And they’re off!

On the afternoon of Sunday 6th September, fifteen skippers left the Vendee Globe Pontoons in Les Sables d’Olonne, with one more soon to follow after a last minute repair.

They now embark on the Golden Globe Race, for which they will sail around the world nonstop, singlehanded, and without assistance using only traditional sailing techniques.

‘They’ve had enough time here. Let’s get out there and go sailing,’ GGR legend and race patron Sir Robin Knox-Johnston told Yachting Monthly just minutes before departure.

While some boats had a halo of calm, for others the final days were filled with last minute provisions, tweaks, and Hydrovane checks as years worth of preparations came to a frenzied head.

On the eve of departure, one skipper’s team was seen spray painting a storm jib orange in the car park to comply with the Notice of Race, while another’s was still adding coats of antifouling the night before departure.

Yet for every problem that arose, there were helping hands at the ready from entered skippers, retired skippers, and preparation teams alike.

‘I understand now why people talk about the GGR as a family,’ comments skipper Pär Nyman, a sentiment frequently echoed across the fleet.

Fresh off the gun

Scarce winds made for a scenic (if anticlimactic) start, with English skipper Henry Wootton first past the bright yellow buoy marking the official start.

Wootton has previously said he expects the biggest shock to come right after departure, in ‘Those first two weeks settling into being on your own, getting through the euphoria of the start, the depression of being on your own, and maybe a little seasick.’

From then, ‘It’s truly a marathon,’ says American skipper Matt Woodside, with 30,000 miles, and 200-250 days to go.

Escorted by a parade of sail that included a replica of Moitessier’s legendary Joshua, the fleet was waved out of Les Sables d’Olonnes by a crowd of well-wishers, many brandishing signs and small children on their shoulders.

Last looks

The 2026 Golden Globe Race counts sixteen official entrants across a range of nationalities and vessels.

At the pontoon, we caught a glimpse of:

Isa Rosli (OE32, Olleanna) bearing a windvane peppered with handwritten notes and well wishes from friends, family, and supporters, including students from three schools supporting the venture from different corners of the world.

Southern-Ocean veteran Matt Woodside (Cape George 36, Tipi Haere), refreshingly forthright about his routing plans (or lack-there-of) and immersed in a rare bubble of serenity on his classic cruiser (which features some particularly nice patterned rugs in the saloon).

Daniel Pinsky on his simple, spick and span Baba 35, Exodus, surrounded by a sprawling team and nodding along to the traditional Israeli music drifting from below deck.

Louis Kerdelhué (Biscay 36, IE Charge) doing laps on the pontoons to get his ducks in a row, true to his self-confessed nickname of “Last-minute Louis”, before being hurrahed off the mooring by his equally fresh-faced friends.

Pat Lawless (Saltram Saga 36, Silvermines Hydro) singing along to the chants led by a sea of homegrown supporters in green t-shirts and astounding numbers.

Mara Løvenskiold (Saltram Saga 36, Showgirl), donning a bright red Hillary-esque pantsuit for her dockside departure photos, otherwise unreachable behind a wall of fans, friends, and curious young nieces.

Ertan Beskardes (Rustler 36, Miss Beagle), now on his third GGR attempt, serene and by now well briefed on what to expect from the challenges ahead, making the most of his remaining time with his family.

Etienne Messikommer (Tradewind 35, Bernard), with his bright purple boat, tie-dye uniform, and meticulously reasoned refit, whose affectionate goodbyes left the whole pontoon dewey eyed.

Gunnar Christensen (Hans Christian 34, Pumpkin) entertaining fans, journalists, and sponsors alike with his usual aplomb, last seen casting off on his unique double-ender with the help of freshly retired entrant Colm Walker.

Selim Yalcin (Endurance 35, Help Disabled Children), perpetually flanked by his ‘wife, team manager, and soulmate’ Nadiré and offering an insightful historical view of the Ottoman’s maritime presence.

Pär Nyman with his Rustler 36, Lazy Otter, disemboweled onto the pontoon. He left with the rest of the fleet already knowing he would return to fix a technical issue and depart again within the allowed one-week window.

Guido Cantini (Vancouver 34, Hannah of Cowes) and Andrea Lodolo (Rustler 36, Bibi), both on pristine vessels.

The latter signed posters for young fans while answering questions like: ‘what are you most excited for during the race?’ and ‘do you prefer cats or dogs?’ (It was dogs).

Guy deBoer (Tashiba 36, Spirit), towering over the watchers and welcoming them with a wry comment and his typical piercing intensity.

The elusive Henry Wootton (Cape George 36, Privateer), with his head down and his attention tightly focused on the task at hand.

And finally, French favourite Damien Guillou on his swanky Rustler 36 Solarem, for whom the daunting journey ahead seemed to be nothing more than business as usual.

