2026 Golden Globe Race 

THE CHALLENGE - “sailing like it’s 1968”

I am an entrant in the 2026 Golden Globe Race. The provisional list of skippers was announced in November 2023 where you can find my Entrant Profile.

This new challenge is a solo nonstop unassisted sailing race which will start and end at Les Sables d'Olonne on the Atlantic coast of France after sailing south on the Atlantic Ocean and rounding Antarctica eastbound. As an unsupported race, entrants typically complete it in about 230 to 250 days. Only pre-1988 full keel standard production yachts are allowed in this retro race which are restricted to 32-36 feet in length. The use of coastal navigation and celestial navigation methods emphasize traditional seamanship, there is no GPS or chart plotter allowed. Modern conveniences like satellite phones, desalinators or exotic materials like dyneema or carbon fiber are forbidden. The race will start on Sept 6th, 2026.

THE ASK

I need sponsors and visibility through speaking engagements and media coverage. My humble request for the community at large is to extend my reach to find exciting ways to collaborate in this fabulous branding opportunity.

Who as the Title Sponsor would want to take over the space occupied by HOWDENS in the below images? Who as Boat Sponsor would want to rename CLARA? Up to five Supporting Sponsors could get names displayed along the toerail of my vessel. While my own website would look nice on the boom, I am tempted to have a couple Boom Sponsors to display their branding there. What other ways do you see to rally support?

If you would kindly share this article, I would be grateful. Please feel free to contact me for an information packet using my social media links at the bottom of this page.

THE BRANDING OPPORTUNITY

For a discussion of the promotional potential of GGR, please see this article titled: €213 Million Golden Globe Race 2022 Media Value.

GGR has historic significance and being a professionally organized race, it offers worldwide visibility as a perfect branding opportunity for sponsors. The first modern GGR was launched in 2018 on the 50th anniversary of the original 1968 Sunday Times GGR, which gave us the inspiring stories from the golden age of sailing by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and Bernard Moitessier, and also that of the tragic end of Donald Crowhurst. Intended to run every four years, the second race started in September 2022, the winners for which arrived in April 2023 and the closing ceremonies took place in late June 2023.

The race committee published the 2018 GGR media analysis report a long while ago, suggesting 185M USD in PR value created. The Media Analysis Report for the 2022 race published in November 2023 suggests 213 million Euros, a 28% increase in PR value excluding social media and YouTube data. The numbers indicate that the 2022 GGR Live Track page had 30-million views, a tenfold increase from their 2018 numbers. It is reasonable to assume that the appeal of this race will continue to increase.

THE VESSEL

I bought the Biscay 36 cutter S/V CLARA from Simon Curwen who arrived at Les Sables d'Olonne with line honors. Simon had been leading the race until a large wave crashed on his transom short of Cape Horn after which he diverted to Puerto Montt to receive a replacement part. That one stop cost him ten days and demoted him to Chichester Class according to the race rules; two stops would have meant disqualification. Simon rounded Cape Horn in fourth place, yet he still managed to catch the leaders before the finish. According to the race rules, Kirsten Neuschäfer from South Africa who finished the race nonstop, was the official winner.

If I can demonstrate comparable sailing skills, CLARA will serve me well in the 2026 GGR.

CLARA is now a cutter, originally a sloop rigger built in 1976 at Emsworth Yacht Harbour from molds by Robert Ives, to the design of Alan Hill. Acquired in the spring of 2019 in good cruising condition, the rig was changed from sloop to cutter, the wheel steering replaced with tiller steering and the structure substantially reinforced to meet race specifications.

CLARA will remain at Lorient in France which for now is the cheapest way to manage this transition period without introducing additional financial complications with importation elsewhere. Simon Curwen has been kind to arrange the necessary repairs and improvements on CLARA, giving me peace of mind until I begin sailing with her in July.

THE PLANS

GGR entry requirements stipulate that "entrants must show prior ocean sailing experience of at least 8,000 miles and another 2,000 miles solo in any boat, as well as an additional 2,000 miles solo in their GGR boat." The latter will be under supervision by the race committee, using celestial navigation as a dry run before the actual race.

Majority of my sailing experience is in near shore cruising and buoy racing. Although I have logged about 10,000 nautical miles in ocean sailing in addition to my 1,084 days and 26,705 nautical miles solo ocean rowing, I had not sailed solo offshore until 2024. I elected to buy this race-ready boat at a premium to take advantage of the next three years allowing me time to practice and to prepare during which I will also complete my solo passage requirements.

I took possession of CLARA from Simon at Lorient late in June. Simon was kind to help prepare the vesssel for launch as she had sat idle since June 2023. On July 21st, I launched alone from Lorient due southwest toward the Azores. With the fickle Azores High, I encountered varying wind conditions allowing me to test all sail configurations. I was also building my confidence in my Hydrovane, the wind powered steering system which required no power, nor did it get tired or distracted, serving as a reliable crew member. Given the variable wind conditions and my later than expected launch, I carefully monitored the wind forecasts then chose to avoid wind holes. When satisfied that my total distance sailed solo would be over 2,000 nautical miles to count as my GGR qualification voyage, I turned the boat around on a clockwise course then routed toward Lagos on the southern coast of Portugal for a haul out. By the time that I dropped anchor at the marina entrance, the total distance that I had sailed was 2,257M.

I left CLARA at the boatyard in Lagos. The plan is to return there in December to implement soe of the improvements and repairs that I have in mind. I will then sail from Lagos in late February of 2025 toward the south end of Lanzerote, which will be a dry run of the first phase of 2026 GGR. From there, I will sail solo to the east coast of the United States using traditional GGR methods with sextant, paper charts, patent log, SSB radio and WeatherFax, exercising all systems. I have thoughts of sailing northeast along the east coast of the US, before launching east sometime in May toward Lorient from either Long Island or Boston. Yacht delivery jobs or campaining for sponsorships may influence my final plans.

These long passages in 2025 will fine tune my connection to CLARA for best performance. Using celestial navigation and applying traditional piloting skills during the same, will also qualify me for my RYA Yachtmaster Ocean license.

I will leave CLARA at Hennebont just up the river from Lorient until February 2026. We will pull the mast to address a genoa halyard chafing issue which will also give me a chance to demonstrate my jury-rig setup using two identical spinnaker poles, an emergency procedure in case of dismasting. This would be a good opportunity to apply a fresh coat of hull paint and antifouling before moving CLARA to Les Sables d’Olonne in the spring of 2026.

A short term rental unit there with Nancy through September is already a very appealing thought. That unit will serve as a basecamp and facilitate logistics. I will welcome my supporters and sponsors to sail with me on CLARA along the west coast of France while minding the strict prerace calendar. Other than packing the victuals and my race kit on CLARA, there will be scheduled tasks and events varying from boat inspections to liferaft service deadlines to media appearances. Whatever I do, I must be careful not to break CLARA in the lead up to race start.

Holding presentations at yacht clubs and pursuing various speaking engagements appear to be a good plan during any downtime away from CLARA.

If all goes well, I will complete the 2026 edition of the Golden Globe Race sometime in the April of 2027. The closing and award ceremonies will take place toward the end of June 2027.