For British yachtsman Nigel King, based in Lymington, the 2007 edition of La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro, the top annual event for solo sailors, is over, though he is determined to be back on the start line again in 2008. Frustrated and disappointed he may be, but he is certainly not turning his back on this race.

Nigel retired during Leg 3 from Brest to Corunna. In view of the heavy weather forecast, the race committee had amended the course to exclude the leg to the Fastnet Rock but substitute a mark off the Ile d’Oleron level with Bordeaux. The leg started in light conditions. Nigel even had to anchor once through the Raz du Seine, until the breeze came up, and then the fleet made only slow progress against a 4 knot tide. By evening he had rounded the first mark and in view of the forecast gales decided to sail high on port tack and push west. At this time he was mid-fleet and keeping pace. Then the wind rose to 40 knots with big seas and breaking waves. Nigel was not enjoying the conditions but felt comfortable in his mind, although his experience of the Figaro in these situations was not extensive enough to know ultimately what the boat would take. So he did throttle back, easing off a fraction. Helming himself he was able to stop the worst falls five or six metres off the waves.

Leaving the autopilot steering briefly, Nigel was in the hatchway when it failed, sending the boat into the opposite tack with the jib backed and ballast tank full. Speaking from La Rochelle, Nigel said: “Immediately I took two big waves which went straight down the hatch as I tried to get the boat back on its feet. I managed to get going upwind again with the tiller lashed. Tried to reinitialise the pilot - no good. Tried to reset - no good. I decided a headsail change would be prudent, down from reefed Solent to storm jib. During this, the boat autotacked again with the helm lashed, leaving me  pinned down on the foredeck. At this time there were signs in my head indicating I wasn’t in control. I needed to look for solutions. I decided to heave-to with the jib backed and the mainsail flogging, to look for my autopilot manual. At that moment I dropped off a wave, the boat landing on its side. The impact was such that it just shut down the computer completely. With no pilot and no computer, that closed off several options. It was just a couple of hours before dark. I definitely did not want to be in a situation where I might have to put anyone else in danger by having to call for assistance, so the best thing was to head for less wind and waves. There were not that many escape routes and La Rochelle seemed the most sensible as I knew the area. So I took the decision that would end the race for me this year.”

For many of the contestants, the race had proved the toughest they had experienced, one skipper commenting that he had aged ten years. Nigel felt the race committee had made the correct decision to amend the course and felt the competitors themselves had to make the final assessment on whether to go or not. On one thing he is quite determined. He will be back in 2008. This year he has funded his campaign himself but now the search for a title sponsor begins immediately. He said: “The Solitaire is one of the best races I’ve ever competed in. To me it’s tougher than the Volvo races I’ve done. You’re on your own, with much less support. It’s much harder on the individual.” He also aims to raise the profile of the race in the UK, feeling that, for any aspiring offshore sailor, the Solitaire has to be on the calendar.

Meanwhile, Nigel will be there to congratulate his fellow competitors in Les Sables d’Olonne for the finish of Leg 4.