Repeat customers

Guillou is just one of a handful of returning entrants: Pat Lawless, Guy deBoer, and Ertan Beskardes, now on his third consecutive attempt.

‘The 2022 edition taught me humility and patience,’ says Guillou.

‘I understood the critical importance of managing the boat and equipment over the long term, and the value of consistency rather than short-term performance.’

In 2018, ‘I didn’t truly realize what I was getting into,’ Beskardes reflects in a Sail Podcast episode.

‘Transitioning from a cruising sailor to a Golden Globe Race competitor is a massive shock to the system in terms of preparation.’

Other returning skippers report key learnings from their previous entries.

Guy deBoer, who retired from 2022 after running aground off Fuerteventura due to sleep deprivation, echoes Guillou’s caution, and says he’s no longer racing near land.

This time his motto is, ‘don’t break the boat, don’t break the sailor, don’t break your mast.’

New and returning skippers alike also stress the importance of redundancy as a key lesson.

‘The key challenge of this race is not the lack of technology, but the long time alone out in the deep without being able to get parts when needed,’ says Lawless.

Like Guillou, Lawless retired due to self-steering failures in 2022 and will be taking plenty of spares on this go-around.

Golden Globe Race rewind

The first Golden Globe Race dates back to 1968.

Seven started. One finished (Sir Robin), one kept sailing (Moitessier), one died (Donald Crowhurst, to whom the 2026 GGR is dedicated). The rest retired.

In the half century since, it has acquired the nickname the “Voyage of Madmen” and become the stuff of legends, synonymous with the “golden age” of adventurous sailing.

‘Having the opportunity to do the same event in a different moment in history, it’s just great,’ says Lodolo, who sees the rebooted GGR as ‘a tribute to the mariners of the past.’

Even for skippers coming from high-tech offshore racing, the GGR represents a unique challenge.

IMOCA-bred Damien Guillou considers the GGR, ‘a true test, both human and maritime.’

‘It’s the toughest race in the world,’ he has said. ‘It may even be harder to finish a Golden Globe Race than a Vendee Globe.’

Yet, ‘I don’t think the best sailor is necessarily going to win the race,’ skipper Henry Wootton has said. ‘I think there’s an awful lot of luck involved.’

‘The GGR brings it back down to earth,’ says skipper Gunnar Christensen of its enduring appeal. ‘These are boats most people can wrap their head around. It’s the sailing people know.’

Rules and regulations

Yachts entering the Golden Globe Race must fullfil strict requirements.

They must be production boats from a list of 22 approved models; between 32 and 36ft overall, designed before 1988, with a minimum of 20 models made from the same mould, fibre-reinforced plastic construction, and a minimum displacement of 6,200 kg.

They also must have undergone meticulous refit and survey in preparation and have rig, deck, and interiors as close as possible to the boat’s original design, so as not to encourage expensive modifications that might offer an unfair advantage (though some sponsored refits rang up more than £300,000– we’re looking at you, Guillou!)

In order to qualify, participants must have logged a minimum of 8,000 miles offshore, 2,000 miles solo on any boat, and 4,000 miles solo aboard their own GGR sailboat, under race conditions, without technology.

New this year

In the 2026 GGR, a regular real-time broadcast will give the public a one-way digital window into the action throughout the race.

It’s a first for offshore racing, and an unprecedented level of onboard access for what has previously been called ‘The Loneliest Race in the World.’

Eight skippers (Ertan Beskardes, Andrea Lodolo, Gunnar Christensen, Etienne Messikommer, Louis Kerdelhué, Pär Nyman, Damien Guillou, and Mara Løvenskiold) will livestream on YouTube for two to three hours daily to share live footage, select navigational data, and biometrics.

The sailors will not have access to this data, nor gain any additional avenues of communication, but people at home will be able to follow along at intervals.

Also new in 2026 is a compulsory flat-cut Vane Sail in high visibility storm jib cloth fit to the outermost forestay.

‘When it’s really, really blowing, rather than going bare poles, the vane sail will push the bow down so you don’t go broadside,’ explains Christensen, who also volunteers with the RNLI. In previous editions, ‘That’s where people have rolled and lost their mast.’

Unlike in 2022, once skippers depart there are no scheduled film-drop stops until Hobart, after which the skippers will face the infamous Southern Ocean.

After rounding Cape Horn, they’ll sail up through the Atlantic. Arrivals in Les Sables d’Olonne are expected between April and June of 2027.

How to follow the Golden Globe Race

Keep an eye on our Golden Globe Race hub for the latest news!

Additionally, you can follow selected skippers’ livestreams through the GGR Live Window according to this schedule.

The fleet’s positions update every four hours on the Live Tracker, and Daily Reports are available through the GGR Website.

For those who want to participate in the action themselves, this year there is a Virtual GGR running in partnership with FairWinds.

 

 

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