.50 Léon, and 12 years earlier, in 2013, he sailed with his father Pascal, a surgeon, aboard the family’s famous little JPK 10.10 Night and
Day.Alex surely now holds another record in this iconic race with a total of six victories in his class! It was aboard the family sailboat that the child Alexis discovered
offshore sailing. His father didn’t pay much attention to the weather when it came to beating through the English Channel. ‘We often sailed in bad weather and rain with long upwind legs. It didn’t bother me one bit. I’ve never been seasick in my entire life, whereas my little brother and sister quickly got fed up. They were scared, and I understand that. My father’s passion was passed on to me, and I took it all in,’ jokes the eldest son. In Cherbourg he tried his hand at other boats, starting with the
Optimist, then the Laser, and club-owned small keelboats such as the Surprise and the Class 8, as he refined his regatta skills. ‘I was always able to steer well in a straight line, but I had a lot to learn about racing boat for boat.’ His desire to compete in the Solitaire also goes back many years.
‘My grandmother subscribed to the daily newspaper Le Figaro, which of course regularly covered sailing competitions. She would cut out the articles for me because she knew how passionate I was about the sport. ‘Then every summer the newspaper provided daily commentary
on the race of the same name. I would holiday at my grandparents’ house and every day I would eagerly await the latest news. Back then there was no internet of course!! That’s how it all started, and I told myself that one day I would race in Le Figaro.
20 SEAHORSE
‘The turning point came in 2006 when I learned that the race
would start in Cherbourg, my home town, and I took the plunge thanks to the support of local partners and friends.’ Since then Alexis has competed in every edition of the Solitaire, with some good results and some not so good. However, he steadily improved over time, also distinguishing
himself in other events counting towards the French solo champion - ship. His breakthrough came in 2014 with a victory in the first stage of the Solitaire and 9th place overall. Every year since he has been climbing the national rankings, never dropping out of the top 10. In 2021 he just missed the podium in the Solitaire but was unable
to improve his score until his victory in 2025… A much deserved victory and a worthy reward for impressive persistence. Alexis won the first stage from Rouen to Roscoff, was 2nd on a rough second stage to Vigo (after being OCS!) and again 1st in the third and final stage between Spain and St-Vaast La Hougue in ‘his’ Normandy. In fact, Alexis, who had previously won the Tour de Bretagne in
tandem with Corentin Horeau, consistently led the overall standings, closely followed by young talents such as Charlotte Yven (see below) and Arno Biston. His ability to endure fatigue, with each of this year’s three stages lasting four nights (and little recovery time between the legs), his perfect knowledge of the English Channel (he has crossed it over 100 times), the subtleties of the waters in his ‘backyard’, added to his expertise in the Figaro 3, made for an unbeatable performance. Considered the big favourite, the strong man who has become
something of the ‘grandad’ of the race, was faced with a new generation of Figaro sailors (the ‘oldest’ after him was Tom Dolan with seven participations) but he did not disappoint. He controlled the fleet throughout, never far ahead but ahead nonetheless. ‘I also have a good understanding of the timing of the currents on this year’s course, which helped me a lot.’ Charlotte Yven made offshore racing history. Finishing 5th in the
third stage of the 56th edition of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, the 28-year-old sailor from the Macif team took 2nd place in the overall standings! Never before had a woman managed to climb onto the podium of this legendary event, which began in 1970.
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