Falmouth offshore sailor, Sam Goodchild is hoping for another strong result in this week's 48 hour race ahead of the main event of his season, the month-long Solitaire du Figaro in June.
This afternoon the 23-year-old, on his 33ft boat, Shelterbox will be lining up alongside 29 other sailors for the Solo Concarneau race in France.
he said: "It's a 340 mile, non-stop race along the Brittany coast and is a good final dress rehearsal for next month's Solitaire.
"It's a tricky course, especially tidal-wise. We go around Finistere, where the tides can be significant. You've got to judge them right or you could lose many places in a race as close as this.
"The good thing is we will be racing in this very same area in Leg 3 of the Solitaire, so experience is invaluable in these potentially crucial parts of the course."
In his last race, the Solo Arrimer Sam finished in a very encouraging 11th place, the top placed British sailor.
He has spent the three weeks since that race prepping his boat and training with many of the best solo sailors in France.
Goodchild added: "I'm feeling pretty relaxed ahead of this race and my boat's in good shape. I'll be happy If I can come out of it like the last one, with a reasonable result and having had a good race in the fleet.
"I hope I can build a bit of confidence at this time in the season and know I'm not too far off the pace of the leading boats.
The weather was one of the hardest parts of Sam's last race - strong winds and big seas made for difficult racing conditions.
The forecast is much better for this race, one of the main challenges this time is managing his sleep.
he said: "This race is likely to take a bit longer than the Solo Arrimer, around 50 hours.
"So you definitely need some sleep but not a lot. Too much, or not enough sleep and you could lose vital places."
After this race has finished Sam will have just over three weeks to prepare for the Solitaire du Figaro, starting in Bordeaux on June 2.
This will be Sam's first Solitaire as a graduate of the Artemis Offshore Academy.
The AOA is a Cowes-based training programme to support young British sailing talent.
Goodchild will be joined in Bordeaux by fellow Artemis graduates, Nick Cherry and Henry Bomby plus at least one current Academy sailor.
