Figaro - Q&A with Nigel King

With the first Figaro qualifier of the season, Solo Les Sables, starting on Thursday  March 18th we asked Figaro veteran Nigel King to give us the inside story on what Katie Miller can expect when she rocks up in bluQube for her first look at the opposition.

sorc: How far is the qualifier and what sort of course?

Nigel: The normal thinking behind qualification is that all qualifying races have to  be close to replicate a leg of La Solitaire. The minimum length for a leg on La solitaire is about 320 although most of the time the shortest is 350 or 360.

sorc: which boats are excused qualifying races?

Nigel: All boats that finish in the top 30 from last year don’t have to do specific races to qualify and last year because they knew me and I don’t live in France I was allowed to qualify with a log book record from a 250 sail plus one race, the Solo, Les Sables,where I  finished 12th.

sorc: qualifying by races is better than by cruises?

You are right  about racing be the best way  to qualify and the bottom line is that anyone serious about winning La solitaire will have to of done the races to have enough competitive time on the water to stand a chance in La Solitaire

sorc: anyone else exempt qualifying this year ?

Nigel; Apart from the top 30 rule anyone that has been top 5 in the Vendee Globe, Route du Rhum or TJV plus top 15 Mini Transat does not have to race,  but they just do a 500 mile passage on the boat they intend to race, solo.

Sorc: so what about the rookies and ordinary mortals?

When it comes to the qualification those that don’t have exemption must compete a minimum of 2 races, the reality is that even if you complete them they are looking to check that the boat is well maintained, that they think that the person is safe and can look after themself. If someone at the front of the fleet has a problem and does not finish they would not say they cannot qualify, in the same respect if someone is hours behind the others they would want to know why and may refuses entry although that is very very rare

Sorc: I see they get two weeks free parking and 3 days pre race assembly, whats it like inthe port ?

Nigel: again they try to replicate La solitaire with scrutinizing and safety. If someone does have a problem with boat measurement they would still let them race but you would have to sort it before the next event,. But they would not let it go at La solitaire, the class are very strict, which is great

Sorc: and what about the race, is the course always the same ? what are the tough parts?

Nigel: the course is always using lle du Re, ile du Yeu and Belle lle but they tend to vary the details dependent on the forecast. At this time of year if can be a pretty cold race so it is worth taking a lot of kit as you will race in most conditions and be out there for about 48 hours

Sorc: 320 miles , how much sleep will they take?

Nigel: that really depends on the weather, the key is not how much sleep you get but when you take it, understanding the key moments is the same in all forms of racing and taking your opportunities

SORC: as someone who exempt from having to qualify for this years la solitaire, what is your plan for qualification

Nigel: unfortunately I don’t have enough cash sponsorship to be able to race in La solitaire this year, which is very frustrating given how well the race went for me last year. The same rules apply for everybody if you want be competitive, you need to do all of the races and train in between (that’s what the French teams do).