Andrew Ritchie will celebrate his 70th birthday somewhere in the Southern Ocean.

He’ll be well underway on the solo, nonstop, unassisted circumnavigation by sextant he’ll undertake after departing from Les Sables d’Olonnes in September for the 2026 Golden Globe Race.

As with all ventures of this scale, one can’t help but wonder: why?

Ritchie, who spent 20 years running an outdoor adventure centre, has written, ‘Taking part in this adventure will enable me to bring the message to more school children and help build a sense of adventure and resilience in a future generation.’

Ardmay House Outdoor Adventure Centre takes children into the mountains and out to sea for climbing and paddling adventures. Ritchie says that leading outdoor activities for others has helped ”foster a craving for adventure’ in him, too.

‘The main thing is just being outside, the satisfaction and feeling of wellbeing it brings,’ he explains. ‘Both sailing and mountaineering allow you to push your boundaries to step outside your comfort zone, and that’s where personal growth happens.’

As an environmental educator, he hopes the race’s rejection of modern technologies can have a hand in reducing the ecological footprint of sailing worldwide, and redirecting younger generations towards outdoor pastimes.

Impact aside, Ritchie says he’s drawn by the intensity of the Golden Globe Race.

‘There will be many experiences in the GGR,’ he tells Yachting Monthly. ‘Isolation, fear, stress, boredom, frustration cranked up to a level which I have never experienced and can’t even imagine. I think that’s its appeal, and why I am doing it.’

Ritchie’s journey will be full of personal firsts. He is particularly looking forward to crossing the equator, the Southern Ocean, and seeing Albatrosses follow the boat.

‘And of course the sailor’s Everest– Cape Horn,’ he says.

Less enticing is the prospect of adapting his navigation style.

‘I am quite comfortable with celestial navigation. However, I have always had a GPS to check my calculations. It will be a real test and stressful with no gps and no way to check my sights.’

He’ll miss walking in the mountains and riding his motorbike once the GGR sets off, as well as family time and fresh home-cooked food, and worries about what he’ll leave behind on land.

‘My big worries are things going wrong at home when I am not there,’ he says. ‘Even though I know my wife and family will cope fine without me, when you think about it, doing this, it’s really very selfish.’

He’s equally weary of the impact of being alone on board for the better part of a year.

‘I don’t tend to get lonely, but I have never experienced this degree of isolation,’ he explains. These days very few people have. I can’t even imagine what it will be like.’

Getting the boat, a Saltram Saga 36, ready over the last two years has been ‘a full-time job,’ he says.

Fellow entrants Pat Lawless and Mara Løvenskiold will also sail on Saltram Saga 36s. Boats that fulfil the race requirements (designed prior to 1988, having a hull length of 32ft to 36ft, and having full-length keels with rudders attached to the trailing edge),

‘They’re not that easy to find. Many of the boats I looked at were in poor condition and would have needed major refits.’

He considers himself lucky to have found Symphony. He likes that she’s a double ender, though it did complicate the set-up of his Jordan Series Drogue.

In case of heavy weather, Ritchie says, ‘I am going with the Lieutenant Dan strategy. Other than that, I am definitely in the drogue camp.’

While Symphony was in excellent condition at the time of purchase, she still required a multitude of modifications to be considered GGR-ready.

‘The main issue was her main sail was in mast reefing, and I was not happy with that arrangement. Z spars UK designed and manufactured a new mast suitable for the GGR. New sails were made by Rolly Tasker and Murray Caldwell Sails Roseneath.’

‘That however turned out to be the tip of the iceberg in preparing the boat for the GGR,’ Ritchie says. ‘The plan is to finish the refit by mid March.’

And then?

‘Go sailing.’

In the lead up to the start of the GGR in September, he says looking after his own training is a top priority.

‘I am definitely in the elder group of skippers,’ Ritchie says. ‘Keeping fit and in good health is a big part of my preparation.’

Though he’ll turn 7o with the race underway, he’ll still have more than a decade on his inspiration, the Rev. Bob Shepton.

‘What a man, adventuring well into his eighties!’ Ritchie says.

The rest of the 2026 GGR entrants span a range of ages, from just 21 (Louis Kerdelhué) to 73 (Edward Walentynowicz, who retired from the 2022 edition).

‘The GGR is unlike any other yacht race in that so few boats finish,’ Ritchie says. It’s, ‘A true test of seamanship and self-reliance.’

But at the start, at least, preparing to set off alongside one another gives the solo skippers a sense of fellowship.

‘I met many of the skippers for the first time last November at the GGR conference in Les Sables d’Olonnes,’ Ritchie says. ‘I enjoy the camaraderie with my fellow entrants. Everyone was focused on getting to the start line and the many challenges that come with meeting that deadline.

‘Having a few beers and hearing their stories finally made the race real. I might even admit to getting a little excited.’

Quick facts: Andrew Ritchie / Symphony

Sail Plan? 

Mainsail with 3 reefs / Stay sail / Yankee / Hank on Genoa / Spinnaker / Storm jib / Tri sail / Jury rig sail (in case I lose the mast)

Furler or hank on?

Both. Separate furlers for my yankee and staysail and a hank on lighter genoa, set on a removable forestay.

Self-steering set up?

Hydrovane.

Antifouling?

International Micron 350, 5 or 6 coats.

Three unexpected items you’ll take onboard: 

1. A tin of Grants Haggis for Burns Night
2. A hot water bottle for the Southern Ocean
3. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. (My attempt at self-growth, and at understanding why I am doing the GGR!)

 

 

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